I’ve been in discovery mode this month. Reading, watching, and following other people’s work, especially that of other creatives.

A shadow falls across a sketchbook page interrupting the work. What I once dismissed as a flaw now reads as something else — a record of standing too close, and of judgement arriving too early.

Before I understood mirrors as tools, I understood them as rooms — places where looking altered what returned.

Weekly childhood visits to the library taught me the art of disappearing, of stepping into other worlds, widening my sight and returning changed.

Between office deadlines and unfinished collages, I began writing myself a job description for my creative life. This essay explores discipline, routine, and the small rituals that transform artistic uncertainty into practice.

A life drawing class, a vanished website, and the decision to build my own space. Thoughts on visibility, domestic spaces, and the practice of showing up.

A handbag swinging, dogs at the window, a woman framed in chaos. It’s interesting what your remember — what stays with you when your everyday is tipped upside down.

Discovering the perfect vintage coat and finding the right scrap of paper for a collage are moments that share the same thrill of recognition. Explore why this deceptively simple art form became the cornerstone of my practice, from processing complex emotions to transforming creative mistakes into unexpected possibilities.

Catherine Russ's self-portraits are reverse-painted on Perspex in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. Dive into the creative process. Explore these works and all the work in ‘Other People’s Parties’ at Quiet Dog Gallery.