Update #12 - Where I finish a huge painting, draw on location, and start my podcast

This is where I share what I’ve been up to behind the scenes to move my art career forward - the good, the bad, and the as-yet-to-be-determined. 

I have absolutely no idea what happened to May - it feels like only yesterday I was writing April’s update! 

It has been a wonderful month, full of so much good stuff, but I’m a little disappointed with not being further along with things. I was hoping to get a bunch of stuff finished this month, but I’m in the middle of several different big projects at the moment. 

When I look back over what I’ve actually gotten done in May I can see that even though I haven’t managed to actually complete any of my projects, everything has shuffled closer to completion.

Let’s see how it went…

May’s Rose, Bud, & Thorn

The Rose is something that went well, the Thorn is something that didn’t go so well or is challenging, and the Bud is something that is still percolating…

ROSE

One of the biggest projects I’ve been working on this month is my new podcast! I have wanted to start a podcast for YEARS, but I’m so happy I waited. Now is exactly the right time for me to do it. One of the things that held me back was the sheer volume of work involved, but my brilliant husband helped me figure out a way to do it which wouldn’t overwhelm me. Instead of a weekly show, it’s going to be a monthly one, and I’ll be recording a video version which will serve as one of my YouTube videos for the month!

The podcast will be interview style, and I’ll be talking to my fellow artists about the creative process - what they make and, in particular, how they make it - their rituals and workflows, inspirations and disenchantments, ebbs and flows. We’ll even take a peek behind the scenes of their businesses to see how they’re using their creativity there too, and how they balance the needs of their business with the needs of their art.

I’ve already recorded two interviews, and the first one (tech gods willing) will be released next week - keep an eye on my YouTube channel for that. I spent some time illustrating the cover art and I absolutely LOVE IT. In fact, it’s really helped me get closer to defining my brand voice. It’s quirky and circusy and wonky and colourful and joy-bringing. You can see it below:

AHHHH! I’m obsessed.

The next glorious rose this month has been getting out the big girl paints and finishing up a painting that I abandoned last year. She’s a huge reclining nude, and she is gorgeous! You can watch a video of me finishing her off (!) and see how she turned out on my YouTube channel. She’ll be released as part of my Ordinary Magic collection which will launch later this year. It was SO GOOD to be working on canvas again and I have immediately started on a new one. Yumyumyum.

More artsy goodness came in the form of some location drawing. I haven’t been out location drawing for years - I suffer from hardcore sensory issues so often just being outside is a struggle for me, let alone adding drawing into the mix! But, I was determined, so Lars and I figured out a way to make it work, and it was wonderful. I, of course, filmed the whole thing and will be sharing it on YouTube later this month. I was expecting it to be a bit of an ordeal, but it turned out to be a really special and enjoyable experience, and I’m excited to do it again.

Finally, I have been getting clearer and clearer on my messaging and my branding. This is a process which is impossible to rush, and in my experience you just have to start doing things and the path shows up as you walk along it. I’ve been listening to all of you and the wonderful things you’ve been saying that you appreciate about me, and my art, and how I show up in the world, and seeing how that correlates with what I want to express through my business.

Unsurprisingly, it comes down to two main things: connection/community and joy/uplifting-ness.

This has been the golden thread that has run through my entire career, no matter what I’ve been doing - from running the first openly ‘alternative lifestyle’-friendly hotel in Cornwall, to being the Queen of the Misfits (anyone here from those days?), to helping introverts build community in their own rule-breaking ways - all of it comes down to helping people who feel out of step with the world embrace their weirdness, feel less alone, and connect with others like them. What I’m doing with my art and my videos is no different. My superpower is helping people to feel good about who they are and what they’re doing.

Also, someone called me a ‘dopamine dealer’ after seeing some of my artwork and I need that on a t-shirt 🤣

Anyway, rediscovering that golden thread has made a whole bunch of stuff fall into place for me, and I’m so excited for what comes next…

BUD

The buddiest bud - and one which needs to blossom very soon - is all the shop stuff! We’re are so close to being able to launch (with both prints and originals) that I can taste it. I was hoping to have it all ready this month, but hey ho - it’ll happen when it happens. The prints are looking STUNNING - I cannot wait to share them with you.

Also, as I mentioned above, I’ve really been finding my groove with what my messaging/brand is all about and how I can communicate my own unique special sauce to the world. That means that marketing is about to get a whole lot more fun! As soon as I have the online shop up and running (i.e. a way for people to give me money that doesn’t involve them having to come to the studio) I have some really fun ideas for spreading my work across the world. Like a confetti-cannon of weird, wonky misfittery!

THORN

I wish I had a small clone army to help me get everything done faster!

Building a business is wonderful fun, but the work is very front-loaded, meaning that it takes a lot of time and effort in the beginning to get the engine built, but then once you have all the pieces in place it hums along quite nicely. I am still firmly in the building stages at the moment, and whilst I am fully on board with the idea of divine timing and everything happening at the right time, I do get impatient sometimes.

Considering I’m a one woman show, and a disabled woman at that, I’m doing pretty fucking great, and everything is getting done. But yeah, the clones would be nice too.