AN ABSTRACT JOURNEY TO FULFILMENT!

There’s this idea floating around that abstract art is easy. That it’s just throwing paint at a canvas and hoping for the best. That it doesn’t really mean anything. And if you’ve ever thought that—if you’ve ever stood in front of a massive, sweeping, emotive piece and muttered under your breath, I don’t get it—then Clare Garrad might just be the person to change your mind.

Because for Clare, abstract art is anything but easy. It’s layered, intentional, and deeply connected to emotion. It’s a conversation between movement and music, between color and memory. It’s a way of translating feelings—big, messy, uncontainable feelings—into something visual, something you can stand in front of and feel without needing words.

Painting the Invisible

If you asked Clare to describe her work, she might tell you that it’s bold and immersive, that it plays with energy and rhythm. But underneath that, at the very heart of it, her paintings are a form of synesthetic storytelling. Music is her muse—sometimes it’s loud, fast, brimming with euphoria. Other times, it’s slow, melancholic, full of longing. She doesn’t just listen to it; she sees it. She feels it in color. And then she follows that feeling, letting it guide her through the layers of paint, letting it dictate every sweeping gesture, every deliberate mark.

Her work is a translation of sound into sight. And in that translation, she captures something universal—the way music can hit you like a memory, the way certain songs feel like they belong to a specific moment in your life, the way art can make you feel even when you can’t quite explain why.

The Detour That Led to the Canvas

But Clare didn’t always know this was her path. Like so many creatives, she spent years drifting—moving through jobs that didn’t quite fit, trying to find meaning in spaces that didn’t hold her. Ten years in non-creative roles, feeling unfulfilled, feeling like she was searching for something but not quite sure what.

Then came the moment. The kind that knocks you off your feet, forces you to reassess everything. Life has a way of doing that sometimes. Of shaking you up and making you ask the big questions: What am I doing? Why am I here? What if I actually pursued what I love?

So she did. She picked up the brush and didn’t look back.

The Art of Belonging

Now, Clare is a full-time artist. She’s got a solo show coming up. She’s doing the thing—making art, sharing it, building a life around it. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. (Spoiler: it never is.)

Imposter syndrome still creeps in. The creative process is still unpredictable. Motherhood adds another layer of complexity—trying to find space for herself in between all the giving, all the nurturing. And then there’s the art world itself, which can feel impenetrable, daunting, impossible to navigate.

But Clare has found something else, too: community. The kind that lifts you up, that reminds you why you started in the first place. She knows the value of mentorship, of learning from others who’ve walked this path before. She knows that resilience isn’t something you just have—it’s something you build, piece by piece, through every setback, every late night, every moment of doubt.

CLARE GARRAD - CNL PODCAST

Clare talks in detail about the two pieces above in the podcast. ‘Reveal Yourself’ and ‘Lost Without You’. The motivation and inspiration behind them, as well as a whole host of other useful stuff that I believe, will be of interest and inspire you. So give it a listen.

But, if there’s one thing to take away from Clare’s journey, it’s this: abstract art isn’t random. It’s not meaningless. It’s not just throwing paint around and hoping for the best. It’s a language. A way of translating emotions too big for words. A way of capturing the highs and lows of being alive, of being human. And that? That’s not easy. That’s everything. So, sit back, turn up the podcast, and let Clare show you why abstract art is so much more than just paint on a canvas.

You can check out Clare’s work here while you’re listening of course:

CLARE GARRAD INSTAGRAM: @claregarradart
CLARE GARRAD ART SALES: Cosimo Art

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog and be sure to sign up for the newsletter to know when the next podcast goes live and to stay up to date with everything happening here in Creative Nowhere Land. Until next time…

EXPLORE. INSPIRE. CREATE.