As a child my mother would always take photographs of family gatherings and parties with friends. Initially it was with a Kodak Brownie Model 1 box camera, then Kodak Instamatics, both 126 and 110. By the early 70’s she was using a polaroid land camera, and then I received one for my 16th birthday. At that stage it was very much a hobby, although from an early age my mother had instilled in me that excitement that comes with getting a role of film back from the lab, seeing the photographs, good or not, and sharing those moments with friends and family. In my 20’s I moved into a share house where one of the occupants had been studying photography at uni. I began to think differently about what I could do with the medium, as a form of personal or artistic expression. I bought a second hand olympus om-1 and also had access to a darkroom and began to learn the basics of darkroom printing. For a time I played with photography as a hobby but my eventual studies at university took me in another direction entirely and I graduated in my new career as a Social Worker. It was in my later years of work however, while working in the mental health sector, that I began to focus more on engaging clients with visual art activities so as to promote positive health outcomes and a sense of wellbeing. As a communication tool I recognised that art gave clients the space to address emotions and conflict associated with stress, anxiety and depression common in the sector. I facilitated workshops that culminated in art exhibitions and photographic projects. I began to use my photography again as a way of recording activities for agency publications and documentary reports and analysis. I even left social work for a time and went and did a visual arts degree, intitially in photography, then printmaking which inevitably assisted in facilitating workshops on a practical level, while giving me a greater understanding of the relationships between creative arts and an opportunity for self expression. I believe my social work background and interests in social justice and advocacy has developed a broader approach and cultural awareness in my art. Since leaving social work I’ve been slowly developing my art practice and I enjoy exploring new mediums and alternative processes to compliment my photography.