Steph Ball (1)

I came across Willo on Instagram and was immediately inspired by this unique idea. I'd been following for quite some time before I made contact. Always being a little reluctant to call myself an artist and with no real desire to paint, I was still keen to contribute to this wonderful initiative. I have enjoyed transferring my photos on to wooden boards and decided to make contact with Willo to see if this would be acceptable. I have been very fortunate to inherit a family home in Warooka. Ballara was built in 1910 for my grandfather, William Baker and his new wife Millie, who came from Ballarat, hence the name. Little did I realise that through my initial contact with Willo, I would discover so many alignments between Ballara's and Willo's values and ethos. We agree that art therapies are beneficial to everyone from children to seniors. Whether it’s drawing, painting, photography, music, writing, gardening, basket weaving, macrame, knitting, or restoring cricket bats! Using your creative mind and hands and through the process of shutting down the outside world and becoming lost in the artistic moment, can be extremely rewarding. I have created Ballara Art & Lifestyle Retreat with a vision to establish a ‘hub’ to encourage, inspire, nurture and celebrate creative expression, community involvement and initiatives, and cultural collaboration. Ballara currently features customised, art- focussed retreat experiences, one-day art workshops, children’s art classes during the school holidays, and an ambitious Artist Residency program in development. Collaborations with like-minded people and organisations are also of particular interest. I am very excited to be a part of #batsforwill and can’t wait to share with artists in our area.