When I was little, my mum used to read me a book called Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus. It tells the story of two caterpillars, Stripe and Yellow, climbing over one another in search of success and meaning. Stripe keeps climbing. Yellow follows her instincts, steps away from the crowd, and eventually transforms into a butterfly. Mum always encouraged me to be like Yellow.

It’s something that has always stuck with me. Throughout my surgical career and in life in general, I’ve endeavoured to achieve through self-development and personal growth, rather than stepping on others. I’d much rather hold out my hand or provide a leg-up. The sky is a large space with plenty of room.

Now, at 58, I’m creating a new identity in a completely different career direction — shedding titles long associated with respect and success, and rebuilding myself in a space where I have little experience. I started with a name, “ANnew”. I wanted to create a separation between my surgical work and the deeply emotional, symbolic world of my artwork. For me, it shines a light on a hidden part of my soul, being formed from my middle names — the ‘core’ of my full name, yet usually unseen. And it encompasses what I aim to do: to start “an(n)ew”.

Many artists use a stylised version of their signature as a logo, but doctors are notoriously known for poor handwriting, so mine is printed. As this transition feels like a metamorphosis, it seemed natural that the butterfly — already interwoven into the fabric of my life — would become symbolic of this journey.

The concept of a butterfly in a logo is not original. Many well-known commercial companies use a stylised butterfly. I needed something unique. Something that I could paint by hand consistently to elevate my signature. I started doodling with the vague idea of constructing my butterfly from other symbols. I started playing around with numbers based on meaning and presence in my personal numerology chart. And then it was there: “8” for stability and success, combined with “3” for creativity and expression to form the wings and body: and two “7”s as the antennas representing spirituality and wisdom. I had created something simple and replicable yet loaded with symbolism and meaning. The formal logo version has a dark blue stripe in remembrance of my dad and includes a bright pink dot for my mum, who loves colour.

The first artwork to include my butterfly symbol within the signature was my large Blue Orchid piece for my Dad. And if you look very closely at the artworks with this signature, you will find a second discreet symbolic butterfly hidden within.