Don’t take yourself too seriously - there are plenty of others out there who are willing to do that on your behalf.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t serious topics that need addressing, on the contrary the world is a fucked up place. We as a society have as many questions as answers, and at the best of times we’re a shadowy bunch, so there is a responsibility

Hi Im Hayley, an artist who has recently moved to Christchurch after having lived in Dunedin, for the last 10 years. Originally from Northland I whakapapa to Ngati Kura, Nga Puhi ki Whaingaroa, and Nga Puhi. I am one of those weirdo’s who loves to be creative but refuses to niche down, I have hands in many pots including: Fine Art Photography, Painting, Illustration, and Commercial Photography. Occasionally I also turn my hand towards community engagement and curation.

I firmly believe that my life should work for me, much like yours should focus on you first, and so you will find my socials more like a visual diary. I am an absurdist by nature and this is reflected quite strongly in many of my endeavours.

You don’t need to be boring and pretentious to love my art, on the commercial side (illustration, painting and commercial photography) it’s bright and bold, and makes for great conversation starters. And that’s the way I think it should be. Art doesn’t need to be stuffy, it doesn’t need to bore you- it can be vivid and striking, bold, large, and forever in charge, or small and cute.

On the fine art side of things t can be both serious and humorous, I endeavour to give a voice to those who need it, and explore themes of identity and belonging, as well as what it means to look after what we have been given.

I believe the most overlooked aspect of art buying is that whatever it is: you should love it. It should bring joy to your heart, or give you a giggle every time you look at it because life is hard and we should give ourselves every opportunity to find enjoyment where we can. That doesn’t mean it can’t broach serious subjects, just that it can do so with a touch of humour- even if its dark!

It also doesn’t need to cost the world. My art is affordable, with a variety of limited and open edition prints, original paintings and my photography work. I create a new set of 10 limited edition prints every so often, each time with a different theme. I am constantly drawing and this is the best way I have found to come up with a tonne of new work each month without the big price tag that come with original paintings that can take weeks to complete.

I am a huge believer that everything balances out in life and my art practice is no different. I struggled for a long time about how to go about marrying up the two halves of my artistic practice. In the end I have come to the conclusion that they do fit together. My photography, while sometimes being on the more solemn side still has my trademark humour and sensibilities, it can deal with difficult subjects but tries to do so with a light touch. My paintings vary from evocative abstracts to cute gouache, florals’, and stylised, brightly coloured scenes.

All of my art is two sides of the same coin, this is because I try to create things that I am thinking about, with the photography, addressing questions I have, while my painting and drawings are pure catharsis. That’s life! This is why I seek to create art in a style and way that people can enjoy. I believe art can be therapeutic and I want people to feel something when they look at my work.

If you made it this far through thanks!