From Green Design to Growing Minds: My Mentoring Journey
- Feb 17
- 2 min read
In 2010, I had the privilege of being selected as one of the design leaders for the House & Leisure Green Designers at Woolworths competition. This was during the time I was also the owner of Karoo Star, creating artistic mohair rugs and interior pieces.
Looking back now as I prepare for my 2026 botanical workshops and teaching kids art at the upcoming Prince Albert jazz festival, I realise how much that mentoring experience shaped my understanding of what it means to guide emerging creative minds.
The competition brought together design leaders from across South Africa to mentor students from six tertiary design centres. The focus was innovative, sustainable design, with 10 finalists challenged to take their prototypes from concept to reality. What struck me most during those months wasn't so much the technical design challenges, but how much I enjoyed discovering that sustainable design could fuel creativity rather than limit it. Working within constraints—whether material lifecycles, ethical sourcing, or commercial viability—became a catalyst for innovation rather than a barrier.
The mentoring relationship taught me as much as I taught them. I learned to ask questions rather than provide answers, to create space for students to discover their own solutions. Many of the lessons learned during this period have enabled me to bring a more intuitive approach to my botanical workshops and work with children today.
My passion for nurturing creativity is unwavering, and this is one of the many reasons I love working with kids and facilitating workshops. Teaching botanical art and working with young artists at events like the Prince Albert Jazz festival allows me to continue that journey of helping others find their creative voice. They need tools and confidence, then space to step back and create on their own terms.
As I prepare for my students and the workshops I host, I still carry forward the same philosophy: creativity thrives with the right support, constraints can breed innovation, and the role of a mentor is not to shape someone in your image but to help them discover their own artistic voice.
Whether it's sustainable product design or watercolour botanicals, the gift of mentoring remains the same—witnessing that moment when someone realises what they're capable of creating.
I will be hosting several Botanical Drawing Classes in Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and South Africa. I look forward to seeing you at one of them. If you would like to see the work from my past students, you can click here
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