All images taken at the botanic gardens in Victoria's Golden City, Ballarat. 


When you're an off-the-books, part time employer in a local cafe that may, or may not be a drug front for a lucrative west-side market, it's not often that you get a Sunday off work. I'm not fortunate enough to receive the full benefits of part time employment such as superannuation, double pay on public holidays or even on Sundays. So, in order to celebrate this oppurtunity that was so graciously thrown at me (I'm certain), I went on a mini adventure to Ballarat. 

Here are the images I captured digitally. I'm looking forward to being a hipster douchebag later this week to get my negatives developed. Douchebag Life!! Blissful.

I'm feeling very florally// and very leafy. Potentially seeing the early makings of a theme for my upcoming nineteenth birthday.

For the first time in my Quinnoa lifetime, I put my work on display for audiences other than my social media followers. For someone who gets socially anxious and usually claustrophobic around lots of people, I was honestly surprised that I got through it. Albeit, I didn't stay for the exhibition's entirety, I obviously had to duck out to munch on some Vietnamese food at a nearby hipster's paradise in Collingwood (duck pun very much intentional). For the opening of the art show, of which the artists were all local and somewhat underground, I ran my stall in one of the gorgeous rooms in the Union Hotel in Fitzroy. The second level of the pub was fitted with the buildings original windows, floor boards and hideous 70's lino flooring. I grew particularly fond of the overlooking views onto window flowers pots and the local streets. I felt like stabbing myself with a spoon while watching all of the guests and their hip, quirky friends duck down to peer at my little jewels. I managed to sell one piece on the night, and the buyer must have assumed I was mentally insane for being shocked that she wanted to purchase my creations. I haggled the price down for her. What is wrong with me?

I'm glad that I put myself out there. My new year's resolution is to be more social, and I definitely felt like I began the process of spinning my metaphorical social cocoon for it to be inevitably broken later on in the year when I think of myself as a social butterfly. I only had like six panic attacks in the build up to the show, which is pretty good!!! AHAH Big shout out to anyone who was actually at the event, I hope to be participating in many more things like this in the upcoming year. YAY I can breathe. Once you put your work out into the world, it's not yours to judge anymore. It is truly subjective and it doesn't matter if you despise it three months from its exposure, it's not yours to dislike. Those wise words were a summary of what a lovely couple were discussing with me at the show. The woman really inspired me to start putting my paintings out into the world, and I was also in awe of her husband's passion for her work and her dreams. So beautiful!!!