theceomagazine.com | 37Rul e t h R ee
Create your own happy space
I think creating an office or studio that you love is very
important to starting the day in a positive mood. I am
also generally most productive in the morning, so
I try to schedule painting and drawing then, and emails
and phone calls in the latter part of the day when
I don’t generally feel as creative. Music, coffee and dark
chocolate also make me feel happy in the studio.
Rul e fouR
Learn to prioritise and slow down
Do the most important thing that needs to be done
first. Anything else is a bonus. I also think sometimes
that slowing down and not multitasking helps to get
more done. I sometimes put my phone away from my
desk too, if I really need to concentrate.
Rul e f ive
Don’t overthink things
Sometimes it’s best to say yes and figure out how you
will do it later! This was definitely the case with saying
yes to painting and shipping 18 original pieces to France
to exhibit. That was very tricky, but I made it work.
Rul e si x
Find what brings you real joy
While I love collaborating with fashion and beauty
brands, my main happiness is creating my own
limited-edition prints and original art pieces. For me,
this is where the real joy is. While I have had an online
store for art prints for some time (kerriehess.com),
I have recently started an online gallery for original
works. It was just something I wanted to try. When it
launched, four out of six pieces sold in the first hour.
I was completely surprised! Since then, I have shipped
original pieces to the US, Germany, Russia and France
as well as within Australia.
Rul e seven
Don’t be afraid to evolve
My painting style has really changed. I started
out working with a fountain pen, and now I am
much more about brushes and paint for most
of my work. It’s probably a little less detailed
but, hopefully, a lot more romantic. I moved
over to this style about 10 years ago and did have
to teach myself how to work in these media by
hand, but now I love working with paints and
brushes. Large canvasses and watercolour are
my favourite medium.Rul e e igh t
Strike up relationships
Making sure all the work that I do is true to my
heart, as well as something that the client loves –
if there is a client involved – is important because
it leads to long relationships. Some years ago,
Lancôme Paris asked me to paint an image for
their packaging as a one-off. It was so successful
for them that we ended up doing this same
collaboration, internationally, six times per year
for three years.Painting passion | INSPIRE