I was once gifted a print by my favourite artist, hand-signed 'Create your life, Hannah' - words I saw every day thereafter. Every day until, at 17, I moved away from Edinburgh, where I was born and raised, and left that framed print hanging on the wall in my childhood bedroom.

I went to art college to study Graphic Design, then to London to work as a Junior Designer in Children's Publishing. All the while, those words were with me, tucked away in a corner of my mind.

I leaned on those words when I took the leap to leave the hustle & bustle of London, and everything I spent 4 years at Uni working towards, for a seasonal hospitality position on the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall. It was there, within a close-knit community, that I rediscovered my connection to nature and my outlook on life shifted.

I leaned on those words when I left my beautiful slow-paced island life and moved to Canada, following an inner calling for the mountains and bigger adventures. It was there, inspired by my memories from Cornwall and the mountains where I lived and worked, that I bought my first set of oil pastels (less messy, or so I thought, than using paints in my staff accommodation) and began creating again. Just for the joy of it.

I leaned on those words as I travelled back to Edinburgh, back to my childhood bedroom, back to that gorgeous art print still hanging on my wall, to turn a hobby into a career.

Now, I continue to create my dream life through creating original oil pastel paintings inspired by my photos and memories, as well as the stunning Scottish landscapes that I love to explore.

I share and sell my original paintings and fine art prints, not only so I can fund continuing to create, but to hopefully inspire others as I was inspired. I hope my impressionistic nature landscapes, with a touch of Celtic folklore whimsy and fairytale magic, act as little reminders to notice the beauty all around.

The hand-signed print I was gifted as a child is a coffee-toned snowy mountain landscape, that now reminds me of both a time spent as a barista on a tiny island, and chilly Canadian adventures when my oil pastel journey began.