In this blog, artist Nat Moss shares how she captures her emotions through art, including her experiences of domestic abuse, and why she wants to help people going through the same journey.
I grew up in Middlesbrough on an estate called Grovehill. I was always making art as a child. Whether it was drawing, writing poetry or making sculptures from paper. I’m now 37 I am happily married and I have six wonderful children. I am completely self-taught, practicing over the years and trying to fit my artwork in whenever I could around my young family.
I like to capture deep emotion within my artworks, telling the stories of my heart depicted onto paper and canvas. I am probably mostly known as the lady who picks up discarded items of rubbish from the ground and breathes a new life into them. I love the challenge of finding an object such as leaves, a burnt can, a bike wheel or a piece of wood that would have been overlooked, and making it into something beautiful.
The message behind these pieces is not everything starts its journey in the best place, but with the right care and love it can reach its best potential. I also like to teach children that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to make art, you can find most of your supplies in the items many of us take for granted. Beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places if you take the time to look.
My motto is ‘When you look at things differently, the things you look at change’.
Growing up on quite a rough estate and after going through some quite traumatic experiences as a child and as a young adult, I would often turn to my art for comfort. I found that by writing poetry and drawing my feelings really helped me cope especially when things would weigh very heavy on me.
An early memory I have was from when I was around 7 or 8 years old was working really hard on a drawing and after showing it to an adult family member, they laughed and said it wasn’t good enough to be framed. I was so hurt, but yet so determined to prove that person wrong, I remembered thinking ‘I’ll show you!’ At that very moment I made it my life goal to become an artist and improve my skills.
I wanted to work with My Sister’s Place because after being in an abusive relationship myself from the very young age of 16 to me being 20. I’d lost my front tooth and clumps of my hair during a prolonged attack. I still failed to see a way out of my situation and my Sister’s Place offered me a great deal of support as soon as I’d been referred by the police. Eventually the following year I found the courage to leave that relationship and move on with my life.
My Sister’s Place is a huge support for women who have found themselves in situations like mine. I wanted to give something back. I’d made a piece of art ‘I Am Free’ depicting my own personal journey in an abusive relationship and I hoped it would inspire and help others. I got in touch with My Sisters Place and gave them permission to sell prints of the piece, and donated the original which is displayed in the MSP building. To know that I could use my experience to help others has been so rewarding, and I can’t thank My Sister’s Place enough.
The reaction to my art has been amazing. One lady messaged me to say it was so powerful it caused her to well up, as she could completely relate to it personally. I can’t even describe how much that meant to me.
One thing I have learned is that as an artist depicting my own personal feelings is so important to me. Over the years people have said I should maybe create different things, maybe something more happy or something that isn’t about myself personally. But I disagree. I like to think my art is real and true and it comes from the heart in pure honesty. For me art is like a therapy. I have learned how to take a negative situation from my own life and turn it into something positive. That’s what makes my art so personally rewarding, to know my art helps others. I have used my artwork to help numerous charities over the years, and I’ve volunteered to help children develop their art skills, helping the next generation use their own creativity to make a difference.
My message to anyone living in an abusive relationship would be to reach out to charities such as My Sister’s Place, don’t be afraid to speak up and get the help you need. Life may seem at its worst right now, but the only way is up from here. There is light at the end of the tunnel and things will get better with the right help and support. You are not alone, you are worthy and deserve happiness, keep going you are strong, and you are loved.
You can view Nat’s art on her website: Home | Nat Moss Art (natmoss1986.wixsite.com)
Find out more about My Sister’s Place here: Home – My Sister’s Place (mysistersplace.org.uk)