Student Stories: E.A Tofte

"I live and work between Estonia and the Cayman Islands. I'm a mother, a wife, and a visual artist. I like sculpture, sculptural painting, working with found objects and large installations. I also volunteer at the local community theatre as a creative director. I am deeply passionate about environmentalism and promote sustainability through my daily life and artwork. I believe in the interconnectedness of our shared home, planet Earth, and am curious about the socio-cultural shifts taking place around the world."

Read about Stage 3 Fine Art student E.A Tofte's learning journey below.

What is your previous educational experiences and what drew you to OCA?

After relocating to the Cayman Islands, I found myself unable to complete my Fine Art studies until I discovered the OCA. Fortunately, I was able to transfer my credits and took one unit again, which helped me adjust to the new way of studying art. The transition wasn't easy; I was accustomed to the comfort of an art school and never considered computers as my allies. Returning to art studies after years in the fashion industry was also challenging, but art has always been my true passion, even though life sometimes has different plans for us.

Can you describe your OCA journey?

I almost faced dismissal after my first year. I struggled to get the computer to cooperate and found it difficult to align with the course administration. It felt like I was reading a foreign language, and everything was a blur at the beginning. My confidence was low as I tried to establish my art practice in a new country, while also dealing with the loss of loved ones and becoming a mother. My roles had shifted internally, and I had little support outside of my immediate family. The first valuable lesson I learned was to re-establish myself and my role as an artist at home. I had to push out the unnecessary and make time and space for creating art. Over the past three years, I met some of the most encouraging, supportive, and inspiring tutors who helped me gain confidence through my own work. I also pushed myself to tackle less favourable tasks. I struggled with the library for a long time and ended up purchasing most of the books on the reading lists. I had to relocate twice more and travelled with 68kg of books. As Noel Coward said, "Very few people are completely normal really, deep down in their private lives."

What was the Tutor and/or Peer Support like on your course?

I began my final year while facing the imminent loss of my mother, having already lost my grandmother and godmother that same year. It was an incredibly difficult time, especially after relocating back to my home country with my children following 20 years abroad. I don't think I could have navigated that period without the unwavering support and guidance of my tutors, Caroline Wright and Diana Ali. Their continuous encouragement and vision have profoundly changed my life today.

What does studying with OCA mean to you?

What I love most about this study is how it brought together my two passions: art and writing—something I never imagined. It restored my confidence to pursue my artistic path and helped me rediscover my sense of self. This little piece of paper holds immense emotional, practical, and philosophical significance for me. I also believe that not all answers need to be known right away; I don't want to diminish the sense of wonder.

What's next?

Now you made me emotional. I don't feel like I've finished anything yet, especially not the course. Life is full of serendipitous encounters, many of which spark new beginnings for my work. I have a few projects in progress, but it's too early to discuss them. I fondly remember when Antony Gormley once told me, after I travelled to Austria to attend his lecture, "Just keep making."

Any advice?

Explore new ideas you never considered before. Don't give up when you feel stuck—reach out. Find a peer, or even better, join multiple groups. Most importantly, make time to create. Share and don't be precious about your work in this process.

You can find E.A at:

My website is still in making but meanwhile there is some information available on https://eleanoraalis.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/e.a.tofte/

You will also be able to hear more from E.A Tofte during our Summer of Sustainability and Student Voice Festival - Details will be announced soon.