Rebel Stepz

Just two sessions left in my 10-month residency with Creative Brimbank.

This has been one of the most rewarding residencies I’ve had, full of learning, connection, challenges, growth, and real progress on the work.

A special thank you to , who does an incredible job supporting artists and the community. Her encouragement and commitment to creative practice have made a lasting impact.

While rehearsals will continue beyond the residency, I’m genuinely sad this chapter is coming to an end. In fact, I’m quite emotional about it.

I suppose that’s a sign of just how special the experience has been.

Two very different development days this week.

One day spent moving, improvising, and choreographing. The next spent building sections of the sound composition and shaping the atmosphere of the piece through audio.

Developing independent creative work means constantly switching between different roles and creative mindsets. One moment I’m fully in the body. The next I’m sitting with headphones on analysing rhythm, texture, and structure.

It can be challenging moving between those different modes, but I also love how each layer begins to inform the other as the work slowly evolves.

I am grateful for the space to keep experimenting and developing the piece.

Today, one of our Rebel Stepz Arts instructors delivered a Creative Arts Mentorship Workshop in Sydney for young people looking to step into the creative industries.

The session explored creative pathways, building confidence, navigating the realities of working in the arts, developing original ideas, and understanding how creative skills can translate into real opportunities and sustainable careers.

Through open conversation, creative exercises, and industry insight, participants were encouraged to think beyond traditional pathways, embrace their individuality, and gain practical tools to support their next steps creatively and professionally.

At Rebel Stepz Arts, our mentorship programs are designed to create accessible, supportive, and inspiring spaces where emerging creatives can ask questions, build confidence, and explore what a future in the arts can look like.

https://rebelstepzarts.com/mentorship-program/

One of the things I love most about working with children is watching creativity open up in completely different ways.

Art gives young people the opportunity to learn, communicate, and express themselves beyond traditional structures. Some children connect through movement, others through colour, storytelling, sound, or making things with their hands.

Creating space for that exploration is so important. It builds confidence, curiosity, problem solving, and allows children to discover their own voice in a way that feels natural to them.

There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching a child realise there’s no single “right” way to create.

No matter how many workshops, mentoring sessions, or creative programs I facilitate, there’s still always a moment beforehand where I feel nervous.

Whether I’m speaking in a mentorship setting or leading a visual arts workshop, I care deeply about creating spaces where people feel comfortable, included, and connected.

I think a big part of public speaking is learning how to communicate in a way that invites people in rather than making them feel excluded from the conversation.

Then something shifts. You see the smiles, hear people’s stories, and watch connections forming in the room, and suddenly, the nerves disappear.

Those moments of connection are always the most rewarding part of the work.

Finally, I started to feel movement again in the studio after a couple of weeks feeling creatively stunted.

The ideas weren’t flowing. Nothing was sitting right in the body, and every session felt heavier than it should have. But slowly, things are beginning to connect again.

This is a reminder that creative progress isn’t linear. Sometimes, the work resists you before it opens up.

I am grateful to be back in a space where the piece is starting to breathe again.

We started our Craft Your Own Playing Cards course online last Sunday.

It was great seeing everyone begin developing their own creative card designs and exploring illustration ideas, patterns, and playful concepts together.

This Sunday, we move onto the Suit of Diamonds, and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone’s ideas continue to evolve.

I love workshops like this because they encourage imagination, detail, storytelling, and the process of building something completely unique card by card.