From octopi sculptures and drop bears, to horses made of coat hangers and kaleidoscopes – the talented contestants didn’t hold back.
But as with every competition, someone needs to go home and after creating two very impressive pieces of art, Kat Halligan was eliminated.
“I have been doing like art since as long as I can remember. I was a super creative kid, I used to do drawings… scrapbooking… then I sort of moved on to making jewellery,” Kat told 10 play.
“But I definitely didn't expect to get on the show. When I heard back, I was crazy shocked. [I applied] for a little bit of fun, something different, a way to push myself out of my comfort zone. And a way to become myself again.”
Kat shared that a few years back, she had been in a “really bad relationship” which caused her to lose sight of all the things she loved doing, like creating.
“I really lost myself. I was manipulated and treated badly, and I lost all confidence and sense of self. When that ended, it kind of shocked me back into being who I am," Kat said.
"I started taking acting classes and that was insane for my confidence. I could never have done this before… so the fact that I got all my confidence back, now is a perfect time to try something different.”
During her time on the show, Kat shared that she was nervous to meet her fellow makers, unsure how they would react to her, and vice versa. But she soon realised that there was nothing to worry about.
“They threw the wackiest bunch of people in a room and somehow, it all worked. The people really made the experience the best it could have been. I got so close with them in such a short time. They never judged me, they were always encouraging, and even when I doubted myself, they were the ones that pushed me through it.”
They were all one, big creative family, full of unique ideas and the skill to pull them off. But most importantly, they were always there to help each other, which is quite dissimilar to many television competitions.
“If somebody was struggling mentally, there'd be three or four other people that are ready to help pick them up. [They helped each other] feel confident again, helped with their craft and even as simple as picking up someone else’s bags at the end of the day and taking it to the bus for them because they got their hands full. I've never met a bunch of people like that, which is crazy to me.”
Read More: ‘A Flat-Out Joy Explosion’: Harley Breen Scored His Dream Job Hosting Making It Australia
But while Kat had found a family on the show, she did struggle not being able to speak to her parents, partner and her fur baby.
“I live super close to my parents and they call me every single day. So, for them, and for me, it was quite hard. Being away from my partner and my dog - oh, my god, that was like the hardest part for me, not seeing my dog. He’s my best friend… as soon as I left, I missed him.”
As an artist who specialises in drawing, Kat shared that creativity was her escape and it was something that she would do for herself, so she had never been in a position where it would be judged.
“It was pretty intimidating; I'm not going to lie. Going into each competition, knowing that somebody was judging my work, I put way too much pressure on myself. Ultimately, that's what led to my downfall. I over committed and thinking about the end product, it just kind of messed me up a little bit.”
When coming up with her crafty concepts, Kat takes shared where she finds her inspiration.
“It comes from really random places. I don't really have one source of inspiration. It could be somewhere that I've been, something that I've seen online, like Pintrest. I literally take things from wherever... I guess it’s all around you.”
Read More: Making It Australia 2021: Where To Follow The Makers On Instagram
In the second challenge, Kat decided to make a harp to honour her grandfather. Although it looked incredible, unfortunately it was what sent Kat home.
“I used the wrong material, I think. If I could go back and do it again, I would have chosen a different type of paint, or tried to find paint pens. But I was happy with the thought that went behind it," Kat said.
"I was happy with the overall presentation and how it came up, it was fun to make and I had the best time learning stuff. It is what it is, I'm a firm believer in that and it wasn’t meant to be my time.”
Now that her time on Making It Australia has come to an end, Kat has big plans for her future.
“I've always wanted to study, but I've never had the guts to do it, or the money. So as soon as I got back from the show, I left my job, started working at a gym, and I'm doing my cert three and cert four in fitness," Kat said.
“On the creative side of things, I still do my paintings but that is something I like to do to relax and wind down. I have recently just bought a new camera, so I'm hoping that one day I can just be fully self-employed, I'll PT my clients and then on the weekend, I can be a photographer.”
