The natural grounding experienced when you’ve got dirt underfoot keeps you balanced. My bush background means I’m acutely conscious of when I’m out of whack and wavering over the ground, not anchored to it. I’m constantly drawn back to the country and believe there’s no better place to access your imagination. The limitless space, the colourful characters, unique experiences and isolation makes for a profound story-telling environment. My days were spent penning plays in the nook of a shearing shed, creating poems while dragging a rake of fire across stubble and dreaming up monologues during endless circuits of paddock stick picking. At a young age, I felt a very keen sense of injustice about the lack of available artistic resources and commitment to cultivating the talent, story tellers and creative spirits in the sticks. Parents did their very best to drive to performances, drama competitions, plays and workshops but no matter how many kilometres we overcame, we did not enjoy the creative abundance our city counterparts had at their fingertips. It’s this inherent belief in the artistic potential of stories and storytellers in the sticks that has always driven me.