I’ve Lost Count of the Weeks...

Building a collection inspired by the Kenyan Coast

Week… I’ve completely lost count of how many it’s been since I began creating this wallpaper and fabric collection inspired by the Kenyan Coast.

It has been one of the most rewarding processes, equally challenging and, at times, quietly terrifying. There are moments it feels like stepping into battle, and others where I’m completely in flow, reminded exactly why I started.

Returning to a Daily Practice

Not so long ago, creativity felt heavy. Something I avoided, rather than leaned into. So to now find myself creating every day—and genuinely loving it—feels significant.

Part of that shift has come from quietly committing to a daily practice alongside the collection.

I’ve been taking part in the #100DayProject, using the theme of drawing my view. Loosely, it’s whatever I can see when I sit down to paint—nothing overly curated, just moments as they are.

I’ve been working mostly in watercolour and watercolour pencils, and I’ve found something quite grounding in that consistency. There’s a focus that comes with returning to the page each day. A kind of rhythm.

It hasn’t been perfect, I’ve had to catch up on a day or two here and there, but that almost feels part of it.

At the beginning, it felt hard. Distant, even. Like trying to return to something I wasn’t sure I still had. But now, I find myself looking forward to it.

Some days, the hardest part is simply deciding what to capture. Not everything feels remarkable, and I’m learning to be okay with that. Some pages are more interesting than others. Some are left unfinished.

But that’s the process.

And there’s something incredibly satisfying about looking back through the sketchbook now and seeing just how many small moments I’ve captured along the way.

That same sense of exploration has fed directly into the collection itself.

Watercolour, Acrylic, and Finding My Way

There’s been an ongoing internal dialogue around style and medium. Am I more at home in watercolour? Or does acrylic allow me to express something bolder, more immediate? The truth is, I’m drawn to both.

Watercolour remains my anchor, there’s a softness and fluidity to it that feels instinctive, almost grounding. It has naturally shaped the direction of the bone china mug collection, where that delicacy really comes into its own.

And yet, I’m equally drawn to the richness and intensity of acrylic, the confidence of it, the pace, the saturation of colour. It offers something entirely different, but no less important.

So rather than choosing, I’m allowing both to exist.

A Collection Taking Shape

This collection is becoming a reflection of that balance, of contrast, of movement, of not being confined to a single way of creating. I’ve realised I’m not interested in staying neatly within one lane. There’s far more interest, and honesty, in exploring the space in between.

In many ways, it mirrors the Kenyan coast itself.

There are the softer moments,the calm, sunlit days where the sea feels almost translucent, colours diffused and gentle. And then there are the deeper, more atmospheric shifts— moody skies, inky blues, deep emerald greens, where everything feels heightened.

Both are part of the same landscape. Both feel essential.

Some of the strongest designs have come unexpectedly, often while working towards something else entirely. I’ve learnt to trust that process more, to follow where the work naturally wants to go.

Looking Ahead: Wylder Fair

Now, there’s a growing sense of focus as I prepare to exhibit at Wylder Fair in aid of MND in Somerset on the 20th and 21st of May.

It feels like an important moment, to bring the collection out of the studio and into a physical space. To allow people to experience it properly, beyond the screen.

If you’re nearby, I would love for you to come and say hello.

And if you’d like to follow the journey more closely, I’ll be sharing more behind-the-scenes, new pieces, and upcoming plans through my newsletter.