Your Art Matters

Overcoming self-doubt and reigniting passion for art. This is what we are talking about today with our special guest, Nish Shah. A self-taught artist who has been creating art from a young age, finding solace and comfort in the process. However, crippling self-doubt caused Nish to put his passion on hold for three decades, until the pandemic gave him the opportunity to reignite his love for art. I...

Have you ever felt like you are just not getting anywhere?? Especially when it comes to selling?? In today's episode, it was a pleasure to speak with Dr Simone Paterson who spent many years feeling like she had lost her soul. Today Simone is a full time artist, having had solo shows, a feature in a dream gallery, community projects and feeling blessed to be alive. We delve into: • What has helped...

Today's special guest is a multimedia artist inspired by people, places and community.    With a love of clay and oil paint Carole Ince celebrates the uniqueness of people and captures life as it unfolds.   Tuning in from Canada, I thought you will enjoy hearing some real talk.    Carole has solid collections of work, has started selling and has recently had a super successful solo show.  We chat...

Have you ever felt a creative block?   Those moments when you feel like you want to make art, but you can’t get going??   Or, you are all fired up making and then boom, you lose interest and get bored.     Inspiration runs dry.   You panic that maybe you had a lucky streak and your art-making days are over?   I have had many of these moments over the years.   Another one, you are plodding along an...

There is so much talk everywhere about AI and using it to create art.⁠ Anyone can create poetry, music, art, books - the list goes on.⁠ What does this mean to us as artists? How will this impact us? How should we feel about all of this??⁠ In today’s episode, I talk about ways you can use AI, what this means for the art world and how we should feel about it.⁠ P.S. Don't forget you can join us for o...

I sat at the table carving stone and felt a rush of excitement.  I haven’t felt this connected to my art-making in a long time.   So, it took me by surprise when my head jumped into thoughts like:   What if I love this too much and need to close down UAS What if I start selling this? OMG, can you imagine the shipping costs, and how would I package this??   These are the thoughts that trap the thou...

I am moving house soon so the shed needed a clear out. 8 years of ‘stuff’ accumulated and it was interesting what I pulled out.   It was full of paint pots, deck chairs, sewing machine, old trainers - the list goes on.  I pulled all this ‘stuff’ out and then my heart stopped…   At the bottom of the huge pile of stuff was my 15 year old sculpture.   It had been sitting underneath all this stuff for...

I remember sitting in a cafe with a group of UAS Hub members when Catherine and Lloyd turned to me and suggested I should start a podcast. At that moment, I felt a sense of dread as I thought to myself "Ewww, I can't possibly learn and do another thing." Despite feeling apprehensive, I had already been going live on social media every week for over five years. Their suggestion planted a seed, and...

“I love pain“ “Bring it on” “Pain sets me free” These are words of advice from the book ‘The Tools’ by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels.   In their book, they advise shouting these words every time you have the feeling of fear / pain. It might be right before you embark on something that makes you feel resistance or uncomfortable.   It may be when you have awful thoughts and paint a picture of negativ...

How can you choose what direction to go in when you have a million ideas??   I remember my years at art school and being told the power of focussing my attention in a deeper way - I found it so frustrating. But, after years of resistance I finally gave in to the art of focussing and it has helped me build momentum and I’ve really learned when to say yes and no. In today’s episode I share examples...

Should you make art that sells?  Should you adapt your work so it sells?? Should you create landscapes in an abstract style as they sell for more?   In the past artists have come to me asking these questions but also telling me ‘I’ve been told my work is too commercial’ or ‘ my work isn’t commercial enough’.   In today's episode I will discuss what commercial art is, and whether you should make yo...

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...