As a child, Steph Barnett’s favourite book was about an artist living in a grey world. Colour did not exist.
The artist couldn’t shake a scratchy feeling that more was possible.. All day they mixed the black and white paints but none of the greys felt right.
“There must be more to life than this”
They mixed and mixed until they discovered red.
“Wahoo!”
They painted the whole world red. For a while, the world was inspired. But it began to make them angry and gave everyone a headache so the artist went back to mixing.
Next, they painted the world blue. The world felt blue. Then yellow—all yellow, and the world got a headache. None of the colours alone met the potential of the world.
Frustrated, the artist kicked the paint tins over. Across the concrete floor of the studio the colours mixed and twirled. From the chaos came all the hues, tones and shades of the universe.
And that is how the world became colourful.
The storybook she loved as a child speaks to Steph’s philosophy as an artist and educator today. She believes in the power of potential, changing the world for the better and taking risks in order to grow.
“I’ve kicked over a few tins. The colours in life keep on mixing and the more I discover, the happier I am.”
Follow the journey.
