We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Becca Spencer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Becca, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The best decision of my life, started out as the worst. In 2022 I packed up my life in the UK and moved to Australia, I had just turned 30, I had a stable career, a good group of friends, career connections and my creative business was growing. So, moving to a city where I didn’t know anyone in the height of my career felt terrifying, I really didn’t know if it was the right decision at the time or not. But, having spent a year in Australia in my early 20s, I knew it was a risk worth trying. My partner and I had decided it was the right decision for us and made the move.

The first two years were tougher than I imagined, a traumatic event, where my life literally flashed before my eyes, had occurred just before leaving the UK. Battling with my mental health, and dealing with the stresses of starting all over again in a new place, I really struggled to settled. I was unhappy, scared and felt lonelier than ever. However, there was something in me that was determined to make it work, at least for a little bit longer. One decision change all that. The decision to trust my gut. I got the help I needed, I left the job I hated, and I moved coastal, all within a couple of months.

That’s when everything started to slot into place, I was becoming myself again, in fact I was becoming the person I had wanted to be all along. The person who says yes, who feels the fear and does it anyway. Doors were opening, I was finally meeting my people, creative inspirations I couldn’t have imagined being in the same room as a year ago, let alone now calling friends. I had a creative job offer I couldn’t refuse, at my dream company all alongside growing my creative business in Australia and finally getting traction.

Looking back now, with a full calendar of commissions stretching to the end of the year, clients on retainer, podcast and speaking opportunities being ticked off, a community of artists I meet with weekly, and big design markets booked in for the year, including the renowned The Finders Keepers; I honestly can’t believe how much life in Australia has changed for me since trusting my gut. I couldn’t be more grateful for the life I live now, and the opportunities that keep on coming. But, what I am most grateful for is my strength to make the change.

Becca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Becca, the artist and illustrator behind Bex Create, an illustration business focused on capturing meaningful moments and memories and turning them into artwork people can hold onto forever. My work is deeply rooted in storytelling, nostalgia and the little moments, whether that’s through custom home portraits, wedding venues, bar and restaurant architecture, all products and commissioned pieces and hand illustrated, capturing the details and essence of the building in pen and ink, watercolour and acrylic, with the goal to bring the outdoors in, and create a piece of art in the home that sparks a special memory.

Creativity has always been a huge part of my life, from getting in trouble in school for painting the coat hangers ‘pretty’ colours, to studying design at university for four years, and now having built my brand, Bex Create, that really grew from my love of capturing special moments visually and my obsession with drawing. I’ve always been captivated by art, by the idea that a moment in time, a concept can trigger an emotion, can move you, calm you, make you smile, cry or laugh. Which is why in 2024 when I was struggling with my own mental health I made a conscious effort to document one highlight of the week every week through drawing, this personal challenge reinforced exactly why I create, and solidified my goal of wanting to help people celebrate the beauty in the everyday through art.

My illustration style is primarily pen and ink, which gives my work a timeless, detailed and handcrafted feel. I love the imperfections and character that come from hand-drawn work, and the concentration needed to be so precise with a material that is so unforgiving for mistakes, especially in a world that increasingly feels fast, digital and disposable. I think people are craving things that feel personal again, and that’s what I aim to create through Bex Create.

A big part of my work is helping people give thoughtful, meaningful gifts or create pieces that feel emotionally connected to their homes, weddings or loved ones. Whether it’s a couple wanting custom wedding invitations that feel unique to them, someone commissioning a portrait of a childhood home, or a business owner wanting to honour their incredible achievements, ent, the common thread is always connection and sentimentality. Preserving memories and emotions in a visual form is why I do what I do everyday.

What I think sets Bex Create apart is the balance between artistic detail and emotional storytelling. I care deeply about creating work that feels intentional and personal to the client, rather than something mass-produced or trend-driven. My background in marketing has also shaped the way I approach my business and brand, allowing me to think strategically while still keeping creativity and authenticity at the centre of everything I do.

One of the things I’m most proud of is building a brand that genuinely reflects who I am creatively. Over the past few years, I’ve grown not only as an artist but also in confidence learning how to share my work more openly in person, connect with people in real life, including debuting at my first huge design market in The Royal Exhibition Hall in Melbourne, The Finders Keepers. I knew the importance of stepping offline and connecting with people in person, and my goals just keep getting bigger and bigger, with my second Melbourne based collection about to be released, another collection that is all about the everyday evoking memories, leaning into the human experience. I’m also incredibly proud of the community that has formed around Bex Create, from people who have supported my weekly illustration projects to clients who trust me with deeply personal stories and milestones.

Above all, I want people to know that Bex Create is about more than just illustration. It’s about creating pieces that make people feel something. I want my work to inspire gratitude, nostalgia and connection, and to remind people that even ordinary moments can become meaningful when they’re captured with care.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Honestly the biggest and most helpful resource to me has been joining The D Collective, a mentorship group of creatives created by successful mural artist Danielle Weber. Having a support group of creatives around you that you can regularly check in with, ask questions, have difficult conversations and support each others goals with has moved the needle massively in my own creative business. Having that sounding board, and a support network when you’re trying to do bigger and braver things makes the biggest difference to my own mentality and my business achievements. I wish I knew there was group of creatives out there like this earlier, I wish I had been braver to join them sooner, but I am there now, and I would say to anyone sitting on the fence, wanting to join a group of creatives all trying to achieve there goals, I would say just do it, there is never a good time, so why not reframe and say the perfect time is now.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn is that there isn’t any money in creativity… this was a lesson that was drummed into me at school. From day one I was a creative kid, always painting, drawing, acting, writing, I struggled with maths, I couldn’t remember dates in history, and don’t even ask me about science! But, I was bright, just in fields deemed unfairly by education as ‘less academic’. It was made pretty clear to me that talent wouldn’t pay the bills, and I was always encouraged to make my plan B my plan A. So, at school I did, I applied myself to everything I did, gave it all 100% and I am pretty that has led into my adult life of giving my all to everything, sometimes to the determent of rest. But, I soon started to believe I couldn’t make money from my love of art, that I would have to rethink. I decided to study Graphic Design, so I could apply my creative skills to a ‘hireable’ corporate job. Safe to say although I had talented in drawing, designing for corporate brands was not my thing! And, within the first month on the job, I swiftly moved into a marketing role. But, I always missed using my hands, getting out the paints, pens and pencils, so I began building Bex Create, a brand offering illustrative work capturing memories visually, selling products across Australia, creating commixed artwork for businesses, and individuals and offering creative services that make money! Because, there is money in creativity, you just need to apply you business brain to make it work, and I wish back then, as an impressionable 16 year old I had known that it actually was possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bex-create.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bex_create_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bex.create
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-spencer-marketing-illustration
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bexcreate

Image Credits

Steph Haber