A few weeks ago I travelled to North Carolina. I was about to meet face to face with some extremely special friends who I’ve only met so far via Skype - through my mentoring programme. I was going to explore the beautiful Black Mountains before attending a fabulous conference, where I was excited to be teaching 3 days of workshops. It’s something I’ve dreamt about and been working towards for a couple of years and had finally arrived.
However, annoyingly this dream didn’t become a reality and actually quickly turned into a bit of a nightmare. On arriving at the airport my passport was confiscated, I was ushered into the immigration department, interrogated, several fingerprints and mug shots taken, searched rather invasively by a scary lady, held in custody and sent back to the UK on the next flight home. I wasn’t allowed my passport until I was on UK soil and its now stamped with ‘refused entry to the USA’.

I had enquired about visas before making plans and booking my flight, way back in February. Following all the advice I was given I applied for an ESTA Visa Waiver. I stated that I was going to America on business as an artist. My application was ACCEPTED and I thought I’d done all I needed to do.
It was only on arriving in America that I was informed that this wasn’t the right visa requirement.

Then why was my application accepted in the first place? Why didn’t they reject it and tell me the right type of visa I needed, while I had enough time to do something about it? Why is this in any way my fault or fair?

A baffling, traumatic & exhausting experience. 17hrs flying in a 22hr window. 40hr traveling with a diversion to the American embassy who wouldn’t let me in the door to plead my case. Gutted doesn’t cover it!

Since returning I have heard of a multitude of other creatives that this has happened to and here is an article explaining something of the issue: 'Why are artists being denied entry into the US? How did it come to this and who do we blame?'

But the story does not, and must not, end there!
The amazing thing was that I was able to still teach 2 of my 3 workshops at this conference in America via Zoom, from my back garden in the UK! AND I was paid as planned, so my expenses were covered after all!

I learnt how to teach using Zoom and was thrilled that it actually worked - a new tool in my tool bag! I had a fantastic facilitator in the room to be my hands and feet for each session - they set everything up and reassured people, we dialogued through Facebook messenger with photos and ideas of alterations as the days when on. My face was beamed into the room larger than life on the big screen where I was able to share my powerpoint slides and videos and do demonstrations as planned. We were even able to have a roaming camera so I could be ‘taken’ close to people and art work and join in with group discussion, I was able to prophecy and encourage and pray for people as if I was there in the room. God is so good!
It was an interesting experience straddling 2 continents for the week - they are 5 hours behind us in the UK, so their 9-5 was my 2 - 10pm but it was fine. I’m still receiving feedback from my students on what they’ve learnt and are now putting into practice from what I taught them in those prophetic and worship art classes.

This was an ordeal that knocked the stuffing out of me, it was costly and I was robbed of the incredible week in America that I had planned, but this whole experience has actually put a fire in me to not accept this as a dead end. I’m more passionate than ever to travel the world as an artist - sharing my art and inspiring creativity in others.
Will I be nervous next time I have to walk through customs and immigration? - you bet I will! But will I let this stop me? No way!
Obviously me and God have had a few conversations about why he allowed this to happen and it still hurts, but bottom line is that I believe he is good and I trust his sovereignty. Through all of this I never felt alone or abandoned, I found his kindness around many corners along the way and I still got to impart most of what I felt he’d deposited in me for the people in my classes. I believe he has a bigger better plan that he is preparing me for and I am safe in his hands. He is faithful, he is the way maker, miracle worker and promise keeper, he is my God, that is who he is.

I had such an exciting day last Saturday at Kings Arms Church Bedford, teaching a room full of 24 grown ups how to play with paint, and partner with God in their creativity.

But, you know the comment that grabbed my attention the most, was from someone on the actual day, that took me by surprise. I can’t remember her exact words but she was basically expressing her appreciation that I would be willing to share my ‘secrets’ with everyone. She thanked me for my generosity in not keeping my art processes to myself! Isn’t that lovely?!

Should I be worried that people might try to copy my style, or might use my ideas to make better pictures than mine?

What I do is incredibly simple - I’ve taught most of it to children as young as 4, I’ve shared it with rooms of 150 people all in one go and it’s still been effective. My processes have come about through experimentation and play, through trial and error, but most of all through playing with paint and having fun.

I didn’t invent stencilling, or splatting paint, or building up layers, or using circles in ones work. Maybe if this was ‘it’ - if this was going to be my specific style for ever, then I’d feel a bit more protective and guarding of sharing it with people (I don’t know)...

BUT I’m just getting started! I have plans to go much deeper and further and crazier with my paint playing. In fact, I would be most disappointed if my work did stay the same from now on - I’m hungry to keep developing, to keep growing and learning.

What I’ve learnt has been in partnership and relationship with our awesome creator God, and is born out of grace and freedom, why would I want to keep that to myself?!

All I have, has been given by my good, good Father God, and I want to reflect his character, his generous nature to others.

If I can impart a sense of fun and playfulness in people’s creativity, if I can help to free people up to focus on enjoying the process rather than stressing over the results, if I can stir people to invite the Holy Spirit into their creative activity, then I feel the risk is definitely one worth taking.

Last weekend I led a 3 hour Colour Song abstract art workshop and I thought you'd enjoy hearing about what we got up to.

We started with a couple of warm up exercises – drawing to music and then thinking in colours. I was thrilled that everyone threw themselves straight into the activities, daring to try something different, trusting me to focus on the process over results.

I then set about taking the group through the techniques I used to create this painting called 'Piece of Peace', step by step, layer upon layer upon layer.

Everyone went home with their own beautiful handcrafted painting!

I've learnt to be adventurous with colour and style, just to 'go for it'.
My favourite part was learning the various stages, each one revealed an additional 'layer' to the work.
I've learnt to experiment and have fun with different ideas, I loved all of it!