Peta Morris - Choosing Creativity over Fear

“I dwell in possibility” - Emily Dickinson

Peta Morris, a mother, artist-educator, singer and a founder of The Kid Creative believes in the power of creative learning, limitless possibilities and picking yourself up as quickly as you can.

Although having a successful career, and well-deserved awards to show, Peta has spent years trying to let go of the negative mind talk, self-doubt and criticism of others. “I have learned to accept that it is there and just turn down the volume when it pops up,” she explains.

Her big passion for art has not only made her a successful artist with an almost sell-out show at The Other Art Fair Sydney, March 2018 but it’s also her heart’s calling, to make creative learning part of the school curriculum, as a legitimate career vocation.

“This became most important to me as a parent when I saw the system had not changed in the 25 years since I left school”.

“Creativity can have such powerful effects on building connections within communities,” she passionately explains. Working with adults and children in remote indigenous communities and helping people with mental health issues showed her the need to bring creativity into the learning process even more.

Peta looks for inspiration from the environment, landscapes and culture. “The landscape for me is a giant cathedral. Its where I go to seek solace and connect with what this life is really all about.

Besides bringing innovation to schools and creating beautiful artwork, Peta has been a successful singer. “In my time as a singer, I received an MTV award, sang lead vocals on the Aria award winning song Just The Thing,” she proudly recalls the year 2001.

After her singing career, she turned back to her art and was selected as a finalist in The Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Despite the  success, Peta says she’s not afraid to admit she’s faced her own obstacles, “I’ve learnt to pick myself up and go head first and it’s always taken me to great places.”

The best advice she shares with others who find themselves in the midst of chaos is to “just allow yourself to go through the process, whatever that looks like”.

Peta will be hiking in the Tasmanian wilderness in early 2019, to gain inspiration for her solo exhibition at M16 Gallery, Canberra, in October.

To find out more about Peta and her work, please go to www.curatorialandco.com or www.thekidcreative.com and follow her on Instagram.