Some collaborations arrive quietly, almost like a gift you didn’t realise you were waiting for. Working with fellow TAFE student Nicole McKenzie became one of those unexpected highlights of my year. She and I are both still shaping our crafts-she behind the lens, me behind the seams-two students learning not just technique, but how to translate who we are into what we create. Seeing my work through Nicole’s eye was a revelation. She didn’t just photograph garments; she caught the handwork, the intention, the small details that usually only the maker notices. In her images, I saw my designs-and myself- more truthfully. Not just as a student, but as a woman growing into her own creative voice. It’s collaborations like this that remind me why this journey matters: the shared curiosity, the generosity between emerging artists, the way someone else’s vision can help you recognise your own. I’m deeply grateful to Nicole for capturing this chapter-me, my work, my designs-held with such clari...
When I walked into the Tweed Weekly office to meet Jonathan, the editor, I was mostly just hoping I’d find the right door. I’d been asked by my friend (and journalist) Madeline Murray to fill in for her while she recovers from surgery - my first little step into local journalism. Jonathan looked up, smiled, and said: “I recognise you, you’ll be in the paper tomorrow.” The week before, Madeline and I had worked on a story about a local collaboration - I had no idea it would end up splashed across the front page. Full circle moments have a funny way of sneaking up on you. I first met Dean three years ago at TAFE - I was studying photography, and he was in graphic design. We used to talk about how incredible it would be if students from different creative disciplines actually worked together , like we would in the real world. Fast forward to now: I’m wrapping up my Diploma of Fashion Design, and Dean has just completed the same Certificate IV Photography course I once did. Afte...