The story behind Flick RJ Art
Hi, my name is Felicity Jewell but I prefer to be called Flick.
I am 33 years old and live near Surf Coast, Victoria in Australia.
I love the beach, butterflies, rainbows, the colour purple, glitter, smoothies and everything related to Taylor Swift.
I rediscovered my love for painting and creating art when I was going through some challenges with my mental and physical health mid 2016.
I experienced depression and anxiety from age 15 and I battled with self-harm and panic attacks for many years. I also experienced Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) from age 17-29.
When I was 25 in 2016 I tried to take my own life but I changed my mind at the last minute and got help.
I then spent 7 days in a Psychiatric facility where I rediscovered my love for painting.
I spent most of my time there at the arts and crafts table painting and losing track of time.
I made a promise to myself that when I got out of there that I would continue to paint.
6 months later in 2017 I completed a Cert II in Visual Arts at Oxygen College, Geelong. It was during that course I came up with my art name ‘Flick RJ Art’ - ‘Flick’ because that’s my nickname and ‘R’ for my middle name Rose and ‘J’ is for my surname Jewell. During that course I created a facebook page to start sharing my art with my family and friends but not much more became of it. The reason for that is because by the time I finished the 6 month course I was experiencing extreme fatigue which meant I slept a lot of the time and I developed chronic pain in my legs and arms, which prevented me from being able to paint. I became house bound and could barely take care of myself.
For the next 2 years I was moderately disabled and I needed a wheelchair whenever I left the house.
It’s been a long and ongoing journey to regaining my physical and mental health but I am now healthy, well & thriving and I am also 7 years self-harm free.
Painting gives me a sense of purpose, it’s a way of channeling my emotions into something meaningful. When I paint I feel like nothing else matters and I often get so caught up in my art that I lose track of time. Often when I paint quotes on rocks, I paint the quote that I need at the time. Then the rock gets a second life when it becomes someone else’s rock and then gives meaning to them in their life.
I have a little studio set up in my house where I can paint anytime I feel like it.Re-discovering my inner creativity has been a huge part of my healing journey and painting has become a big part of my life. I often find myself craving some ‘me time’ in the studio when I am feeling tense or overwhelmed with life and painting can completely change my mood.
I hope that when other people hear my story they feel inspired by it and know that it’s never too late to try something new or to create massive change and transform your life.
