I got my artistic mojo back.

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I joined the Royal Navy at 17, and then life and work took over, causing art to take a back seat. Over the years, I occasionally painted portraits—Kate Bush and Olivia Newton-John for some shipmates—and a couple of murals, but for more than 30 years, I never really got back into it. It wasn’t until the COVID lockdown, when I injured my foot, that I finally had the time to start creating again. I painted David Bowie in acrylics on canvas, something I’d never tried before. That was it: I rediscovered my passion for art and got my mojo back. Now I’m pushing myself to use mediums I’d never explored before—acrylics, watercolours, mixed media, and water-mixable oils—and I’m loving every moment. I keep challenging myself, learning more with every brushstroke, pencil mark, or charcoal smudge. It feels like welcoming back an old friend.