S2E2: Claire Mosley on art and creativity

Season 2: The Home SeasonWelcome to the second season of Creative Momentum with Meg. This season is features interviews with Australian writers and artists where I talk to them about their processes, routines, inspiration and more. I will be talking with established authors, artists, debut writers and people who create for themselves to explore how and why people do their creative work.Episode 2: Claire Mosley, ArtistClaire Mosley is an artist living along the Merri Creek in Melbourne, working primarily in watercolour to illustrate the Australian plants and animals she loves. In this conversation, Claire shares how creativity became her way of understanding the world, though it took a while to realise that’s who she is.Discover what Claire does when she has space and time on holidays – what this reveals about her creative priorities might surprise you. She walks us through her process from deep Google dives for birds (try drawing a platypus from real life!) to painting wattle from actual sprigs brought by friends after surgery, and why working on A1 sheets allows for the kind of detail photographs can’t teach.Claire traces her creative inspiration from childhood walks with her 93-year-old grandfather to the crafty women of Kensington who were always sewing, knitting, or op-shopping, revealing how these layers built her current watercolour practice.Her biggest pearl of wisdom? Two quick exercises you can do right now to silence that critical voice that says I can’t draw, including one that guarantees you’ll draw something wonky, and why that’s exactly the point. Claire’s philosophy is simple: keep it light, paint what excites you, and remember it’s a process, not perfection.She also shares what home means for her creativity – the tangled eucalyptus and tea tree of the Merri Creek, the scent of lemon-scented gum after rain, and why she’s comfortable sitting near ant nests. Whether you’re stuck with your creativity or intimidated by a blank page, Claire’s generous insights will inspire you to pick up a pencil – maybe even with your non-dominant hand.Musings with Meg is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Connect with Claire Mosley* Website* Instagram* ShopFind the show notes on megdunley.substack.com/ Get full access to Musings with Meg at megdunley.substack.com/subscribe