By Renee Wood
A Yarra Glen artist has featured as a finalist of the nationwide network Ausmumpreneur, passionate about supporting women, with Jay Young on show in the 2022 awards.
Ms Young was shocked to be considered for the Creative Entrepreneur, Homewares and Handmade Business Awards after officially opening her business selling her water colour artworks in September last year.
“When I started the business, I wasn’t really doing it to become an entrepreneur or to make money or anything like that, I was doing it just for myself,” Ms Young said.
The mother of two first started painting with water colour three years ago after a midwife recommended she did something special for herself when she had postnatal depression.
Her works or sleeping woodland animals infused with soft colouring were the perfect fit for her own nursery, which helped to create a space of comfort.
“I just really stripped back his nursery made it really calm and neutral and that’s why I painted those artworks that are really neutral, really minimal, and created a little oasis for me and my son,” she said.
Now Ms Young’s talent and love for water colour has grown into a passion and business, as she creates artworks for nurseries and the home.
Working with water colour also forces the artist to slow down and have patience with the process, when you need to step away from each layer of paint.
“Instead of just rushing and getting something done, which I found I was doing a lot being a new mum…to have something just for myself where I was forced to slow down, let things dry, walk away…It just really taught me to slow down and be pretty patient with the process, so the process itself was calming as well.”
Ms Young initially shared her works with friends, family and her mothers group, who were all eager to have it on their own walls.
Now Jay’s reach has grown, selling artworks and limited edition prints internationally with the UK her biggest market followed by Swedan, and Brisbane the biggest clientele in Australia.
Although the works were first nursery orientated – mystical and peaceful landscapes are now another stage of her creativity after feedback from markets stalls.
Living in the Yarra Valley has inspired some of the pieces and Jay will soon be releasing a Yarra Ranges collection.
With the help that painting has brought Ms Young as a new parent, she hopes to inspire others to find their own oasis and to look after their mental health and wellbeing.
“Be kind to yourself and give yourself the space physically and mentally to just take a breath, even to just sit down for five minutes with a glass of water and give yourself permission to just sit.”
The 2020 AusMumpreneur award winners will be announced at a gala event in September in Sydney.
For more information, visit www.youngbydesign.co
