Your Art Matters

Last week I was sorting the kitchen drawer out, you know the drawer that everything gets dumped into?   I found my old school reports and wow, they were hard to read.  They brought tears. Both painful tears and happy tears.   In this week’s episode I share personal insights into my past and how I went from despair to creating United ArtSpace.

I am a massive advocate for the arts and I am on a big mission to help people sell art and make a living doing what they love.   So, why am I not currently selling my own art?   This is what I cover in today’s episode, as I have worked in the creative industries for 20 years this year and during that time I have been a design assistant, full time artist, studio director, student of art and art his...

I am no cook, but I have been making soup recently - a veggie soup - and the first effort was a disaster. I added so much salt, I drank about 3 litres of water after I ate it. I made it again and it was better. Then I made it again and it was even better, this time adding a bit of garnish too. As I was cooking the same soup over and over again, it got me thinking about how making and selling art i...

This is such a tough one to answer as there are so many factors that affect pricing and I have a whole course on this inside our UAS Hub membership. But, here are some pointers to get you started: How to price as a beginner How to structure your pricing so you don’t just have one price How to price so you create value and desire Join the Hub here https://uas.unitedartspace.org/hub/

I was asked to talk on BBC Radio Shropshire about UAS and the Best Year Yet we run every year. This is one of my goals, to be featured more and it’s a great way to start the year. It made me realise how much I love talking! I love sharing my mission and helping people grow in confidence, this is what I talk about in this episode - enjoy. If you want to join us and make 2023 your best year yet, cli...

Happy New Year, friends.   I hope you had fun bringing in the new year. I have recorded this podcast episode just for you.  Sharing my reflections and positive thoughts for 2023. I talk about ways I manifested what I want How things that went wrong in my life served me years later Messages for you Enjoy. If you haven’t signed up for our Best Year Yet workshops yet, here is the link: https://uas.un...

One of the best ways to move forward and achieve success is by reflecting back. Taking time to: - Consider what you want and don’t want. - Get clear on what you really want in 2023. - Learn from mistakes and from what went well. Most of all, paying attention to how far you have come. When you reflect on what’s happened you can do more of what works, do less of what doesn’t work, and aim for what y...

I was chatting with our UAS Hub member, Amanda a few weeks ago and she talked about how much more efficiently she works when she has a deadline.   With a date in the diary for a looming show, productivity shoots through the roof.   Have you ever had an experience like this??  Where you felt a sudden surge of focus, motivation or productivity because of a little pressure or a deadline??   I have be...

Even those not driven by money wouldn’t say no to a little more, hey? Money doesn’t create happiness but it can relieve pressure and impact our lives and the lives of others. For years I was stuck in a negative money pattern and couldn’t seem to earn past a certain amount. Money was always a struggle.  In this episode I share 3 strategies that completely opened up my potential to earn and have cha...

Life swallows us up and we often lose sight of what we REALLY want. Has this happened to you recently? I have found myself exploring where I want to live and it’s making me realise how much I follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing, as it’s easier. If I stop and get very honest with myself, living where I live now isn’t what I truly want - But what do I want???   I have no idea. Lol.  ...

It was more than 7 years ago I had an idea to create a platform for artists so they can grow confidence and learn how to make amazing artwork and sell it. A platform that supports, nurtures and has all the answers in one place. A community with people from all over the world who are cheering for each other and working towards the same goal, despite differing backgrounds and vision. That goal is to...

Have you ever found yourself uttering ' I can't do this, 'I can't cope with this', or 'I may as well give up'?? When we receive bad news or any kind of rejection, we can head into a negative thought pattern. The same can happen when things are not going the way we want them to, we begin to make decisions from a place of fear or desperation. I have found this happening to me this week, so in today'...

All platforms can work and make people a living.   All platforms have pro's and cons'. YOU HAVE TO ENJOY USING IT When starting it's vital you enjoy using the platform. Make a shortlist of platforms you have come across and experiment with them. YOUR PEOPLE Are your people using this platform?? Or, what kind of people are?? For example. Ebay attract people who are looking for a bargain and buying...

Have you ever considered changing the medium you use as it might sell for more money? When I was at art school I moved away from ink work as I got the impression from ‘everyone else’ that this wasn’t REAL art. If I wanted to sell, I needed to learn how to master oils. Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with oils - what I am saying is there isn’t anything wrong with all the other kinds of...

There is no way I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for the help of other people. Finding a mentor can unlock inspiration, connect you to people, support you, and guide you. In this episode I share: What a mentor is Why having a mentor is vital How to find a mentor The different types of mentor who can help you along your journey After this episode, consider: 1) Is there someone who is doing...

You may be new to selling and wonder how long it takes to make a solid living from art. Or, you may have been trying to sell for years and you are wondering if this is normal and how long you should continue. This is the topic of today’s episode, and I cover: How long it took me to make a living  How you define what making a living means  Do you have to supplement your income with teaching? Why ov...

I was recently told if I help an artist reach a million in sales I have succeeded.  This got me thinking about how other people’s opinions of success and what we do can make us derail or shrivel up in silence as we feel inferior or like we don’t belong. Have you ever felt that?? You are with a group of people and you are not on the same page.  Maybe they view art differently to you? They perceive...

Have you found yourself in a situation where someone insults you or annoys you? Or, is it suggesting something that makes you want to retaliate?? I have my hand up here!!! It might be a client who keeps asking for revision after revision, or a gallery who wants you to reduce the cost of your art.  In this episode, I share an amazing piece of advice when dealing with conflict and difficult people/s...

We put a lot of work into making our art, to then have someone else sell it and give them 50% of the money when they didn’t make it can feel crap. There is a huge potential to make and sell your own art in today’s world, you don’t need anyone to sell for you. But, there is also a great opportunity to collaborate with others who have access to your buyers.  People in the art world and not in the ar...

I’ve finished a weekend of hiking a mountain for 35 hours. In this episode I want to share everything I have learned and how much of what I learned relates to everyday life. People said many times that I was brave to make this event so public, what if I didn’t complete it and I would have to face everyone and say I failed? Here’s the thing, this event meant a lot to me. I had no doubt I could do i...

I want to shout out to all the lovely artists out there because you are amazing! Being an artist is a mighty task. People will often say, ‘oh it must be lovely being an artist, making art all day long’. If it were just this, then wouldn’t life be grand? But no, artists can’t just sit making art all day long, they have to wear the hat of many roles to make art their living. Many artists are doing a...

In this episode I talk about how we need to have patience and trust the journey that we're on. Sometimes it's hard, and we feel like we can't do it any longer, but it's these challenging times that make us value what we have when we reach our goals and dreams. You can do it, and you will do it - believe in yourself! P.S. This is an old episode from our archive that hasn't been released on the podc...

I know how frustrating it is when you want to make art or pursue your dream but things get in the way.  It might be kids, family, pressure from friends, or a job that sucks the life out of you. You want to do something you love but you just don’t have time. In this episode, I share some of my tips for carving out more time that I use daily in hope they can help you.  I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Only a few days until the workshops begin and we get to spend 2 amazing weeks together as we explore your artwork and how you can get it out into the world. This is a super time to stop, pause and reflect on what you do. What kind of artist you are, what your work is saying, who will be interested and where you can put it. You are going to learn the foundations of selling, and hear stories from pe...

Over the years I've had artwork sent to me from people desperate to know if their work will sell. I get it, we don’t want to pour our heart and soul into creating art and pursue selling it to lead to failure and disappointment. But, there is not one person on the planet who understands the buying habits of the billions of people in the world. People have opinions, based on what they know and exper...