Dream Big: How a Greek Island and a Plot Twist Rewrote My Life
Artist Jo Morley in Skyros, Greece
Artist Jo Morley leading an art class in Greece
A Single Question That Changed Everything
"Dream big, Jo!"
It's a mantra that completely shifted my world, and it came to me during my very first visit to Skyros Island in July 2023. I had been invited to join a team of eight facilitators for a three-week role with Skyros Holidays, a unique wellness retreat that has been established for over 45 years.
It all started when a friend, who had seen me teaching and knew the magic of Skyros firsthand, looked at me and asked, "Would you like to teach on a Greek island, Jo?"
Fast forward a bit, and there I was. I was taking my first holiday in 20 years — and while I was technically working, I was doing it in a breathtakingly beautiful place, surrounded by fascinating people, teaching linocut of all things! I arrived full of excitement, completely determined to embrace the experience however it presented itself to me.
Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone
Skyros has since become fundamental to my personal development. That first year I went for three weeks, the second year for four, and last year I stayed for five.
Along the way, I have experienced what I call "Skyros firsts" — doing things I never would have dreamed of, or had the opportunity to do, back home. More than once, I've found myself thinking, If my friends could see me now, they wouldn't believe it!
I swam, naked, at night in the beautiful Aegean Sea with the Bioluminescence, they look like hundreds of fairy lights in the sea. I was in the company of maybe 30 other people and the experience was magical…..
I am forever grateful for those weeks. I've made lifelong, special "Skyros friends" who share a deeply similar ethos and philosophy.
One idea that stayed with me
"There is no creativity without play."
But most importantly, I learned a lot about myself. I dared to step out of my comfort zone, even when I felt terrified, by asking a simple question: What's the worst that could happen?
The Catalyst for Change
Leaping into the unknown led me to a profound realisation: I had been playing small for most of my adult life. I had "settled" into the stereotypical roles of wife and mum.
Then, life became incredibly uncertain. In 2019, my marriage suddenly and unexpectedly ended. Looking back now, that painful ending was the ultimate catalyst for big life changes, freedom, and immense personal growth.
Sometimes, the moments that break our certainty are the very things that set us free.
Artist and printmaker, Jo Morley
Living the Dream
If you had told me back then what my life would look like today, I could never have imagined it.
This time last year, I moved house and went to Skyros for five weeks. At that point, the studio was a vague notion — an idea that had not come to reality yet. It is wild to think how much has happened so quickly, evolved, and progressed at such a rapid pace in less than twelve months.
Studio 4b, Kemps Quay, Southampton
Today, I am running my own creative art studio. I am making art that feels entirely authentic to who I am, exhibiting in galleries I deeply admire, and scouting for brilliant, specialist guest tutors. People now travel from far and wide just to attend one of my workshops.
I don't take a single bit of it for granted. My studio is a wonderful, soulful place to be, and honestly? I am amazed all the time.
Jo with her selected artwork, at Palais des Vaches, Exbury
And if you're feeling stuck?
So if you're reading this and feeling a bit stuck, or like you're playing it safe in a role that no longer fits, take it from me: dare to step out of the comfort zone.
Dream big.
