Rachel Clarkin
Photograph of Rachel Clarkin against a background of banana grass
Why are you a member?
Art and Community have always been synonymous in my experience and I have found like-minded creatives at Creatives Inc.
Being Secretary of Creatives Inc has been a socially and educationally rewarding experience, providing a great sense of belonging and achievement in supporting local artists and the wider community.
Co-creating in art and health projects, hes led to more confidence in bringing forth ideas.
Giving my time, and sharing skills reminds me of my value and what I have to offer others.
Tell us about your practice
Combining art and psychotherapy, I provide a safe and therapeutic space for children, adolescents and adults of diverse backgrounds to explore their lived experiences, improve wellbeing, build on strengths and resources and achieve personal growth. I use various art modalities and techniques to facilitate self-expression and reflect on new perspectives while holding a space for connection and healing.
What are you working on?
Future projects for 2026 and beyond include:
Grounded Conversations in Nature - workshops fostering self care and interconnectedness.
Bringing Mobile Art Therapy programs to communities, enhancing accessibility and wellbeing for all individuals.
Connect with Rachel
https://www.innermearttherapy.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095068435785
Rachel Clarkin - Art Therapist B.A.T Professional Member ...LinkedIn · Rachel Clarkin140+ followers
Lisa Behan
Lisa Behan in nature at Mossman Gorge
Why are you a member?
It was natural for me to become part of CreativesInc because I believe in creative collaboration. Often an artist can feel isolated as they grapple with the complexity of running a business or working multiple casual jobs to produce income alongside the urge to create meaning in an artistic form. When we have the opportunity to come together we can share knowledge, skills and support. As humans we thrive when we are connected to each other and to nature.
Tell us about your art
My work is underpinned by a philosophy of quiet receptivity to reconnect humans with nature, to feel a sense of belonging and connection.
Creative collaborations combine my project management experience, respectful communication style, artistic abilities, curiosity and contemplative practice to develop wellbeing experiences and innovations.
One example of this is the creation of Mindsettle. Mindsettle is working to calm patients in many clinical settings using a combination of tranquil natural images and curated soothing music.
What are you working on?
Wild at Heart - 20 Ways to Connect with Nature are beautifully illustrated card decks with prompts to encourage us to be reflective, creative and playful in nature.
This concept came to me during the artist residency at Hand Bent Banana which is located in the leafy surrounds of Tallebudgera Valley. Everyday I was there I would spend time walking, quietly observing, listening, feeling textures of bark, leaves, collecting seeds, feathers or laying under a tree feeling the breeze and slowing right down. I was experiencing the calming and restorative benefits of nature. As I was experimenting and creating I gathered up different ways of connecting to nature. Early in 2025 I shared these ideas with my artistically talented friend Maureen Hansen asking her if she would be interested in doing the illustration.
Luckily she was keen to collaborate and we now have a result we can share with you - WILD at HEART nature card decks!!
Guy L Warren
Image of Guy with rooster
Guy L Warren is a multidisciplinary Australian artist who lives and works on Kombumerri County on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Born in 1971 in Lae, in the former Territory of Papua and New Guinea, he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Visual) at the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University, in 1994.
Why are you a member of GC Creative Events Inc?
I value networking with like-minded artists, it leads to collaboration opportunities and the chance to utilise the skills of other members. I have benefited from this skill sharing with support for writing grants.
I’m currently working on a painting for our upcoming Aqua Limina exhibition, and experimenting with printmaking techniques, returning to art forms I haven’t done for years like lino block printing and etching.
Guy’s Art
Guy is best known for his oil paintings and drawings, working across a range of media to create evocative still lifes, landscapes, and portraits. His practice, often described as photorealist, is grounded in a deep interest in verisimilitude and technical precision, though he remains an artist unafraid to explore experimental methods and new material approaches.
For Mum, 2016, oil on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
Beyond the studio, Guys creative versatility spans an impressive array of disciplines. He has contributed graphic design for band logos and merchandise, designed the iconic Gold Coast amphibious vehicle The Aqua Croc, and led numerous community mural projects. His broader practice includes arts-based research, teaching, art therapy, event management, set design, and product development. He has also worked in fashion, landscape, and aquatic garden design—including the conceptualization and construction of whimsical, architecturally distinct ‘Chicken Favelas’.
With a passion for the environment and community arts, Guy has been an executive committee member of a number of organisations, such as Friends of Parks Queensland and Community Printmakers Murwillumbah. He is the Membership Coordinator of GC Creatives Inc.
Guy L Warren's career reflects a restless and inventive spirit, dedicated to both refined artistic craftsmanship and playful, collaborative innovation.
You can view his work on the Guy L Warren website.
Image: Guy with rooster (supplied by Guy L Warren)
Deidrie Tehan Cullen
I am an Eco Art Psychotherapist
Image: Deidrie Tehan Cullen
For nearly the past 10 years, I was the President of Gold Coast Creative Events Inc. (GCCEI). This not-for-profit has always been close to my heart, a platform for creatives to network, share ideas, collaborate on projects, and access funding under a united banner. Even during the quieter years, I kept the torch lit, knowing its potential to nurture and support the arts on the Gold Coast.
The NFP organisation was originally formed in 2015 by a group of passionate creatives, myself included, with the ambitious idea of bringing music to our streets and even onto our trams. While that inaugural event didn’t come to fruition, it opened the door to other exciting music events and creative initiatives, many of which received council and grant funding to support the projects of our members.
Over time, the original committee evolved, as members moved on or shifted focus. Then, in late 2022, while I was still serving as President, I was in the middle of our last project - a series of HOPE: EPOH Photovoice workshops supported by an Investing in QLD Women’s Grant, when I received a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis. This moment changed everything. I was forced to step back, reassess, and refocus my energy on my health and healing.
In 2024, during a Creative Conversations event at Hand Bent Banana, while still in recovery mode, I was delighted to see new energy and commitment emerge around GCCEI. A fresh team of dedicated creatives stepped forward to carry the organisation into its next chapter. I gladly handed over the presidency, stepping back so the entity could shine in its own light, just as it was always meant to.
The original vision of GCCEI was to work in collaborative partnership with local organisations, businesses, artists, and musicians, enhancing music and art in every corner of the Gold Coast. Over the years, this vision morphed and matured - what began as an event management organisation transformed into a collective creative space that encouraged artistic exchange, collaboration, and community connection.
Alongside GCCEI, I have developed and managed many collaborative projects across the years: ranging from intimate workshops, films, exhibitions, fashion parades, and performance art to larger-scale international events. For over 30 years, I have been an active member of my community, holding leadership roles in grassroots organisations and representing families as a consumer voice on steering and reference committees for the founding of Gold Coast Birthing Centre. These roles allowed me to work alongside health professionals and politicians to advocate for positive outcomes for families and communities.
My creative journey first took shape as a professional photographer. Since the late 1980s, my work has won awards, been exhibited widely, and published both nationally and internationally. Later, as my three children were completing their schooling, I returned to study: spending five years training in counselling and arts psychotherapy, graduating with two degrees.
In 2021, I established my Eco & Arts Therapy business on the Gold Coast and throughout Queensland, working with both individuals and groups in private practice and within the mental health sector. After taking 2.5 years away to focus on my health journey, I returned to running 2-day workshops across QLD, particularly with long-term unemployed groups.
Art and creative practice have always been central to my life, offering both tools and opportunities to dive deep within myself and to connect meaningfully with my community. Living with stage 4 breast cancer has only strengthened this relationship: my art therapy practice has been one of the most powerful tools in navigating healing and living with a terminal illness.
Creative connections have always been, and will always remain, the way I find my place in the world—lighting the path forward as I continue my journey with courage, creativity, and community.
Where to find Deidrie
Deidrie with paintbrushes
Karen McPhail-Bell
I am a coach, visual artist and facilitator
Image of Karen McPhail-Bell supplied by Karen
I live and work on the lands of the Kombumerri people, Gold Coast, Australia.
I am a member of GC Creatives because it provides a unique community for those of us that recognise art, health and Country as core for a thriving society. I believe that creativity is the ultimate facilitator and sign of health in a community - and as a GCEIC member, I'm in good company.
As an artist, I create one-of-a-kind mixed media paintings that evoke connection to place and bring meaning and beauty in your home or office.
As a creative leadership coach, I help values-based professionals to cultivate self-leadership, unlock hidden potential, and gain clarity to make the changes they deeply (maybe secretly) desire - bringing more confidence and creative freedom into their life and career.
As an internationally recognised creative leader and facilitator working at the intersection of art, health and systems change, I help you and your team reimagine your work to energise the change you want to make.
“Let Colour Speak” is a mother-daughter art exhibition featuring the work of Jennie Bell and Karen McPhail-Bell. This exhibition explores colour as a “third voice” in their intergenerational dialogue where they investigate memory, place and identity through their painting practice.
Their collaborative art practice emerged as a lifeline when COVID-19 restrictions kept them unexpectedly apart for years, while Karen lived in the U.S.A.. What began as video calls where they shared colour prompts and art play, has evolved into a rich artistic conversation.
“Let Colour Speak” shares their creative dialogue and collaboration, inviting the community and viewers to engage in their own self-expression through colour too.
Main exhibition | 1–12 October 2025
Where | Robina Art Gallery, 196 Robina Town Centre Dr, Robina. The Gallery itself is inside the same building as the Robina library.
Time | Robina Library opening hours (check for current hours here)
Further show information | https://drkmcb.com/letcolourspeak
"Meet the artists" event: 12-1pm, Friday, 3 October https://events.humanitix.com/meet-the-artists-let-colour-speak
Let Colour Speak exhibition
Where to find Karen
W: DrKMcB.com
IG: @DrKMcB_art | @artful.leadership
F: @DrKMcB | @ArtfulLeadershipCo
YT: @DrKMcB