From anxiety to alignment: Sydney-based artist Zahrina Robertson shares this story about her transformational seven week trip abroad.
When I left Sydney, my suitcase was on its last legs and my family had claimed every charger I’ve ever owned. There was nothing glamorous about airport queues or negotiating the window seat, but I knew I needed this trip. Seven weeks to breathe, reset, and find out who I was after a rough stretch of anxiety and a messy tangle with career identity theft.
Dubai was my first stop. Early mornings, sand in my shoes, and the kind of light that softens everything. I wasn’t thinking about career goals or deadlines. I was thinking about coffee, family photos, and the small sketch kit I kept in my bag. Water, sand, sky. I wasn’t trying to produce anything impressive, only to notice again.
Europe carried me and my family through trains, road trips, and endless snacks. I found myself painting on balconies while my family hunted for croissants. In Switzerland, I stood in the car-free village of Zermatt, and stared up at the Matterhorn — a peak so iconic it almost feels unreal. Its jagged summit stretches 4,478 meters (14,692 feet) into the sky, marking the border between Switzerland and Italy.
The mountain, instantly recognizable as the one on a Toblerone wrapper, tugged at that familiar mix of anxiety and imposter syndrome. It’s ironic; you’d think having my art discovered by a New York gallery and featured on a Times Square billboard would silence the inner critic. It didn’t.
Still, I tried. I skiied like a careful mum who loves a thrill, wrapped in a massive fur-rimmed hood. Halfway down the mountain, grinning at the speed, I realised I was fully present — flying down the slope, not performing for anyone. After years of noise, “shoulds,” expectations, and identity confusion, the mountains gave me something simple: breath, balance, and perspective.
London was the soft landing I didn’t know I needed. Drizzly walks, museums, parks holding onto autumn — and quiet evenings spent writing a few lines about what the day gave my soul. No pressure. No performance.
And somewhere between Dubai, Europe, and London, something shifted. I’d always called myself “The Accidental Artist,” like the universe had tripped me into this life. But on those walks, while painting tiny studies of light and noticing what made me feel alive, a new identity emerged: The Creative Conservationist.
It arrived softly. The more I painted outdoors, the clearer it became what I cared about: creativity and conservation, nurturing nature, breathing deeper, surrounding myself with intentional people. I kept noticing rubbish in beautiful places — and feeling that tug to do something. It matched the best parts of my work at home and made sense of my partnership with Taronga Zoo. It was never “look at me.” It was always “let’s do this together.”
I came home with fewer cobwebs, a camera full of memories, and a stronger sense of what mattered. I didn’t want to chase notoriety — I wanted to build something meaningful, steady, and human-paced. I started writing my sixth book for 2025, about choosing creativity as a way to live, not a way to impress.
And I finally gave voice to the idea circling me for months: Paint and Walk with Zahrina — intimate creative nature walks for women who love the outdoors. We walk, we notice, we paint what we see, we talk about the real things — change, purpose, fear, joy — and we leave the place a little better than we found it. No perfect sketchbooks. No performance. Just presence.
Maybe this is what happens when your child is seventeen and about to fly — you stop pretending you have infinite time. You start choosing what will still matter fifteen years from now. I want long tables with friends, art that raises money and awareness, books that make people laugh, and a life that gives back to the wild places that raised me.
The Times Square billboard was exciting. But stepping fully into The Creative Conservationist? That feels like home.
More About Zahrina Robertson
Zahrina Robertson is an award-winning Australian artist, author, and speaker known as “The Creative Conservationist.” Her nature-inspired art supports wildlife and ocean conservation, and she leads Paint and Walk — creative outdoor experiences for women who love to explore.