Mother-of-two Diana tells us about following her artistic dream and her very personal journey into sculpture…

Name: Diana Horton
Institution: The Heatherley School of Fine Art
Course: Sculpture Diploma

I am 36 and have two beautiful children, the oldest is five years old and my youngest is three years old. I worked in the PR, advertising and media industry for about 10 years, which I both loved and hated at the same time. I always wanted to do fine art, and the dream came true for me five years ago when my husband, daughter and myself moved over to London from South Africa and I discovered Heatherleys!

I first took the Portrait Diploma course and tried some printmaking and sculpture projects as part of this course. I found the sculpture element really exciting and decided to concentrate on this in my next diploma. The course is challenging, both academically and artistically, for me personally that is. I have started on an artistic voyage and have no idea where it is taking me at the moment, but I’m enjoying it. The tutors are friendly, down-to-earth and experienced – they all leave you with something valuable in terms of skill in sculptural growth. I think the teaching standard is inspirational.

The worst thing about the course is that there is never enough time in the day. The best thing is the highly skilled and talented workshop assistance, very accommodating office staff and the supremely inspiring tutorials. It really gets your creative juices flowing. My course also taught me tolerance and tenacity. I hope to use my new skills and ultimately hope to forge a new career in art. If there’s anyone out there thinking of doing a course like mine, I say if it’s in your heart, do it. Don’t go along to your first lesson with any preconceptions, be open to the process and believe in your abilities.