Maybe the tree landscape restores my equilibrium because it’s the opposite of my day-to-day life (sitting at a computer in a temperature-controlled environment). Or perhaps it helps me recall a pleasurable time – the day my husband finally made a move (Meredith Music Festival 2000, amongst the trees and tents).

Another artwork I love is a black and white photograph of a man standing on a car that is half-submerged in a flooded underpass. I like the narrative, and the ridiculousness of the scene – the look on his face! But perhaps it also reminds me that sorrow is part of life – something that everyone experiences – so there is no need to panic about my own difficulties.

As I go through PowerPoint presentations during my classes, I encourage my students to think about how they can relate to each image. It doesn’t matter if we’re looking at Aboriginal rock art, Renaissance classics or a contemporary Ben Quilty – my question is the same: “What does this do for you?”

This teaching method was somewhat inspired by that excellent ABC series Everyone’s a Critic (2018), in which regular Aussies visited some of Australia’s finest galleries and discussed a range of artworks. They weren’t experts, which was precisely the point.

There’s no test at the end of the semester; I don’t need my students to recall an artist’s name or the year something was made or what medium was used – I just want them to connect with and respond to the art in some way. It’s personal, and they can’t get it wrong.

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Whether you prescribe to the Art as Therapy seven-functions theory, the fact that humans have been creating and collecting art for thousands of years suggests that it is valuable – not just for gallery curators and art history teachers, but for everyone.

So, my inability to discard my art collection is fine, right? It enriches my life in a way that my other possessions do not. The problem is, when my kids move out I plan to downsize to a tiny house (no, not a tent – I want solid walls.) And although I won’t have any trouble throwing out excess kitchen utensils, clothes, electronics or furniture, I don’t know how I’m going to cull my artworks.

I guess I’ll just have to transform them into a PowerPoint presentation. And keep one original piece to hang on the back of the toilet door.

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