Meet Katie Tunn
KATIE TUNN IS AN ARTIST, ADVENTURER AND MARINE CONSERVATIONIST living in Scotland on the Isle of Skye. Having taken part in Channel 4 year-long off-grid experiment called Eden, Katie has since taken part in her own own castaway experiences, disconnecting from the modern world in favour of spending time in nature.
A talented artist taking her inspiration from her experiences, Katie has built a reputation for ocean inspired ‘Blue Planets’ paintings, in which she translates the tones and colours of the islands and seas around her home on Skye
Katie’s Purpose
Anyone who follows Katie on Instagram, will know she lives up to the description as a serial castaway given to her by The Times. She regularly goes off-grid, going feral in the woods with no phone, electricity or contact with the outside world, living with minimal environmental impact.
Disconnect – Pause – Discover
On a mission to explore the largest of the UK 82 islands, in spring 2018 Katie set off from the Isle of Lewis towards the Shiant Isles. In this remote uninhabited archipelago of rugged landscapes, Katie’s mission was to spend 40 days and 40 nights with only a few sheep and the thousands of nesting seabirds for companionship.
An Inspired Brief
In late 2019, Katie connected with us here at Inspired, with a brief to create an all-women castaway experience on the Shiant Isles, focusing on female empowerment. The aim of the trip being to share the Off-Grid experience, create strong friendships in a safe space without competitiveness or judgement.
Katie invited a group of 11 others to join her on one of her favourite uninhabited places, The Shiant Isles, for an all women’s immersive, wild island retreat.
Their time was spent disconnecting from the pressures of the technological world to focus on female empowerment and friendship, creativity and low-impact living alongside nature.
Over the five days the group lived on the islands; wild camping, foraging for food, snorkelling and wild swimming, bird spotting, making seaweed cocktails, creating artwork and living life at it’s most simple. Immersed in nature whilst aiming to leave as little impact as possible, whilst disconnecting from the outside world, pausing hectic lives and discovering new skills and empowerment.
The Wild Women Castaway Experience
The group of 12 women travelled from Skye to the island in late August, joined for their first night by a local chef @skyechefmonty who created a stunning welcome meal from local produce of seaweed, cornbread, wild mushrooms and fresh pollock picked up on the way over in the boat from Skye.
Over the 5 days together the group shared stunning sunsets, wildlife viewing of dolphins, seals, coastal birds and spooky morning mists, lots of local gin, whisky over the campfire.
Returning home from the adventure Katie said:
I am EXHAUSTED, but in a good way as I’m so happy to have been able to share a little bit of my life and favourite places with some amazing women
