What inspires your work?

I’m inspired by place, and what it does to your sense of self. I'll be walking and something will catch my eye, a pattern, a recurring symbol, and I'll want to explore it as a larger concept.
There's a particular thing I love about shells, the way a hardened outer surface protects the vulnerable interior of a creature, and the fact that the creature can eventually shed that shell and grow a new one. You're not stuck with the same armour forever. I find that idea genuinely interesting, and I love the ornamentation of a shell's exterior almost as much as the concept behind it. I paint abstract landscapes that draw on personal mythology and spirit. I keep returning to mythology as a way of understanding the world around me, and I'm more interested in capturing the spirit of a place than its physical likeness.
Right now, I’m also incredibly inspired by the artists I've been exhibiting at Lander—Se. I've recently begun formalising representation with a group of female artists I've shown over the past two years, and I'm genuinely excited about the work they're making. It's an honour to keep giving them a platform and to keep working alongside them.

How has your creativity evolved over time?

Every new body of work feels singular while you're making it, like you're pushing somewhere genuinely new. It's only with distance — ten years of it in my case —that the overarching themes and visual language become obvious. My early work was quite geometric and rigid. Over time it's loosened, softened, become more experimental. I've recently started working on a larger scale, and that alone pushed the work into something more expansive and immersive.

Are there any rituals or habits that help you get into a creative flow?

I start every day walking my dog, Jasper. It clears my head and gets my body moving before anything else happens; there's a real ritual in it. I look to nature for colour and inspiration, like small moments of light across a landscape.
I haven't painted as much since opening the gallery, but I'm currently completing my own self-guided residency in the gallery while it's closed over winter. Generally, I'll do small studies and tests before committing to anything larger. It takes the pressure off before the bigger work begins.

What does “for women by women” mean to you?

It's a sentiment I take seriously. Women tend to understand each other on a different level, and there's a real strength in how we work together. There's a kind of energy that comes from women supporting women that produces genuinely good outcomes. I see it at the gallery constantly— working alongside incredible female artists who push each other forward.
I'm fortunate to work with several artists who are also young mothers, and I find that genuinely encouraging from a gallery perspective. Supporting artists through a period of physical and emotional change, and letting their practice be part of how they understand themselves through it, feels like work worth doing. There's a long history of brilliant female artists, and being able to give a platform to the artists I work with, partly in response to my own experience in this industry, means something to me.

What advice would you give to young women wanting to pursue a creative path?

It's tempting when you're young to let your identity ride entirely on your creative success, or its absence, and that's a hard way to live. Rejection is constant. No stage of a career makes you immune to it and learning to let it push you forward rather than define you is one of the better skills you can build early.
I'd encourage anyone starting out to think of a creative career as something with many parts, not just the making. Marketing, storytelling, your presence online and in person, the networking, being present in galleries and supporting your peers, all of it matters as much as what happens in the studio. People tend to assume this life is all good days and beautiful objects. There's a lot of bad work and harder stretches in between. It's still worth doing. It's just not as easy as it looks from outside.

Why does creativity matter for women of all ages?

I think creativity is a seriously underrated form of wellbeing. We're naturally creative as a species, and there's something grounding about using your hands to make something, regardless of what it is. It's a genuine tool for the brain, problem-solving and creative thinking aren't really separate skills. It works as a mindfulness practice too, and as a way back into community for people who feel disconnected; galleries, workshops, creative spaces are good places to meet people who think the way you do. I think we'd be better off collectively if more people made space for this in their lives. We don't put enough value on what creativity actually gives us, whether that's the spaces we live in, the artwork we look at, or simply the pleasure of making something with your hands.
And for anyone who says they're not creative, I don't think that's true. It's a bit like exercise. You might not be a runner, but you might love swimming, or yoga, or walking the dog. People get boxed in early, told they're not good at drawing as a kid and decide that means they're not creative, full stop. It's really about access rather than outcome. You don't need to exhibit work to make it worth doing. It can simply be yours, a form of self-care, with no audience required.

What does creativity look like in your role? How do you bring a campaign story to life through visual merchandising?

For me, creativity in my role at Sussan is all about shaping the customer experience.

While people often think visual merchandising is just about windows and displays, it’s really about the entire customer journey. From store layouts and signage to product placement, outfitting and storytelling, every detail plays a role in how customers experience the brand.

When bringing a campaign to life, I think about how customers move through the space, what catches their attention and how we can make the experience feel both inspiring and easy to shop. The most successful concepts are the ones that create a genuine connection while still feeling effortless for the customer.

Where do you find inspiration? What influences the way you approach a window or in-store experience?

I find inspiration in a lot of different places, but travel is probably the biggest one. I love exploring new cities, experiencing different cultures and taking notice of the spaces around me, whether that’s architecture, hotels, restaurants, retail environments or even a small local café.

Outside of work, I’m also passionate about interiors and design and am currently in the middle of a major home renovation. I spend a lot of time looking through architecture and interiors magazines, researching materials and gathering ideas for both work and home.

I think some of the best inspiration comes from simply being curious and paying attention to the world around you. Often the ideas that influence a store experience come from somewhere completely outside of retail.

What was your concept for bringing Vision Makers to life in-store? 

Vision Makers celebrates creativity and the people behind it, so we wanted the in-store experience to feel inspiring, thoughtful and engaging.

Beyond the visual elements, we focused on creating a customer journey that allowed the story to unfold naturally throughout the store. From key focal points and storytelling moments to the way product was presented and styled, every detail was carefully considered.

A lot of what makes an experience successful isn’t always obvious. The flow of the store, signage, outfitting and product placement all work together to help customers discover the collection and connect with the story in a meaningful way.

How do you balance creativity with practicality? Working across multiple stores means every idea has to be both inspiring and achievable. How do you navigate that?

A concept is only successful if it can be delivered consistently across every store while still creating a great customer experience. My role is to protect the creative vision while making sure it’s practical for teams to execute and works across different store formats.

Sometimes limitations force you to think differently and simplify an idea. More often than not, that leads to a stronger outcome. It’s about focusing on what matters most and finding solutions that are both inspiring and achievable.

What small act of creativity do you embrace in your everyday life? 

Creativity definitely extends beyond work for me.

At the moment, a lot of that energy is going into renovating our home. I love thinking about how spaces function, selecting materials and bringing different design elements together to create something that feels considered and personal.

Travel, interiors and design have always been passions of mine, so I’m constantly collecting ideas and inspiration. Whether it’s planning a renovation, styling a room or solving a challenge at work, I enjoy the process of taking an idea and turning it into something tangible.

What does being a Vision Maker mean to you?

To me, being a Vision Maker is about staying curious and continuing to create, no matter what stage of life you’re in.

What I love most about this campaign is that it celebrates creativity in all its forms. Creativity isn’t limited to artists or designers. It can be found in the way someone starts a business, renovates a home, solves a problem, pursues a passion or simply sees the world differently. 

What resonates most with me about Vision Makers is the idea that creativity doesn’t have an expiry date. In many ways, it grows through experience, confidence and life lived. Being a Vision Maker is about embracing that creativity and inspiring others to do the same.

How old were you when you started baking, and what inspired you to turn your creative love of baking into Miss Trixie Drinks Tea?

I started baking as a kid. My Mum always very graciously let me bake and experiment in the kitchen. I grew up in a food-obsessed family — and with an incredible sweet tooth— so I was baking every weekend in my teens. I just loved it, and I would make my own cooking shows. When I was in university, I started Miss Trixie Drinks Tea as a blog, which was my outlet to write and share my recipes. When COVID hit, it eventually became my full-time thing.

Your creativity shows up in so many ways, from flavours and decorating to online content. What’s one part of the creative process you never get tired of?

I never tire of ideating, and once I've developed the new products, range, or whatever it is I'm working on, I absolutely love shoot days. I work with brilliant creatives, and working alongside them to bring my vision to life is incredibly special. I'm really proud of the content I produce and my website, which are ultimately for my customers.

There’s such a sense of joy and nostalgia in your baking. Where do you find your inspiration?

I find inspiration all over! I can be inspired by walking through a gallery, but I will equally find inspiration in an op shop. I love flicking through old cookbooks. My Mum has heaps, and I love reading through them, and the older the better. Miss Trixie is all about nostalgia, and I've really leaned into that over the last few years, so I do find plenty of inspiration from my childhood memories, as I know they will typically strike a chord with my audience.

What’s one thing you’ve learnt about building a creative business your own way?

The one thing I've learnt is to stay true to who you are. Don't jump on quick viral trends just for the sake of it, as you'll simply be a part of the noise and no one will remember you.

For women who want to bring a little more whimsy or creativity into their own kitchens, where would you tell them to start?

I would tell them that the most joy is found in the kitchen when you do the things others don't. If there’s a flavour combination you’re craving, even if it sounds a little unusual or you’ve never seen it done before, try it. You never know what magic could come from your experiments.