Hi, I’m Alecia (but you can call me Leesh.)
I’m the human behind Ataris Art: artist, creative facilitator, mum, small business owner, chronic idea-generator and occasional Supreme Chancellor of Watercolours.
Ataris is a huge part of my world, but the person behind it is someone who genuinely believes creativity can give us something we don’t always make enough room for: time to slow down, experiment, connect, express ourselves and occasionally make an enormous mess just because we can.
I don’t believe you need to be “artistic” to create, and I definitely don’t believe there’s one right way to do it.
That philosophy has shaped pretty much everything you’ll find at Ataris.
How I ended up here
Ataris has changed a lot over the years, and so have I. What started with a love of art and creativity has slowly grown into something much bigger, a studio filled with young artists, adults trying something new, workshops, parties, conversations, community and an ever-growing collection of art supplies that I will absolutely insist we need.
Along the way, I became increasingly interested in not just what we create, but what happens to us while we're creating.
The slowing down. The problem-solving. The confidence that comes from trying something you weren't sure you could do. The way colour can affect how something feels. The conversations that happen when people are sitting around a table making something with their hands.
That curiosity is a big part of why I’m studying Art Therapy and why Ataris continues to evolve beyond simply teaching art techniques.
I’m not here to teach you to paint or draw like me.
This is probably the most important thing to know about how I work.
I’ll show you techniques, introduce materials, help you understand how something works and step in when you need guidance, but I don't want your artwork to look exactly like mine.
With young artists especially, I want them to learn that their ideas are worth exploring.
Change the colours. Add something. Leave something out. Decide halfway through that you hate the original plan and take it somewhere completely different.
That ability to trust your own creative decisions matters far more to me than creating the “perfect” finished piece. And the same applies to adults.
A little more about me
I’m a mum to two boys.
They keep me busy and sane
I also work
in marketing and small business, which means my brain tends to bounce between paint palettes and content calendars with alarming ease.
I love drawing...
watercolour, colour, intuitive creativity and anything that gives me an excuse to experiment with a new medium.
I’m a firm believer
that creativity and humour belong in the same room.
I have a growing interest
in the relationship between creativity, mindfulness, colour and self-expression.
I will
encourage you to try the weird idea.
What I want Ataris to be
More than anything, I want Ataris to be a place where people feel safe enough to just have a go. Whether that’s a kid who thinks everyone else can draw better than they can, a teenager who wants somewhere to create and hang out, an adult who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush since primary school, or someone who simply needs a few hours where nothing is expected of them.
It might even be a small business owner who’s spent far too many days working from home alone and just wants to sit around a table with other humans for a while. Everyone will walk through the doors for a different reason, and I actually really love that.
You don’t need to be an artist to belong at Ataris, you don’t need to know what you’re doing and you certainly don’t need to be perfect at it. Just come as you are.
— Leesh x