Everyday People: Michelle Koete

My name is Michelle Koete, from Gulf and Manus and I am a mother of two beautiful children and married to a wonderful man that believes in my goals and aspirations.

I have a passion for arts and culture and recently I have taken to painting as a form of learning in expressing myself as an amateur artist and to make ends meet with the end results for the sake of my children’s education and well-being.

In high school, I loved arts so much, every aspect of it whether it be making things, drama, singing or dancing, and as I grew I developed a connection with painting that required more practice over time.

I have always considered myself an independent woman and I cling to making my own way and with being a single mother before meeting my wonderful husband, I know my responsibility is to my children and our survival, and even though we struggled, we always managed to get by.

I started with table markets selling bits and bobs that I would create and even food markets just to make an income to keep us by.

Today with the support of my husband and my family, I am focusing more on growing my skill in painting and hopefully they can be good enough to sell.

I have been around the arts committee and have worked closely with a few wonderful artists like Nanias Maira, who has helped to hone my skillset and have had the honor of meeting and working with Jeffery Feeger during a body arts event for a wonderful events company.

These individuals and others have inspired me to find my own expression with every stroke of my brush, and with the struggles that brought me to finding myself in a better place.

I hope this can inspire both men and women who have or are living the single parent struggle to believe in themselves and trust their journey to be good and have purpose as long as they work hard for it.

I found myself in my artwork, it has allowed me to be independent, bold, and expressive, I hope whoever is reading my story, can be inspired and motivated by it.

~Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful~

Author: 
Carol Kidu