I’m a London artist and new mum looking for inspiration in the woods
London-based Australian artist Jess Cochrane talks to us about getting back to nature and reconnecting with creativity after motherhood.
G’day Jess, Thanks for chatting to us. You're originally an Aussie but now you're living in London. What prompted the move? I moved for love :) In 2018, I was invited to be part of a group show in London, that’s when I met my partner who is a true London boy. I fell in love with him, and with London. The rest, as they say, is history.
How good is that! So tell us about your life - what does your typical day look like?
My life now is pretty wonderful. It’s a good season. I am a visual artist, but my newest job is being a mother.
A typical day looks like a chaotic mix of cute baby stuff and some art stuff wherever I can find a spare moment.
As an artist and new mum, I imagine it must be pretty hard to switch off?
I think as an artist, or any creative freelance-type you never switch off. The job is to be living and breathing your craft. Adding a baby into the mix has been immense. Wonderful but a very all-consuming thing. I don’t really switch off.
What do you normally do when you hit a wall creatively?
Cry. But in all honesty, I very recently hit a creative wall. After having a baby and continuing to make works throughout the experience of pregnancy, I found that my lack of time to step back and assess where I’m at led me to a place where I wasn’t actually enjoying the work I was making. I was simply on autopilot.
Stepping back and allowing space to see the bigger picture is imperative to move past the impact of hitting a wall. Having time and space, even if just for a moment to do something you wouldn’t normally do can change things, spark ideas or get you excited again.
I've found that motherhood has changed me in a profound way that I don’t know I have words to aptly describe. But this also made me question a lot about my life, my fears, my work, the content and context of my work. It has changed the trajectory of my practice entirely.
How were you feeling mentally and emotionally before you headed out to nature?
Good, but definitely “busy" in the mind.
How did it feel being in the middle of nowhere with no expectations of what you were supposed to do?
Honestly, the first evening felt weird (lol). It’s so still and quiet out in the forest and the severe lack of reception on my phone meant I couldn’t scroll mindlessly, which is such a bad but enjoyable habit of mine. After dinner, I really didn’t know what to do other than try and finish the book I've been reading and fall asleep. Which it seems I’d forgotten is in fact a really nice thing to do.
So what did you do while you were out there?
I went to the cabin with my mum and my baby. So we spent a lot of time putting my 9 month old daughter in the wheelbarrow provided and carting her around the forest with us. A very fun time! And when we weren’t doing that, I was painting my surroundings.
I am, generally speaking, a figurative painter. So painting landscapes in the peace and quiet of the forest with absolutely no expectations was really, really fun.
How did you feel on return?
A lot lighter.
Why do you think getting out of the city and into wild spaces is so important for mental health? Should Brits be doing more of it?
As a former resident of Australia. I know the positive impact that spending time has on my mental health, clarity and my general state of peace. Moving to London has only amplified for me just how mega the impact of nature is on us. I think the pull of a city like London can and is so intense and it is so much fun to live here, that often we aren’t aware of how the general density and busyness of this city affects us. I think it's easy to end up with a lack of balance living in a big city.
We could all definitely do with grounding ourselves in nature more often.
What would your advice be to anyone thinking of getting Unyoked?
You will have absolutely zero regrets about getting Unyoked. It's 11/10 excellent times all round.