HEART IN PAPER - FIND AND CREATE YOUR MOMENT

"Crafted Moments - The Beginning"

The beginning of a new creative chapter — Nicky Bourke, intuitive artist and Waikanae Paper Artist.

For a long time, I believed there was nothing particularly remarkable about me. I was simply Nicky—married, in my mid-50s, and the proud mum of a teenage daughter.

Today, I’m also Nicky Bourke, an intuitive New Zealand artist and the creative heart behind Waikanae Paper Artist and The Papercraft Studio.

We live in beautiful Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast, in a home my husband built with his own hands. It is more than a house; it is a labour of love, complete with blood, sweat, tears and, yes… a few swear words too.

Our gardens have grown slowly over the years, filled with plants begged, borrowed, gifted or discovered at local sales. Every bloom and branch tells a story of patience, persistence and possibility.

Now, when I look around, I see the vision we once imagined taking shape before my eyes. They say home is where the heart is, and I believe that deeply—because this home holds so much of mine.

What Is This Blog Really About?

This blog is about creativity, identity, home, belonging and finding beauty in the everyday.

It is a place where I can share my original paintings, paper art, creative experiments, inherited family artwork and the honest stories behind them. It is also where I hope to explore the moments that shape us—the joyful ones, the difficult ones and the wonderfully imperfect ones in between.

Most of us want to feel that we are good at something, whether that is parenting, cooking, friendship, gardening, our careers, our relationships or simply making it through a demanding day.

Sometimes, beneath all that busyness, a quiet question remains:

Is this all there is?

I believe everyone has a gift, although it can become hidden beneath layers of doubt, responsibility and distraction. For many years, I did not recognise my own creativity for what it was.

Perhaps this blog can become a place where we explore those hidden parts of ourselves together—a place to feel seen, heard, encouraged and understood.

A Childhood of Colour and Shadows

I was born with a significant eyesight impairment, including crossed eyes and double vision. Other people could see that something was different about my eyes, but what they could not know was how little of the world I could see in return.

I was too young to explain it, so my earliest understanding of the world was shaped by sound, scent and touch. Even today, I instinctively smell unfamiliar food, sense the emotional tone of a room as soon as I enter, and use touch as a way of connecting with the world around me.

Some of the first things I remember seeing were flashes of colour—not complete shapes, but small, vivid clues.

My mother wore a red twinset. When I saw that warm red colour pass by, I knew she was there. That colour became my anchor.

As I grew older and found my voice, I stumbled—sometimes quite literally. I walked into door frames, spilled hot Milo and tripped over the ordinary obstacles of childhood.

But beneath those moments was a child learning to navigate a world she could not yet see clearly.

Now, decades later, I can see. Yet, like many of us, I still occasionally find myself feeling lost in the dark.

This Is Just the Beginning

If you have ever felt different, unseen or unsure of where you belong, perhaps this blog can become a welcoming place for you too.

Here, I will share the stories, experiences and creative discoveries that have shaped the person and artist I am becoming. My next post will explore how those early experiences influenced my identity, resilience, creativity and view of the world.

For now, let’s walk this journey together.

Thank you for stopping by. Keep creating, noticing and celebrating life’s little moments.

Until next time,

Nicky Bourke
Intuitive Artist · Waikanae Paper Artist
The Papercraft Studio

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