03 Magazine: March 31, 2023

Feature | Magazine 29
Just a few years ago Meg Gallagher was entrenched in Sydney’s
fashion world, relishing the challenge of being the denim whiz-kid.
‘‘It was my dream job. I got the job I was desperate for when I was
studying fashion,’’ she says.
Yet she had this magnetic pull to come back to Otago, something
she never thought would happen 20 years ago.
‘‘By the time I got my dream job, my passion and focus was on the
art and painting. I was a different person.’’
She started painting in Sydney four years ago, after she had her son,
discovering ‘‘never-ending’’ inspiration from the world around her.
“I was really into this hard-core fashion job and
had all these staff I was responsible for, but it’s so
interesting how easy it was to give it up.”
‘‘It escalated so quickly because everything is so easy to buy online
at the moment. Everyone loved my connection to New Zealand and
Australian landscapes.’’
Personally, it also resonated, as it was her work, whereas in fashion
she was bringing to life someone else’s vision.
‘‘I loved the creative part of it, but it was always their kind of thing.
When I was creating my art, it was that calmness and stillness of me
being able to do things at my own pace.’’
Meg began to question why she was still ‘‘hustling’’ in Sydney.
She knew if she returned to Dunedin she could make art her
primary focus.
‘‘Also slow down a bit, not focus on quick sales. I could choose the
things I wanted to do.’’
So she made the decision and moved back to Dunedin a year ago.
She did have a few qualms about whether her art practice would
continue to be successful.
‘‘But it’s been beyond what I could expect. It’s been so good. I’ve
got a never-ending bucket of inspiration here. I feel so connected to
myself and this place, it’s made me like, so much more considered
and thoughtful as an artist.’’
Coming back was made easier by finding studio space while she
was still stuck in Sydney during Covid. Her brother, an illustrator, was
able to check it out and give it his tick of approval although there
were concerns about the size and cost of the space.
Its positive attributes of being light and airy and in a great location
won them over. They went ahead and hired the space with the aim
of getting other creatives to join them and share it.