How did you first get into calligraphy?
"When I was growing up my mother was always doodling on any random piece of paper. We would be having a conversation and she would just pick out a word and write it over and over again! I should mention that when I say "doodle" I really mean an incredibly impressive display of style and skill, but she did it so nonchalantly that it always seemed like doodling. Of all the things I would watch her do, the drawing and the sketching stuck with me. I took all the art classes I could and then practised all the time at home, school, wherever...I always had a sketchbook with me."
"Fast forward to college where I got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing/Painting/Printmaking. Working with my hands has always been very important to me, so out of natural curiosity I picked up calligraphy. Of course I fell in love with it, and that was that!"
What inspires you and how did you come to incorporate flowers into your calligraphy?
"Obviously nature is a huge inspiration to me but not just on face value, more how it makes me feel. I feel so alive when I am surrounded by crashing waves or rustling trees. I will often be out for a walk and see a simple tree leaf that is just slightly different than the rest, the edges might have holes from bugs, the colour an array of greens and yellows and reds and it just hits me: that creative spark that makes me feel alive!"
"The flowers came about as a result of loving all that nature is. But also I suppose for a long period of my life I really wanted to be a florist, but never pursued that. Probably because I don't like how time sensitive it is!"
What’s the best thing about running your workshops?
"I love to learn! Any new recipe I learn, or a new painting technique or something from history makes a big impression. Our mind is a beautiful thing and I love that we can mold and feed it! I love passing on the techniques I have learned over the years and it’s very fun for me to connect with people in person. I love that I can help influence others to make beautiful things - we can never have too many beautiful things."
If you had to choose, what is your favourite flower?
"I don't have any children but if I did I think this would be like asking me which of them is my favourite. This is so tough! If I had to choose one it would definitely be a rose. I love roses because they smell so wonderful. They are these swirling petals of amazing beauty and they are really sturdy and resilient plants yet so ridiculously elegant. In fact, one of my all-time favourite songs is La Vie en Rose."
Any tips for beginners on how to develop their own style?
"Find what really makes you feel alive! Find that thing that makes you so eager to create whether it is nature, music, travel, exercise....whatever. Find it and then harness it! You will start to notice your style coming through your work. For that reason it is so important to do A TON of work. The more you do the more your style will become evident to you. Don't look too much at other people's work - they are already doing that! Look instead to everything around you, and study the old masters. Lastly, take a sketchbook with you everywhere; you don't know when the inspiration is really going to strike and you need to write it down while it's fresh!"
Check out Annie's beautiful Instagram feed, and if you're lucky enough to have a trip planned to America soon, you can get in touch to find out more about her future workshops here.
