Because I am really interested in gardening, I do really interesting plants, not even always flowers. And beca... — Emma Tennant

Because I am really interested in gardening, I do really interesting plants, not even always flowers. And because I have grown them, I really know them like friends. I paint everything from exotic orchids to rosehips growing wild in a hedge. They just have to speak to me.

Author: Emma Tennant

Insight: There's something quietly revolutionary about choosing to paint what you actually know rather than what you think you're supposed to paint. Most of us live with this constant gap between what we find genuinely interesting and what we think will impress other people. Tennant's approach cuts through that entirely. She grows plants first, gets to know their particular quirks and character, and only then decides they're worth painting. It's the opposite of reaching for the exotic because it sounds more impressive. The real insight here is that intimacy creates urgency. When you know something deeply—a plant you've watered through seasons, watched struggle and thrive—it becomes magnetic in a way that novelty never quite is. You have something actual to say about it. This applies far beyond painting. The best conversations usually happen about things people genuinely care about, not the topics they think they should. The best work comes from that same place of real investment, not obligation. Notice too that Tennant doesn't separate "interesting" plants from flowers, or exotic orchids from wild rosehips. The hierarchy dissolves once you actually know things. What matters isn't the object's inherent status but your genuine relationship to it. That's freedom worth paying attention to.