The Evolution of My Creative Brand: From Artist to Educator

Over the past decade, my creative journey has taken me from illustration to teaching, and my brand has evolved in ways I never anticipated. When I first created my website 10 years ago after an 8-year break to raise my children, I had no grand plan. I used Squarespace’s free platform, uploaded a handful of images I’d made during an online course, and hand-lettered a logo in about an hour. It was simple, functional, and very much focused on my work as an illustrator.

At the time, I didn’t think much about branding. My website was essentially a portfolio of my food illustrations, which dominated my business early in my career. I handled everything myself, linking images to Pinterest and tweaking things as needed. There was no overarching strategy—just a place to showcase my work.

But by 2018, everything began to shift. I had started creating online classes as a way to supplement my income, and unexpectedly, teaching became a major part of my business. With over 30 classes on Skillshare, covering everything from watercolour techniques to social media tips, I found myself in the role of an educator. However, my website was still built around illustration, and I struggled to feature my growing list of classes in a way that reflected their importance in my creative business.

The Need for a New Approach

In the years that followed, I tried to adjust my site to reflect the changes, especially as I launched new projects like my book ‘Go With The Flow Painting’ and expanded into hosting in-person workshops and art retreats. But it became clear that my website wasn’t fully aligned with where I was headed—it no longer reflected the full scope of my brand.

I knew I needed help. Enter Faye Brown, a fellow Skillshare teacher and branding expert whom I’d met at various teacher meetups. Faye understood how my business had evolved and how teaching had become such a key part of my income streams. We arranged a call to discuss my needs, and her detailed proposal made me realise just how much thought needed to go into building a brand that reflected both my art and teaching.

Defining My Brand

Faye’s process was thorough yet creative. She sent me a brand consultation with exercises designed to uncover my brand personality. I found myself answering thought-provoking questions like, “If your business were a city, drink, or animal, what would it be and why?” The goal was to get to the heart of what my brand stood for and how I wanted people to feel when they encountered my work.

Through this process, words like ‘inventive’, ‘diligent’, and ‘capable’ came up. My brand values emerged as: personal growth, self-expression, and creating an inclusive and collaborative learning environment. I wanted my clients—whether they were students or art lovers—to feel empowered, heard, and inspired.

The Creative Transformation

With my brand identity defined, Faye moved on to designing a new logo. She had the ingenious idea of using a paintbrush in the logo to reflect my work in watercolour, but it wasn’t quite right at first. Fortunately, I was co-hosting an in person workshop near her home, and Faye was able to see the quill brushes I often use. She took reference photos, and from there, the perfect logo was born—one that felt authentically me and symbolised the artist and educator I had become.

Faye also developed a colour palette that captured my brand’s personality, and the timing couldn’t have been better. I was about to head to France with my photographer, Nat Aubry, for a workshop where we’d shoot photos for my new website. Everything fell into place beautifully.

A Brand That Reflects My Evolution

The final result is a new website and brand that truly represents where I am today as both an artist and educator. It’s allowed me to feature my online courses, in-person workshops, and art retreats in a way that feels cohesive and aligned with my creative journey. My new logo and branding have already made their way onto my Illustrators for Hire profile and my Teachable site, giving me a unified, professional look across platforms.

This evolution wasn’t just about aesthetics—it was about embracing the multi-faceted nature of my business and presenting it in a way that resonates with both students and art lovers alike. I couldn’t be more excited to see where this new chapter takes me.

How I Made Money As An Artist and Illustrator 2022/23 version

It's been almost two years since I wrote my last blog post where I shared a few stats about my income, so it's definitely time for an update. I  believe in being transparent and realistic about what I share, as a teacher, illustrator and artist. Many people, especially those just starting out on this career path, are keen to learn about the financial aspects of an art career. This information is often hard to find as I don't think enough illustrators talk about their income. My intention is not to brag or show off, but rather to shed light on an often overlooked aspect of our industry.

I'm an established full-time artist based in the UK, with two decades of experience in this industry. Here’s little background to provide context: aged 32 I took 8 years off to look after my kids. When I started this ‘phase’ in 2014, I didn't have a portfolio, website or social media presence. I’m the sole financial provider for two kids with the eldest in university. 

The chart reflects my net revenue or turnover breakdown of income sources for the UK tax year 2022-2023. Over the years, I've consistently earned a six-figure income, with my earnings having increased annually since I began. However, I am aware that my income has decreased in the most recent tax year as my priorities have change. I’m now frequently hiring professionals for their expertise, which saves me time and reduces stress.

The four main areas for me were:

Teaching Online 63.4%
Teaching in Person 13.7%
Illustration 9.6%
Writing (Book) 6%

Online Teaching 

I have taught over 160,000 students on the Skillshare platform. As of writing this post I have 31 classes ranging from watercolour and sketchbook techniques, social media and food illustration. I released one class in 2022: Master masking Fluid in Watercolour Painting 10 Day Art Challenge  - a relaxed exploration of using masking fluid within watercolour painting, with warm up exercises and video demos to help students understand this medium better .

I’d describe the income generated from teaching on Skillshare as 'semi-passive.' While there is significant effort involved in maintaining the relevance of my classes and ensuring they reach potential new students, the rewards are still substantial.

In previous years, this income has made up about 50% of my earnings. However, due to the considerable time I spent writing my book that year, I relied more heavily on this source of income and had less time for brand illustration work (more on both of these topics later)

Teaching in person 

During this period I taught at a 7 day retreat in Morocco with Uptrek and 2 separate day workshops with Samantha Dion Baker in Brooklyn.

I adore teaching in person because real face-to-face interaction creates a stronger personal connection between myself and my students. This deeper connection helps us feel more understood and engaged. The atmosphere this creates is far more enjoyable and motivating, making the learning experience much more enriching for everyone.

Being able to demonstrate and explain techniques in real-time, so students can see brush strokes up close has such a different energy to seeing it online. And I can better gauge individual students' needs to give direct feedback. It’s amazing what a difference a supportive smile, or an encouraging word can make for the confidence and growth of participants.

For me the personal connections formed in in-person art classes offer a refreshing and much-needed counterbalance in today's digital age, where much of our interaction occurs through screens. 

Illustration 

The majority of my illustration income came from illustrating brand packaging for Publix supermarkets  - a series of premium dry and fresh pasta ranges.

Food brand illustration involves creating visual artwork ties in with and represents a food brand's identity. The goal is to make the food look appealing, and in this case communicate the premium nature of the products.

At this level, my work involves collaborating closely with a design team comprising a project manager or account handler, senior designers, and artworkers. The process is extensive, typically spanning several stages.

Initially, I start with brush pen sketches then rounds of colour roughs and detailed amendments based on feedback given at each stage. Typically, for packaging illustrations, they need to be effective on a small scale to catch the eye and distinguish themselves on a shelf. 

The pasta ranges have now launched and it's always nice seeing how my illustrations were incorporated within the packaging. 

My other illustration project of note was for The Boston Globe. I created a series of spot illustrations for their article 25 Things to Eat on a Road Trip Through New England - including ice cream and lobster (they’ve since updated the article)

Writing 

I spent much of 2022 writing various drafts of my book ‘Go With the Flow Painting:Step-by-Step Techniques for Spontaneous Effects in Watercolor’ Writing this book was a huge labour of love with approx 18,000 words explaining various aspects of loose watercolour combined with ink lines to add essential details.

It was a huge undertaking that took up a solid six months of my time. During this period, my focus was entirely on brainstorming projects and making detailed notes for each process. Every day was dedicated to planning and organising my ideas, ensuring every detail was covered. This was followed by what seemed like endless photoshoots with the book's photographer, Nat Aubry. Each session was meticulously planned and executed to capture the perfect shots for the book. The entire process was intense and demanding, but ultimately very rewarding

Smaller income coming from:

Image Library 3.1%

Totally passive income from doodles from Shutterstock & Depositphotos ( to date have earned over $120,000 from doodle downloads)

Art licensing 3%

Licensing my designs for greetings cards, giftware and party tableware and fabric.

Brand collab 0.8%

With a well known art brand 

Affiliates 0.8%

Taking part & promoting in Pigeon Letters online workshop retreat

Running an art business comes with significant expenses, including:

• Professional Consultations: For contracts and business strategy

• Brand Photography: To create high-quality visuals

• Website Development & Design: To maintain a strong online presence

• Creative Development/ Investment in Myself : Taking courses and workshops, along with travel costs to attend them

These investments are essential to grow and sustain my business

Final thoughts

If you go all the way back to the beginning of this blog in early 2013, you'll see I started from scratch. I hadn't done any editorial illustration or been an in-house greeting card designer for over 8 years. So, when you read 'I made SIX FIGURES,' remember it took me over 11 years to reach this stage, where I am living comfortably and supporting my kids from my art and illustration income. Social media often only shows the highlights, and you might have only been following me for the past 5 years when I was already established. Before that, it was years of relentless hard work to fulfil my vision.

My art business will continue to change and evolve based on my values and shifting goals. One of my dreams is to travel the world, meet up with other artists at their local cafes to sketch. To achieve this, I know I need to rebuild my passive income to a certain level. I greatly value my time and will keep pursuing income streams that bring me the most joy.

Illustrating Afternoon Tea Menus for London's Finest Hotels

I was surprised but also delighted when a client representing two prestigious hotels reached out to me, having seen my 'Tinned Fish' illustration and felt it was the perfect stylistic fit for their luxury afternoon tea menus. The Sanderson and Saint Martins Lane, both stylish venues in London, needed illustrated elements to make their English afternoon tea occasion extra special.

This unexpected opportunity arose from an illustration created using loose watercolour with Procreate details, including lettering on a separate layer. It had been on my portfolio website for four years and listed on "Illustrators for Hire" since last year. That’s where the senior marketing manager discovered my work under the "Food and Drink illustration" niche.

We quickly arranged a Zoom call to discuss the requirements of the brief. She was after four different items for two distinct afternoon tea menus for each hotel. She liked the translucency of the watercolour with the added benefit of detailed elements, which could be added separately. This is quite important as one of the items included a tea pot with a scene from Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, based on the illustrations from the 1860s.

For a project such as this, there is an initial phase where I present several possible routes. Once a direction is approved, that style is applied to the rest of the illustrations. There were photographic references for all the items on the menu, as what’s served to each guest is specific, from the type of jam on the scones to the serving plates.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Sanderson for their Mad Hatter’s afternoon tea. As a food illustrator, I don’t always get the chance to see how my artwork is applied, especially since I work with international clients. This was an extra special treat, they made me feel very welcome and treated me like a VIP. I brought along my photographer, Nat Aubry, who took these amazing photos.

The top of the cake stand was just as I’d illustrated - filled with fluffy pink candy floss inside a teacup that said ‘curiouser and curiouser’. I remember illustrating the sandwiches, which were smoked salmon mousse with dill and mascarpone, and also coronation chicken with mango chutney. Even the pastries were inspired by the Mad Hatter tea party theme which included a dark chocolate tart with salted Chantilly, to represent Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. For the Queen of Hearts, there was a delightful Madagascar vanilla cheesecake with lemon and strawberry gel. And even an edible flower pot to represent the rabbit in the hole.

Take a look at the Sanderson Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea menu HERE

This project has been such an inspiring journey, blending whimsical themes with a slightly different brand illustration style for me. The opportunity to see my work come to life in such a magical setting has been an unforgettable experience. To fellow illustrators, I encourage you not to give up hope on older pieces of work finding the clients you desire.

I also highly recommend joining Illustrators for Hire (IFH). I’m currently wrapping up another major project where a client found my art because I am a member. Nate and Salli have worked incredibly hard to create a platform that can open doors to incredible opportunities and help you connect with clients who truly appreciate your unique style.

My Illustration Story & Timeline

How long does it take to get going as a professional illustrator? Well, in my case, 25 years! The first ‘phase’ starting after graduating and then second ‘phase’ starting after a 8 year hiatus to bring up my two kids.

Honesty is really important to me and having been in the industry for over two decades I have ample experience to draw from. I think people who are starting out in illustration or contemplating it as a career deserve a realistic look at what it's like to build an art business. What I’m presenting is a candid timeframe of my career from my humble life as stay at home mum to the successful illustrator you see today. It’s taken considerable time and resources and I’m certainly not an overnight success story.

Some of you may have taken my Transition into Illustration Skillshare class or have followed me on Instagram for a number of years, so you may know parts of this story. I thought it would be valuable for you to see my journey laid out like the diagram below. This is just a quick overview of my particular journey to demonstrate the main events. I put the birth of my kids at the top, because for me they are always central to the considerations when I make big decisions. 

In retrospect I can draw this central line running down the middle, and the timeline looks incredibly neat and tidy with the major events for five years from 2013 till 2018… but the real experience was anything but linear, or smooth sailing. 

I entered college for a degree in Advertising and Design, but I switched to Illustration in the second year. After I graduated in 1996, I was an in-house artist at several London-based greeting card companies (including Hallmark) which I really enjoyed. I was also making a good income from editorial illustration for lifestyle and health and beauty magazines. The editorial niche was something I fell into by accident because I could draw people, but after a while I really started to resent the idealized forms I was expected to portray.

2006 

I gave up creative work, a year after my son was born. And then in 2010 I had another baby. That was the year Pinterest was launched—remember that, as I’m going to talk about it later. 

2012 

This year I started to upload old freelance art and icons to a Shutterstock image library and those became the seeds of my passive income. You can read more about passive income in this blog post.

2013 

My daughter became eligible for free nursery sessions, which I factored in when making the decision to step back into illustration. That autumn I took my first intensive 5-week online course called Make Art That Sells, which really set the ball rolling.

2014 

I began taking Skillshare classes to improve my skills and techniques. I created projects for hand lettering and improving my Photoshop skills.

This was followed by my first small but functional website. 

My love affair with They Draw and Cook (now called They Draw) and illustrated recipes started that year. Little did I know how unbelievably pivotal these projects would be in my career as I built up a niche illustration portfolio in my quest to become an in demand food illustrator. I used Pinterest to strategically share my art on this platform as I’d heard art directors and commissioning editors searched for illustrators extensively here.

2015 

February I bought my first moleskine sketchbook for watercolor practice. 

March I signed on with an art licensing agent. 

May I had my art at the Surtex trade show in New York. 

August breakdown of my marriage, and divorce proceedings. That was a hard time both personally and professionally.

November I wrote my first invoices under my own name for several editorial and packaging clients.   

Let's pause here, as I want to point out that it took just over two years from taking that initial online course to receiving payments for my illustration services. I’ve been told this is an incredibly fast transition to go from stay at home mum to earning an income from commissioned illustration projects. The combined total for that first year of trading from stock images and food illustration was £14,000—not really enough to live on as a single parent with two small kids.   However, the next three years saw an increase in large illustration projects that brought me up to a more decent income. 

2016 

Food branding projects:

- Marlene’s Market and Deli in Tacoma

- Toronto Market Company pop-up event

Books: 

The Healthy Hedonist Cocktail recipe book

Sugar Detox Me Cookery book

August of 2016 

My very first Skillshare class as a teacher: Create Your Own Fruity Illustrated Recipe, followed by four more classes that year.

2017

More food brand packaging for Tine Foods (Norway & Denmark)

And my jaw hit the floor when a project to work with UNICEF in Myanmar came through.

2018 

May

I exhibited at my first solo art licensing trade show in New York. 

I was up to teaching 19 Skillshare classes, including two that remain among my most popular:

Sketchbook Practice: Grow In Your Art Everyday 

Instagram Success For Artists: 2 Week Challenge To Grow Your Following 

I haven’t included everything from these years, like the endless classes I took, the books I read, the sketchbooks I filled… If I included all that, this post would be three times as long. These are the big highlights. I hope that by sharing some of the specifics of my personal journey, it may help you understand the length of time it took to establish myself as a successful artist and illustrator.

It would be nice if we had infinite time to pursue our dreams, but most of us are working within very real constraints. Mine were navigating a divorce and becoming a single parent, whilst holding down a mortgage.

Building an art business certainly requires a heck of a lot of patience when you’re starting out and you’re coming to terms with the multitude of directions you’re being pulled in. If you are prepared with patience, it gives you room to stay motivated over a long period of time.

Although social media has been an asset in building my brand awareness over the years. I do feel it sometimes warps our perceptions on many levels. Some folks may underestimate the duration of time it takes to build a commercial portfolio that attracts paying clients. As you can see it took many years for me to see real and tangible results, like attracting a considerable following on Instagram or creating more than twenty-five Skillshare classes.

Becoming an illustrator will most likely take up a massive chunk of your time and energy as you travel from where you are now, to a point when you are comfortably supporting yourself with income from your art. Rather than feeling deflated by the prospect of having to work diligently for several more years, I hope you view my story as inspiration for what's possible with a vision, determination and strong values to guide you.

If you’re interested in making the leap into illustration, or you’d like to know more about my art journey, consider a 1-month free trial to watch all my Skillshare classes including my Transition into Illustration class. Use the button below to sign up (new members only).

Top Tips for Masking Fluid Magic with Watercolors

I LOVE using masking fluid. Once it’s dry it can be peeled off, revealing the untouched white paper underneath. It’s a bit like magic!

I first encountered this medium during my college days and since then have had a great relationship with it. I’ve just launched a Skillshare class on using this medium, which includes more in-depth tips and fun projects. 

When I started filling a little moleskine sketchbook with masking fluid experiments, I got a deluge of comments and questions asking what my secrets were, as many just couldn't get their masking fluid to behave. Their paper was often torn when removing it or their colors smudged. Many ruined brushes. So it’s no surprise some give up after a few attempts. Before you abandon masking fluid entirely, here are some answers to frequently asked questions and some top tips for success with masking fluid.

What Is Masking Fluid Used For?

Sometimes called frisket or drawing gum, it’s basically a latex or rubber-based medium that can be applied to dry watercolor paper before you paint on it. The masking fluid will adhere to the paper, and once it is dry it can be painted over in watercolor or ink. When the whole painting is dry, the latex film can be carefully peeled off, leaving the white surface of the paper untouched.

How Do You Apply Masking Fluid?

It's most common to use an old or cheap brush to apply masking fluid. However, I use a variety of tools to apply the masking fluid to the paper, dependending on the effects that I want to achieve. Sometimes I allow masking fluid to build up on what I call a ‘grotty brush’ or ‘busted’ brush—that's when I leave the masking fluid to harden and use it like that to create some unique lines.

Some other applicators you might like to try are:

• Dip pen

• Q-tips 

• Cocktail sticks 

• Toothbrush 

• Twigs 

How Do You Clean Masking Fluid from Paint Brushes?

To preserve the bristles, even on cheap brushes, it's advisable to wet them and then coat them with some soap or liquid detergent before you dip the brush into the fluid. This will protect the bristles and make the brush much easier to clean off by placing it under running water as soon as you’ve finished.

I sometimes use a dip pen for fine line application of masking fluid, and again you can either wash the nib under running water or if it dries onto the nib simply peel it off (which is quite satisfying, I find).

How Do You Remove Masking Fluid from Watercolor Paper?

Removing the masking fluid is my favorite part—it's like magic, the big reveal, when you pull it all off and see what's occurred.

There are several methods you might like to try and see which suits you best.

Fingers

Start by rubbing gently at one of the edges until it starts to lift. Once it starts to come away, gently and carefully pull it off. 

Eraser

This is a popular method, however I’d recommend an eraser that's a neutral color rather than red or blue as you will also have to deal with leaving coloured eraser dust on your art.

Masking Fluid Remover Block

This is a new art supply that I’ve tried recently. It helps prevent you from pulling too hard and tearing your paper, and it doesn't leave crumbs behind like typical erasers.

Why Does Masking Fluid Tear My Paper?

There are a few reasons why this can occur. The most common mistake is not waiting until the watercolor paint is fully dry (after applying the masking fluid) and peeling off the mask too soon. Don't just hope it's dry—you have to be totally certain. Be patient!

Also, handmade papers or other softer papers are more prone to tearing. While very rough papers may be tricky as texture of bumps and crevices provides extra surface for the mask to grab onto, making it hard to remove without causing the paper to tear.

My Tips For Using Masking Fluid

• Don't use too much—the masking fluid should be pretty flat, thin and smooth on the paper (when applied with a brush). Try not to apply it too clumpy, blobby or thick.

• I’ve learnt the hard way NOT to use a hot hair dryer on your painting if it has masking fluid on it, as it’ll adhere to the paper even more making it trickier to remove.

• ALWAYS test your masking fluid on a small piece of the paper you intend to use before committing to actual painting. 

• Don’t allow masking fluid to stay on your paper for more than two days, as again it will be harder to remove and could tear the paper.

Don't forget to check out my NEW Skillshare class on masking fluid for a fun deep dive 

There are 10 demos, starting with some warm ups that will build up your practical knowledge and patience. Followed by some really fun projects covering florals, patterns, landscapes and food.  

If you are new to using masking fluid, unsuccessfully tried it in the past or seeking to find fun ways of incorporating it into your watercolor practice then this class will provide many effective tips. Think beyond the brush to achieve an array of different textures and effects using masking fluid. 

You will consider:

• which papers work best

• the different drying stages we have to be mindful of

• successful removal of masking fluid after it’s dried

How I Made Money in the Last Year

From day one of embarking on this career, I wanted to live comfortably using the income from my art and illustration. Your definition of comfortable and my definition may be different, but I think many of us aspire to have a sustainable and successful art career. I’ve been earning a six-figure income for several years, consistently increasing my earnings each year since I set up my art business seven years ago. 

I wanted to write a blog post about my income as it’s important to me as a teacher to be very candid and realistic with what I share. I know that many people are interested in this type of information, especially those starting out on this career path, but it's often very difficult to find as it’s seldom discussed openly. So I thought I’d make a little financial snapshot of the last year so people could see what it's like for one established artist. 

The last tax year (April to April in the UK) has been the most successful yet in terms of net revenue. However, my expenditure has also increased because as my business grows, I more often hire professionals for their expertise in order to save myself time and headache.

This year there were four main areas I received income from in my art business. The break down looks like this:

Brand Collabs 1%

Licensing Images 7%

Art Retreat 8%

Illustration 31%

Online Teaching 53%

Brand Collabs

I almost didn’t include these, as the income really didn't really amount to very much. This includes two collaborations—creating Reels on Instagram with a well known art brand, and a YouTube video tutorial special feature for a different brand. Both were pleasant experiences.

Licensing Images

This has been a nice source of income as it has been totally passive. Passive income is where you do a lot of work up front to create a digital product, a course, or content that you earn money from over and over again. I talk more about it in my post Why Passive Income is Preferable for Artists.  I grouped the income from stock images, art licensing (from gift products and greetings cards), and my Spoonflower shop, as these are all images I’ve already created and which have been in my portfolio for several years (as opposed to commissioned work—see ‘Illustration’ below). Every fortnight, month, or quarter, depending on the platform or licensing partner, I receive nice deposits in my PayPal or bank account for which I’m genuinely grateful. The income from these areas has decreased slightly this year, which is understandable as I’m not actively adding images or pursuing art licensing at this time.

Art Retreat(s)

This is a new source of income, although before the pandemic I had hosted a number of less involved, three-hour in-person workshops. I hosted my first art retreat with Victoria Johnson in Italy with Uptrek. As a creator and teacher of online classes, the week-long art retreat in Le Marche, Italy, was wonderfully immersive on many levels.  And after the two years of non-existent travel during the worst of the pandemic, it was an especially refreshing and very special way of making connections and being present.

Having a co-host meant we split the fee that was offered to retreat leaders. This tradeoff was worth it as it meant we could share the responsibility of teaching and interacting with the guests over the seven days. Since then Victoria and I have co-hosted another art retreat in Morocco again with Uptrek.

Illustration

To clarify, the projects I worked on in this category were commissioned specially by the client for a specific purpose. The briefs I worked on ranged from a book about dumplings, brand packaging for Tesco and website icons for a clothing brand. Working directly with art directors, senior designers or account handlers is often intense, as the pace is fast and deadlines are narrow. There's a lot of back-and-forth, starting with sketches before moving onto color roughs, and then refining where there needs to be more contrast, etc, plus tweaks here and there. Generally I include two rounds of feedback or amendments in my contract, which is often enough before artworks are signed off. The majority of my illustration briefs were food branding based, and I do love seeing my work on products in the supermarket further down the line.

Income from commissioned Illustration has hovered around a third of my earnings for several years, although it used to be more in the earlier part of my career.

Online Teaching

I’ve been teaching on the Skillshare platform since the summer of 2016, when I launched my first Skillshare class called ‘Design Your Favorite Fruity Recipe’, a tutorial on creating an illustrated recipe from line sketches. Since then I have become a Top Teacher on the platform, having created 27 classes with over 140,000 students.

In the last tax year I released two Skillshare classes. The first was Transition into Illustration: Breaking Into The Industry, where I revealed my entire illustration story, sharing my personal insights and experiences to give a realistic understanding of what to expect. 

The other class was Create Contrast With Watercolor and Procreate. Where students could improve their working knowledge of contrast in their art, by applying basic principles.

There is usually an uptick in new students when I release new classes, and ‘Transition into Illustration’ was especially popular on its launch. I’d say the income created from teaching on this platform is ‘semi passive’, as there is considerable work behind the scenes to keep this many classes relevant and seen by potential new students. The proportion of revenue from online teaching has increased year-on-year, and in the last two years it's hovered at just over 50%.

I mentioned that outgoings or expenses have also increased in the last year, partly due to outsourcing professionals in these areas:

• Editing of class scripts and blog posts : Henry Cordes

• Filming and editing my two Skillshare classes : Angelika Winnett and Diana Kenyeres

• Professional photography for branding, blog and pack shots: Nat Aubry

• Designer for page layout and general artwork : Barney Bryant

Furthermore large slices of my outgoings were spent on equipment purchases, such as a new iMac, iPhone 13 and Canvas clamp for filming Reels and classes. I was also in a position to donate substantial amounts to various charities helping those affected by the military coup in Burma in the last year.

If you are still at the beginning of your creative career, you mustn’t get disheartened if your portfolio isn’t the complete package yet, and please don't worry about taking a few years to get it into shape. It's taken me nine long years to ‘retrain’ and then build a business that provides a comfortable income from my art. The bottom line is that gaining traction takes a lot of intentional effort over time, belief in your abilities, with much happening outside of your comfort zone. I’m only one of thousands of illustrators who are making a living from their art, and we are all at different stages, with different financial needs. I have two kids and can’t rely on a partner to pick up the slack. We all have different experiences of the industry.

I’d like to be clear about the reason I’m sharing all this. It would be nice to think I’m a positive example and show people that it really is possible to make a good living as an independent artist in business. Someone reading this early in their journey might be mentally comparing themselves to me and feeling down about where they are, but the truth is that I struggled (quite a lot) at the beginning too. People are often overwhelmed with unrealistic images and blurbs in their social media feeds, and it's easy to get warped ideas about what real life is like for the creators behind those posts. 

Six Years on Skillshare!

This August marks six years since I released my first Skillshare class as a teacher. Like many other teachers on the platform, I was a student first, way back in 2014. I’d been a stay-at-home mum for eight years, and my Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator skills were very rusty. 

The first classes I took were on hand lettering and character design, which was an odd mixture, but it actually led to finding my style with food illustration. That's the other side of my business—as well as a teacher, I’m a food illustrator for major brands all over the world.

My first class as a teacher came in late August 2016, about creating a fruity illustrated recipe. At the time I was going through a tricky divorce and my finances were in disarray. Teaching on Skillshare was one of many routes I was trying, in order to boost my revenue as a single mum. I also tried Spoonflower and other print-on-demand sites, but something just clicked with Skillshare and I haven't looked back. 

Now, six years later and working on my 28th Skillshare class (about masking fluid), I can reflect on the many ways that teaching on Skillshare has benefited my career

• It fits in with my life purpose to inspire myself and help others do the same. Being paid to talk and demonstrate techniques that light me up as an artist is brilliant. When I’m really enthusiastic about loose watercolors for example, that comes across and the energy transmits across the screen. My aim has always been to provide students with tools to solve their own challenges—to give them ways to support their own creativity, which spreads that joy even more.

• It’s been a great way of connecting with other teachers, and the built-in community of students that comes with it has been phenomenal. I’m so grateful to be in a position to nurture and support. Also it's always a fun challenge to find more ways to encourage and cheer on students . Being creative involves taking risks, so I try to make sure students feel supported and safe when taking leaps.

• Teaching has become part of my brand—I’m now known as a Skillshare teacher along with the 25 sketchbooks I’ve been sharing from over the last several years. If I get a DM or email about something, I can often say—‘I’ve got a class for that!’ And it has led to other brilliant opportunities like art retreats in Morocco and Italy. I even have a book called ‘Go With The Flow Painting’ launching at the end of the year, which came about after the publishers saw my Organic Expressive Florals class.

• In order to share, I have to be open and vulnerable as an artist. Being a teacher has helped me to be more authentic, a truer version of myself, as I share more of my story and tastes. I’m very much one of those teachers who says, ‘It’s highly likely you will produce crappy art and that's actually OK!!!’ A lot of learning happens within that discomfort. I hope it comes across in a very credible way from my own real life experience—it’s important to me to share in a realistic and honest way, because we live in the real world, not in Instagram ‘filterland’ where a great piece of art can seemingly be achieved in 30 seconds. 

• Skillshare was fundamental in building a stronger financial foundation as a single parent. I believe that passive income is always something to nurture when you're self-employed. It’s allowed me to have more choices and flexibility at this crucial time while my kids are growing up. It means I can be much more selective about the projects I take on. At the time of writing, I’m in a period of ‘semi sabbatical,’ when I’ll be a student again, refilling my creative cup. (For more on this, see my previous blog post.)

The act of sharing what I know has transformed my own art, illustration and sketchbook practice, which in turn has taken me to places I could never have predicted. The knowledge that I have now inspired over 140,000 students genuinely warms my heart. Meeting some of my students in person and hearing first-hand how it has shaped their creative output has been a life-changing and moving experience. Teaching on Skillshare really is the gift that keeps on giving and remains a wonderful and deeply satisfying adventure. 

Why I'm Taking A Semi Sabbatical

Starting in July, I'm going to be taking what I'm calling a 'semi sabbatical,’ when I will not be taking on any client work. I will finish a Skillshare class that I postponed from this spring and do enough to keep my business ticking along quietly. This semi sabbatical will last until the end of this year and will likely involve a small loss in income as a result. I have factored in this aspect, but will have enough passive income to tide me over. 

Photography by Nat Aubry

I made this post because so many of us feel bombarded by idealized representations of others' lives on social media, and it's important to me to not be part of that. My aim has always been to be honest and transparent about what it's really like for me as a working artist. It has involved an incredible amount of hard work, silly hours, and sheer bloody-minded persistence when tackling tasks I’m not keen on. And repeating that over and over.  

Make no mistake, I’m tired—really bone-ache, brain-ache tired. There's a tiredness that no amount of sleep or rest seems to fix. I’ve been on the go for the last nine years, hustling and building an art business with few boundaries in place. I’ve gone through a divorce, become a single parent, and both my kids have now entered their teens. I’ve shared so much and spread myself quite thin for a while. The pandemic overloaded my responsibilities and inflamed my already irritable emotions. I’d like to get off the merry-go-round now, because I’m not prepared to go through another decade where overwhelm comes knocking every few months. 

Photography by Nat Aubry

Don't get me wrong: the route I took and decisions I made have landed me with a highly successful and profitable business, and a strong brand to boot. But the path I’ve been on is highly unsustainable and comes at a cost to my mental and physical health. I’m a bit overweight through comfort eating, my sleep cycle is not the best, and I dealt with bronchitis and Covid last fall. 

Giving myself a leave of absence has been on the agenda since last summer. After crying my eyes out in front of my daughter at a luxury hotel car park because a client emailed to say I’d set up an artwork wrong (she was looking at the wrong dimensions), I vowed to give myself a long break. 

Long walks, daily journaling, and taking weekends off are no longer enough. After shouldering many responsibilities for so long, my creative cup is depleted. As I see it, any creative activity requires energy. I can expend only so much energy before I’ll eventually run out. I must stop running before I hit the wall.

Photography by Nat Aubry

To begin with, I’ll be taking a step away from social media for extended periods over the course of this year. I’ve already done this a few times, as it's been very beneficial. The time I gain from diverting my attention from Instagram will be spent on learning from other artists, taking courses on watercolor painting, urban sketching, and gouache. I’ve also enrolled in a ceramics class. 

I’m now at a place where I understand that my business will not collapse if I don't show up every day. In the past I was conditioned by anxiety, but now I’m more inclined to make decisions based on intuition rather than fear. My gut feeling has been saying I need to pay attention to all the red flags telling me that constant productivity isn’t the right path at this stage.

We can optimize our days or prioritize some choices over others, but we cannot create more time or replace the time spent on activities which add little value to our life. Our attention is a valuable resource. So I need to be mindful of what I choose to focus on and what I decide to ignore. 

Photography by Nat Aubry

Right now my focus is on becoming a whole artist, reflecting my core value of supporting my creativity—and not sitting hunched over Google docs for days on end! I pledge that this time, my relationship with time off will not be riddled with guilt. As a single parent, I aim to stay healthy to guide my children for another decade. This sabbatical is not a stop-gap measure, but part of what I hope will be lasting life changes to reduce stress and change my relationship with self-worth and productivity.

Towards the end of 2022 I will be better placed to assess the impact of my semi sabbatical, and it might even extend beyond that. I’m excited by all the possibilities to carry on exploring under my own steam.

Organic Expressive Florals : Spring 2020

My 21st sketchbook which I dedicated specially to wild flowers, allowing me to explore ways of adding more depth and textural interest in my botanicals. I filled this sketchbook during the Covid lockdown of Spring 2020, when I would take long (socially distanced) walks with my daughter in the spring sunshine. We noted all the blooms that were coming into season, as part of her home learning. The daily outings awakened my curiosity and compelled me to start chronicling the wildflowers we saw. In some ways it was a reaction to the lockdown we were under, using what freedom of movement we had to explore. Oftentimes in the past I had retreated to the safety of my sketchbook despite personal circumstances. 

Quite unexpected one sunny day I decided to pull out a dandelion in my garden, roots and all and paint the entire thing. I’d never painted a dandelion when it was at the flowering stage. Or paid much attention to the distinctive leaves and had certainly never painted a root in any sketch. I thought what an interesting way to fill up a new sketchbook, by documenting the hedgerow flowers or weeds I spotted in my daily walks. 

Other reasons I especially enjoyed filling this special sketchbook were :

• painting the flower several times over gave me a much deeper understanding and appreciation of its unique attributes...this is something I commonly do but my observational skills were even more heightened. 

• I could incorporate and further explore the textures or blooming that occur under certain conditions which is one of my joys when working in watercolour. 

• I turned the sketchbook portrait so both pages and give me an opportunity to play with the vastly elongated area - something I’ve never done before.

My florals have appeared on cards, wrapping paper, gift bags,and fabric. My preferred way of working is relaxed exploration of expressive florals laid down in watercolor with essential inky details on top.

Many folks have wondered how I seemingly achieve effortless watercolor florals which stay vibrant and fresh, rather than too overworked. But how do I go about doing this?

I created a very informative Skillshare class, where I shared insights and best practices for producing expressive Watercolors, including clearing the headspace for our flowering florals. By using playful exercises, we can shift our attention from the need to portray accurate depictions and instead simplifying it down to capture the essence of your flower. 

As a recovering perfectionist, creating artworks in watercolor and ink appeals to my personal taste and capabilities as it allows me to have the balance between the carefree side of me and the need for a few details. The guiding principles I present, like shape, value and color mixing tips can be applied easily to any subject matter you decide to paint and still achieve the same spontaneous results. 

Big brushes and vibrant colors can take center stage in this approach, along with bolder contrast and descriptive lines. In my Organic Expressive Florals class there are three full length demonstrations in which I take you through my entire process. Whether you're just starting out with watercolors or are well-versed in this medium, I will present a really unique and intuitive way of working that will produce enchanting wildflower depictions.

Fruit and Flowers Art Retreat in Italy 2021

Myself and Victoria Johnson had dreamed about an in person art event for a while so when the opportunity presented itself we knew a retreat would allow us to channel our collective teaching and art business experience into a course that would help fellow creatives. As a creator and teacher of online classes the week long art retreat in Le Marche Italy was wonderfully immersive on many levels. 

Many of us work alone from home, learning online. Being present and able to discuss the concept of embracing happy accidents and simply diving in without knowing the outcome was refreshing for both me and the guests.

It was a pure joy and privilege to have 15 amazing ladies who had journeyed far to take part in the Creative Fruit And Flowers art retreat run by Uptrek. Place these exceptional ladies on the 8 acre luxury Villa Oliveto Estate with uninterrupted views of the Adriatic coast, a dedicated chef, an airy studio, two committed teachers and we had the makings of a magical week.

The guests were from all over the world - Europe, UK, and the USA.They were a mixture of artists with well established art careers and keen hobbyists. Bearing this in mind, it was important for Victoria and I to approach the art creation process with a fun perspective but also build firm foundations where everyone could achieve fascinating results. The theme of fruit and flowers provided a great launch pad for explorations in watercolour, gouache and other mixed media methods. Many of our guests were trying techniques which were totally new to them, yet they incorporated them seamlessly.

Truly, the main event was seeing the wonderful transformations that transpired over the 7 days for many of the artists, if not all of them. The results were a myriad of art pieces that were unique and distinctive to each individual. It's kudos to each artist, that they trusted the process and overcame any doubts or fears they had about art making. 

Victoria and I will be holding our next retreat in a beautiful location in Morocco in May/ June 2022 and would love you to join us. Please take a look HERE for more details

I’m going to dedicate the rest of the post to some of the artists who contributed to the incredible rapport and camaraderie we all felt. They have very kindly allowed me to share some thoughtful insights to how the retreat has positively supported and expanded their creative horizons.

---

Retreat guest Krystin Mann says:

‘This retreat was exactly what I needed: focusing on process, play and creativity with no specific knowledge  on what the end would be. I think as artists we get caught up rushing to the end and the known and forget the middle bit.

If you're looking for a ‘paint like this artist’ course this is not that kind of retreat. This is a ‘get uncomfortable’, ‘try new things’ and ‘finding your voice’ course with loads of creative support and tremendous generosity and insight from the instructors.’

---

Kristina Hunter is looking forward to a more happy creative life:

‘Before the retreat I felt a bit blocked artistically. However being amongst new friends and teachers I’ve admired helped m to break out of my block; new perspectives and approaches to creating art helped me fill my creative cup’

---

Sujanitha Sambasivan felt there were many ways the retreat bolstered her creative outlook:

‘ The retreat helped me to push through my work: be comfortable with the uncomfortable. To be a kid again and have fun with creating. And letting go of my own fear of the unknown. As well as trusting myself and my inner guidance’

---

Carla Maria a fellow sketchbook keeper had this to say:

‘ The retreat is a gift that keeps on giving after returning home. My new friends continue to inspire me everyday with their art and creative community we have created. I’m trying new things in my art and pushing myself to work outside of my comfort zone. I’m seeing patterns and creations in places I had never looked before’

---

Kelly - Wild Azure Studios who has recently open her first Etsy shop

It has me thinking how I approach the whole creative process - to be less fearful and have more fun and play. Really what it means to live a creative life. When you’re open and present, those happy accidents are everywhere and honestly the best part of life. It was a truly magical week’

These words only capture a tiny essence of the sense of connection that were forged. There were palpable shifts in energy and perspective in the studio as beautiful artwork emerged. It will forever be etched in my heart as a vital cornerstone in my evolution as a teacher, learning a great deal by becoming a student again. Also, sharing the vulnerable side of our personality, that is sometimes filtered out through the lens of social media, made us feel less alone and part of a compassionate group of like minded individuals. It was truly a magical event that made many of us feel the best is yet to come.

Artwork Auction & Collaboration With United World Schools

If you don't know part of my early history, I emigrated from Burma with my family when I was 5.   I can only imagine it was a tough decision as we left almost all of our family behind, the many aunts, cousins and both sets of grandparents.  But we also left behind a ruling dictatorship which couldn't understand the harsh economic realities for normal people, with little investment in healthcare or education (instead spending most of their revenue on arming the military) If my father hadn’t made that decision all those years ago my life would be very different. 

I’m on the far left with my Dad

One of my first Skillshare classes I created was around creative goals and if you have watched my recent Skillshare class, Transition Into Illustration: Breaking into the Industry, you will know that I am a firm believer in having a vision of how I wanted my illustration career to look like in order to shape it. Way back in 2012 even before I picked up a brush or pen, I created a goals book of how I wanted my ideal life, with a thriving illustration business, including the types of clients I’d attract.

Coming from a disadvantaged background, I knew I wanted to work with charities in order to help others less fortunate than myself. I’m incredibly lucky and privileged to have had access to good health care and education as an immigrant to the UK. If I had stayed in Burma I would not have had such opportunities or security. Over the years I have supported many charities to help with sanitation, the fight against malaria, and bringing clean water to remote communities. From my position today I wish for all children to have enough to eat, an education and their own hopes and goals for the future which is not blighted by poverty.

This month I am delighted to be teaming up with United World Schools (UWS) to help the world's most remote and marginalised regions to give every child access to free education. They partner with local communities in Burma, Nepal and Cambodia, to equip and resource primary schools. United World Schools aims to break the cycle of illiteracy in one generation across Asia, empowering children to realise their full potential and build a better future - for them and their families. 

I first met a team from UWS at a charity fundraising event for Burma and I was immediately taken by their commitment to bring education to remote communities including those in Burma. I talked to them about a slip of paper I’d placed in my ‘magic jam jar’ early this year, with my wish to work with children's charities (I will talk about this ‘magic jam jar’ in another blog post).

I’m honoured to join other amazing illustrators such as Axel Scheffler, Jackie Morris, Emily Gravett, Debi Gliori and more to take part in UWS Happily Ever Smarter Secret Sale, by sharing an illustration based on a real life story of one of the incredible children they are working to support, high in the Himalayas in Nepal.  

This is the piece I created based on a 11 year old girl called Soneeya who wishes she didn't have to carry heavy loads of grass every morning and would love to be at school instead of looking after the cattle all day in the forest. She deserves a chance to become a teacher and help her village when she’s older.

The auction is running until 29th July, and tickets cost £250. Each ticket holder will be in with the chance of winning an original artwork by one of eight treasured illustrators, including the work that I have made. Runners-up will also be in with the chance of winning an original drawing from a UWS school student in Nepal, illustrating their ‘dreams for the future’. Each £250 ticket is a donation to UWS, and will be doubled by the UK Government as part of the Happily Ever Smarter UK Aid Match appeal that UWS are running until 29th July.

The price of each ticket can fund the training of one community teacher, who could go on to transform children’s lives and give them the chance to achieve their dreams. 

Visit the UWS website to buy your ticket and see the artworks

For me, or my children or Soneeya, goals even in their simplest form can provide us with a strong motivation that can keep you going for months and years, and can be transformative.

One Hundred Days of 3 Finger Salutes

When I started painting my three finger salutes, the last thing on my mind was an interview with BBC World News. 100 days after the coup in Burma and 100 three finger salutes later, after my remarkable appearance on the news occurred, the top question from my parents and various cousins, aunts, friends, and followers was how did you manage to attract an interview with the BBC? My answer, in its most basic form: I created my own luck.

Let me start by explaining the origins of the three finger salute. The salute was conceived in the popular franchise The Hunger Games, in which the three middle fingers are raised, and the thumb crosses over to reach the pinky finger. In the fictional world it was displayed by oppressed people to express solidarity in a dystopian future ruled by a totalitarian dictator. The salute was a way for the oppressed people to show their solidarity against the tyrannical rulers.

The Salute was first used in Thailand during a military coup in 2014, then later in Hong Kong among people protesting against the interference of the Chinese government. The gesture has become a powerful symbol of courageous defiance, a challenge to repressive regimes that transcends borders.

Photography by Nat Aubry

In case you didn’t know, I am a Burmese-born artist and illustrator who moved to the UK when I was five. Subsequently, my father, brothers and sister emigrated either to the UK or the USA, whilst my mother’s entire family remains in Burma. 

Late on the evening of January 31 there were rumours circulating on Twitter of a coup in Burma. In the early hours of the morning (UK time) it was reported that this was indeed true, with democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), deposed and detained by the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military. Unless you have meaningful connections with Burma it’s difficult to explain why this was such a shocking turn of events. 

The political history of Burma is incredibly complex and difficult to explain in a short blog post, so I’m only going to give a very brief background. After a century of British colonial rule, Burma gained independence in 1948, with a short spell under a civilian government until a coup d'etat in 1962. There followed decades of repressive military rule and poverty due to years of isolationist economic policies, and civil war with ethnic minority groups. The transfer to civilian leadership in 2011 spurred hopes of democratic reforms implementing economic policies to encourage foreign investment, as well as relaxing media censorship. Things were really looking up as the population started to enjoy relative freedoms, and I was even considering taking my children there next year. However, the February 1st coup by the military junta has put a stop to all of this. 

I started painting 3 finger salutes after recovering from tonsillitis on my birthday, entering the second week of the coup. I found it difficult to speak, and to communicate whilst trying to recover. This was like a sign, or lightbulb moment as communication with the outside world was severely limited due to internet shutdown by the military. On a different level I felt the pain in my throat, which made it very difficult to talk, as a symbol of unexpressed anger or unexpressed sadness. The Civil Disobedience movement was gathering pace and it just felt different with its colorful and energetic displays of protesters lining the streets with slogans like ‘You’ve messed with the wrong generation.’ A brilliant inventiveness and distinctive Burmese sense of humour were evident.

I’m old enough to remember similar pro-democracy movements from 1988 and 2007, before they were viciously suppressed by the military. In 1988 I was a teenage school girl and recollect seeing grainy photos of student protestors appearing in the newspapers of the time. The information coming out of the country in those days would often be several days old. My dad’s parents and youngest brother were still working in Yangon (the capital at the time) and there were frantic phone calls that would only connect for a few minutes, then silence. When we realised the bloody crackdowns had started there was hardly any news as photographs (or the negative film from cameras) had to be smuggled out of the country and reached media outlets many weeks later. By that stage, the movement had been crushed with 3,000-10,000 people killed.

In 2007 I was a young mum when the short-lived ‘Saffron Revolution’ took place. These were the biggest demonstrations in Burma since the 1988 uprising. Tens of thousands of monks and nuns led massive demonstrations in towns and cities across Burma to again protest and to call for an end to military rule. I desperately hoped perhaps this time they could carry enough momentum to see it through. It was not to be as monks and other protestors were shot, beaten and arrested in a massive show of force by the military. And as a side note in 2008, after Cyclone Nargis devastated large parts of Burma, with over 100,000 people missing and killed, the military government said it could cope with the cyclone aftermath without foreign help. 

Three things I learnt were firstly, the cycle of pro-democracy protests seemed to occur every 15-19 years. Secondly the military government is heartless. They only know how to use force, and will stop at nothing to suppress democracy protests. And thirdly, although the media was initially interested in these uprisings, after the crackdowns there was very little about the aftermath. They would move onto the next new story, while those in Myanmar continue to deal with brutality and hardship.

Photography by Nat Aubry

I like to think I’m a realist verging on being an optimist. I’m in my mid 40’s now, so I feel if this attempt to bring about true and lasting democracy doesn’t succeed, I might have to wait another 15-19 years for another opportunity, when I might not be in such an advantageous position. In 1988 I was too young, and in 2007 I didn’t have a platform as I wasn’t even working as an illustrator. This 2021 attempt might be the very best chance I have to add my voice, and to ask others to lend their voice too for those who are living with brutality and fearing for their lives. This aspect has also been a strong motivating factor for me.

As I’m known for very lengthy daily sketchbook projects that span 100 and even 365 days realised creating the symbolic 3 finger salutes could serve as a daily reminder to my IG followers not to forget the suffering and unfolding situation in Burma. I hoped by posting them on IG stories everyday it would keep up a certain level of awareness and allow me to give updates on the situation and ask for help with petitions (from the ICC, to the UN to the EU). 

To begin with I cut up brand new pieces of card to paint and collage on, but on day 15 I decided to cut up old watercolour sketches and test pieces I no longer needed. They added another dimension to the drama and often inspired the medium or colours I decided to use that day. Most salutes take between 5-10 minutes to complete as they’re not meant to be complicated. They’re intended more as a means to keep me present and a humble acknowledgment to those who continue to protest and take part in CDM, risking their own lives to stand up against tyranny

Fast forward to Day 56 (and 56 salutes on my wall) and I received an email from a client with whom I had the pleasure of working on a bowl for UNICEF a few years back. They had seen my 3 finger salutes on IG and wanted to put me in touch with an art coalition that was trying to start a global artists campaign which would join artists from around the world in solidarity with Myanmar. By that stage, creatives, including artists, were being systematically detained and largely cut off from the Internet. So they wanted me to be an ambassador of sorts and use my position to be a voice for those who felt they had none. 

Raise Three Fingers invites artists and allies from across the globe to join in a global three finger salute to continue to raise awareness for Myanmar at this time. Their mission is to seek contributions from artists in over 100 countries and through the work created, they will continue to build support and raise funds for Myanmar at this time. They scanned my 3 finger salute artwork from the first 60 days and made it into a slideshow video with music which they posted on their IG and Twitter, where they tagged a whole load to people including a BBC journalist who had taken a special interest in Burma. Freya Cole expressed a passing interest in interviewing me (around day 62) but I heard nothing until the morning of day 94 when she asked if I was still creating a three finger salute everyday. I provided her with photos of my wall covered in salutes in my return email just to be sure she understood I was!

She felt this would be a great way to end a news piece they wanted to air about the first 100 days of the coup. Each salute isn’t dreadfully remarkable on its own, but viewed together as a whole after 100 days it is quite impressive. It echoes all the little ways that people in Burma are contributing to the movement—they all add up to a tremendous joint effort that cannot be underestimated. 

Photography by Nat Aubry

Each 5 or 10 minute salute has become such a consistent part of my daily practice now. Even as the protests turned into another set of bloody crackdowns and I’d need to cry at the end of each day, I told myself I WAS making a difference.

Those little bits of watercolor paper, which amount to a maximum of an hour a week to create are worth so much more. They are greater than the sum of their parts. Over the last 100 days they have proved to work in ways that I could not have predicted. This ritual—chipping away every day diligently, reminding myself of my motivation, finding a myriad of ways to depict three fingers pointing upwards—has transformed into something very different.

I told myself that such a tiny action on my part was part of the collective movement which would keep building up momentum over time. If we talk about consistency in a wider creative practice, coupled with a strong motivation then so much can be achieved. If I had stopped at day 70 or 80, quitting because of discomfort or uncertainty, then I’m not sure the interview with the BBC would have happened. 

My 20 minute interview with Freya was condensed into 2 minutes but a very important two minutes for me (my piece comes just after 5 minutes) Family, friends and followers were overwhelmingly moved by what I was doing and deeply touched that such a simple idea could be such a force for good.

Slow and incremental progress IS progress, even if you think nobody is taking notice or they’re tired of seeing your art. Progress happens in every step, even when we don't feel as if we are moving forward. All individual efforts weave together to ultimately create a breakthrough after what is sometimes a tough journey. I HAVE to believe this.

Art can be such a powerful tool on many levels and we can all play our part to keep up awareness of Myanmar's fight for a true and lasting democracy. I see it as a collective practice that links all of us, because we can use our freedoms and privileges to be present. We are at a crucial juncture in terms of climate change, animal extinction, and fighting for our liberties in many parts of the world. We all want a brighter future for our children and the next generations. Art is a wonderful way to express ourselves, and help us grow and understand the world around us. It's a special type of communication that doesn’t need language, yet can deliver very powerful messages, empower and inform. Always create art from the heart and send it out into the world with love, and it will do its work.

I have a YouTube video where you see me get very emotional as I talk about why I need to keep up awareness through my daily salutes so future generations in Burma can live in freedom. I would be so very grateful if you could join me by creating a small 3 finger salute to show solidarity with the people of Burma in their fight for true democracy against the brutal military rulers . Tag Raise 3 Fingers on Instagram and upload your art to Raise Three Fingers website . I give many thanks in advance.

WHY PASSIVE INCOME IS PREFERABLE FOR ARTISTS

When my first child turned one I gave up any pretence of trying to be an editorial illustrator, as I just couldn't find the time to be a mother and meet deadlines. It was a tough decision, as I had no savings to fall back on, and my then husband was freelancing erratically in London. I call this the end of my first illustration career. 

When my son started kindergarten (age 4) I decided that the stack of unused art I had from nine years of freelancing myself could be repurposed, so I uploaded it to an image library called Shutterstock. Quite frankly, these early submissions were not popular and I saw very few sales. But I started noticing a pattern when I included sets of Christmas images and icons, which sold exceptionally well. By cross-referencing some of the most searched for items and only offering line art, what I termed doodles, I was able to build up a salable body of work. This was the beginning of my quest for passive income. It took three years of persistence and concerted effort (in between feeds and after bathtimes), until I had over 2000 images and an ok passive income paid monthly. I had already planned to take the Make Art That Sells course in the autumn of 2013, and it was this income from my doodles that saw me through the next two years as I sought to transition from stay-at-home mum to food illustrator. And then, helped me further on, the 12 months after my separation and divorce until I had a far more stable income.

There are many reasons why passive income is vital for a solo creative business and entrepreneur, as the harsh reality is this work almost always involves a degree of uncertainty and shaky income. Passive income is where you do a lot of work up front to create a digital product, a course, or content that you earn money from over and over again. I was attracted to acquiring more passive income streams beyond image libraries. Although I’ve tried many platforms, at present I receive good income from:

• Spoonflower

• Shutterstock

• Skillshare (semi passive)

And I’m still seeking out others so I can repurpose some of the art I’ve created over the last 5 years. 

These are the ways I feel passive income has been a positive part of my art business:

1- Passive income frees up your time 

I was always mindful to have enough to ensure that my passive income covered my monthly expenses, so I was free to spend my time building up my portfolio, taking more courses and creating personal projects to improve my skills, and looking after my kids.

2 It reduces your stress and anxiety over money

Since my kids were born, I felt the pressure that comes along with an inability to pay your bills, put petrol in the car and even heat the house. It caused plenty of anxiety, fear and an overall feeling of having a defensive mentality based on scarcity and lack. Knowing you have enough to cover the essentials is quite a relief — knowing that if I or my kids were to have a period of ill health, the bills would be covered.

3 It provides a platform for artistic growth

Passive income allows you to take risks. If you are experimenting with something new in your career or going through a slow period, passive income is the extra boost to keep you going. It allows me time to create classes that sometimes take 3-4 months from conception to launch (which in turn makes these classes semi-passive). I am at liberty to stay curious and explore new ways to further strengthen my brand, e.g. 100 day projects, any personal projects I dream up, and take more courses myself if necessary.

Creating a passive income stream can be a lot of work up front, with many hours or even years of time investment. If you’re considering adding passive income to your business, it’s best to  thoroughly research which option is best for your needs and your business, as you most likely will have to stick with whatever platform or plan you choose for quite a while before you see a decent return each month. 

Here are some ideas for passive income streams to consider:

Sell art / fonts / patterns as digital downloads

Art licensing 

Print-on-demand merchandise with your art on it

Create instructional video tutorials or classes

Sell instructional ebooks

When I first started out, I thought it was unlikely I could achieve a passive income that exceeded my expenses. However whatever the mind believes, the mind can achieve. Like anything else you need to set a goal, focus and move towards that goal with persistent action on a daily basis. At the end of the day, it all depends on how important it is to you. To put things in real world context I have received over $100,000 in earnings from my stock doodles (from a portfolio of 2800 images) over the last 8 years. With the last 5 years of that have being totally passive; I haven't created or added extra doodles during that time.

So if you’re willing to put in the work and stick with it, you’ll probably be very glad that you did! Knowing a certain amount of income will arrive each month gives me so much freedom to concentrate on the tasks and projects that excite me, as well as security that I’ve been cultivating for years. 

MAKING ART BUSINESS DECISIONS BASED ON INTUITION

Many of my decisions for my art career and business over the years have come down to gut instinct, where it’s not just based on your rational mind, but also being open to all of your senses. Gut feelings are a combination of wisdom, experience and intuition. Knowing when something isn’t actually a good fit and pulling back is better than doggedly pursuing something and becoming unhappy.

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."  Steve Jobs

In the early days, part of me wanted to follow the herd in case I was ‘missing out.’ Although this served a purpose, to pursue something I may not have considered, eventually we each have to base decisions on what is best for our lifestyle and unique needs. Today I want to share how I arrived at this opinion.

If you read my last post, I mentioned having recurring pneumonia in 2018. It was a few months before my first solo art licensing show (the previous time was before another art licensing show... clues!). I had already paid for a myriad of things, from my exhibition space to banners and flights. I toyed with the idea of pulling out, as I was desperately tired. However I pushed on regardless and deeply regretted it by the second day of the show. Some of my friends around me were deeply concerned with my sudden melancholy despite good face to face sales. To my dismay, as I sat in front of my banners and lookbook, I slowly grasped that creating and selling at art licensing shows just did not fit in with my lifestyle.

After eight years as a stay-at-home mom and all the work I had done since launching my illustration career with that first online course in 2013 that had promised so much, this show should have been a massive highlight culminating years of effort. It had not turned out as expected. My inner feelings didn’t match my logical thoughts (‘surely this is great — everyone else wants to pursue art licensing’). I was stuffing down my sense of fear or dread, and ignoring what my body knew and was trying to communicate. I had spent over 6 months toiling away, being horribly angsty with my kids, and putting on hold the illustration side of my business. Doing the maths I could not see how I could justify the time, money and energy I’d spent, not just on this show but all the previous licensing shows. To me it didn’t make sense bringing up two kids off the income I could expect even if this show were successful. 

I felt some guilt and shame that I had been unable to turn art licensing into a fully viable part of my business. In early 2019 I consulted Betsy Cordes of February 13 Creative, who was able to assist me with unravelling some of my disorganised thoughts. We looked at my strengths and weaknesses, and my ultimate business goals, whilst taking into account the need to financially support two kids by myself. 

We concluded that if we took out most of the art licensing part, then food illustration, teaching online and various passive income streams do fit into my lifestyle while meeting my family’s financial needs. It was a-ok that I only wanted to design greetings cards, if that was what made me happy. 

Betsy has some more words of wisdom that she kindly shared with me:

In many ways, it's never been easier to make a living as an artist. The technology and information so widely available today put the tools and educational resources literally at your fingertips. Combine your creative talent with your strong work ethic, add your willingness to embrace the responsibilities of business ownership... the possibilities are tremendous! While connections and good timing can also play a part in success, I believe the real secret sauce is a willingness to trust your heart as much as your head. You will receive so much advice about how to build your business, about what sells and how to sell it. Your intuition will rarely be as loud or as definitive as guidance from those external sources yet it will always be working to get your attention. If there's one trait that's shared by my most successful and happiest clients, it's that ability to tune into and to trust their inner knowing, even when it flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

Since then I’ve been able to touch base with my intuition and slow down my hectic pace that I thought was the norm.  Betsy encouraged me to take up journaling again, and to give The Artist Way 12 week course along with ‘morning pages’ another try. Both of these proved wonderful experiences to enhance and tap into my intuition further.

It helps me to sit with my eyes closed and listen to thoughts that relate to a certain topic — e.g. ‘should I take on the meh project to pay the bills?’... I write them down in my journal with very little editing and see what comes up. I have found that this very often leads to insights that you might never have tapped into had you not … your thoughts by writing them down. Another trick is to ask the same question and scan your body. Do you feel excited to start? Can you picture yourself happily completing the brief? Alternatively, does your chest or stomach feel tight? Sometimes I feel slight aches in my neck. Again, I write about these feelings and see where it takes me. I’ve learnt to trust this process.

Your needs and ideas or successes will be different from mine or the next artist’s. There are no right or wrong decisions, only a series of possibilities and experiences you will learn from. I’ve found mindfulness, meditation and journaling have helped me get in better touch with my intuition. It can be very difficult to recognize what our guts are telling us. Even allowing yourself to listen to your gut can take some practice — and often some time. But I honestly feel I have gained access to deeper wisdom and intelligence. And the decisions I’ve made for my art business in recent times align with my core values and sense of purpose. That sense of well-being and alignment makes my business much more sustainable and personally rewarding.

NOTE - art licensing is just one of my income streams, just not a substantial one at present. My next blog post will address why passive income is preferable as an art business owner.

What I've Learnt in the Last 7 Years - part 2

This is the second part of my blog detailing my top takeaways from the last 7 years of re-training and then making a career from illustration and surface design.

4 EFFECTIVE MARKETING

Part of my food illustration success is due to the fact that I know where the art directors and authors who hire me find my food work — 9 times out of 10 it’s Pinterest. (I know because I ask with every enquiry.) Pinterest is a powerful search engine that helps designers easily find references for projects and an invaluable creative resource (more so than Instagram) for the large foodie projects I enjoy. Early on I made it my mission to size all my website images to the optimal pin size of 2:3 proportion. It’s great for an engaging approach to self-promotion that I can see one image shared and collected on hundreds of pin boards globally. As a comparison, my latest analytics show that of my social channels 74.9% come via Pinterest compared to 21.1% from IG. Everyone seems focused on Instagram, but Instagram and Facebook work on a feed, so your images get buried quickly. Pins have a lot more staying power, with some of my pins appearing at the top of searches even after 6 years. The same can be said for my sketchbook art, which has been widely spread on Pinterest.

I have a class on using Pinterest for your Creative Business. 

Much of my IG success is due to consistently keeping 20+ sketchbooks (I’ve talked about this in previous blog posts)  I started quite late on IG and had a private account for the first year. Things didn’t take off until I started sharing my moleskines, which encouraged me to get in touch with people and in turn inspire others to explore their creativity. Having a large following on IG is useful for announcing or talking about my online classes (more about that later). So I am able to reach two different groups with two different marketing approaches, which I am still careful to maintain.

5 SHARING WHAT I KNOW

I receive messages daily thanking me for sharing my insights, thoughts, methods and techniques. Sharing leaves you open to feedback and connections, because you’re giving your audience a glimpse of your life and personality. Often the messages I receive are related to inspiring folks to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, or the first time in years. I love sharing what I know and inspiring others to be creative, and that sharing started to become a valuable part of my business when I began teaching on Skillshare in August of 2016. Over the last 4 years I’ve shared watercolour techniques, ways to overcome perfectionism, Pinterest strategies and all sorts of other topics in 20+ classes, which reach an ever-wider audience.

Networking is essential for working artists, and it has been made easier through having an online presence. Even now I go out of my way to keep active within my online community, because through them I learned more about art brands/business practices. We were always willing to share what we knew if others needed help or advice. This in turn builds more trust and camaraderie, almost like a fellowship as we continue with our creative journeys. 

6 SELF CARE

This has been the toughest to implement and one I thought was irrelevant and unnecessary for the longest time. I’m writing this during a general and social media break after 6 months of non-stop work, even during the Covid lockdown. I’m finally able to honour and accept that I am not a ‘super woman’ who can work 10-hour days or beyond midnight. At one point, I had succumbed to pneumonia 3 times in 8 years, the last time being in 2018. That illness was the wake up call that finally cemented the notion that whatever I’d been doing wasn't working out for me and wasn’t in the best interests of my family. I was totally drained, simultaneously stressed and exhausted. Furthermore I was dangerously close to burning out, no longer enjoying my art. 

Contemplating self care was a major shift in mindset and lifestyle for me, so in small increments, my life habits started changing. I began eating a lot more healthily, walking as much as I could, taking naps and drinking more water. Overall working on becoming a better version of myself so I could be a better artist and mother. 

Although I’m physically producing less art, I’m probably more productive on different levels and much happier. Making a definite decision to take better care of myself by making mental and physical health a priority when I did has paid massive dividends. For me, self care means managing my time so that I don’t get overwhelmed, and it lessens my general anxieties. 

Taking time to think over and write down what I have gained and understood as an art business has put into context my experiences as a solo entrepreneur with my own unique challenges. Some of my points may not necessarily apply to you or feel relatable, but I hope just one aspect has you thinking about aiming for a successful art career. 

What I've Learnt in the Last 7 Years - part 1

In this two-post series, I'm going to share my biggest takeaways and lessons learned from my illustration journey so far. These posts came about as part of a journaling exercise, and I thought they would be valuable insights to share.

Please note: I am sharing my own personal experiences of being an illustrator and surface designer. I don’t intend to dictate industry-wide best practices or recommendations, and I’m not trying to be prescriptive. There are no ‘correct’ or most ‘effective’ paths to a successful creative career. 

These are the biggest things I can see in retrospect worked for me:

1 NICHE DOWN

Being well known as a food illustrator has guaranteed a good steady income for me over the years. I’ve niched down by providing (illustration) services that appeal to a small, specialized section of the market. For me, that section was the very specific audience of art directors and senior designers who would be working for food manufacturing clients needing food packaging (I’ve worked with products from instant noodles to flavored waters), as well as editors and authors of cookery books. 

I knew very early on that food illustration would be a priority based on my passion and skills. Eating and cooking are two of my favourite pastimes, so it made sense to bring this passion into my illustration portfolio. I went out of my way to steer my portfolio so it was food-oriented. In doing so, I heightened my drawing and technical skills by repeating the transformation of sketches into illustrations over and over again. This also helped me to forge a recognisable style. (Please note that your style is about the aesthetic of your work, while your niche has more to do with the specific services you offer.)

By being specific I wasn’t competing with ‘broader’ illustrators. Instead I became more of an ‘expert,’ which also helped my clients as I demonstrated my ability to illustrate everything from rainbow chard to crab claws. I was careful about what I put in my portfolio, with the focus more on quality than quantity. Early on it was all personal projects (which I uploaded to They Draw and Cook), and I didn’t show any projects that made me compromise my values or style, in order to attract the paying projects I wanted. This is why I feel it’s so important to find your niche: by learning what kinds of passion projects you are drawn to, you can more easily identify the types of work that you want to be hired for. 

Maybe your niche is kids lit. Maybe it’s animals or portraits or botanical illustrations. There’s a whole wide world of different interests available to you

2 SEE YOURSELF AS A BUSINESS FROM THE OUTSET

I had to make my business financially viable (in order to bring up my two kids in a single parent household from 2015). Making the leap from personal projects to paid projects requires a change in mentality. Firstly, it includes hiring/paying for professional help & consultations when needed. After my 8-year career gap, it took two years from taking my first in-depth online course to writing my first two invoices in November 2015 (for a carrot cake editorial piece and some smoothie packaging).

I had no idea what to charge at first, so I decided to pay for professional advice by joining the AOI, who have their own pricing consultant. In early 2015 I only had a small monthly income from stock images, and the yearly membership was 35% of what I earned that month, but going forward it was worth every penny as I attracted more clients rapidly. I have always had an accountant who takes care of taxes and when I need to pay Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and again I couldn’t cope without him.

Secondly I researched where my work fit in and created art that solved problems. Creating value by focusing on my distinctive contributions also spurred me on to maintain that edge. I continued to expand my portfolio further and devised quicker methods of working to meet client deadlines.

For the surface design side of my business, I looked for trends that connected my work with certain industries and made sure that was a priority for my portfolio. Starting as a novice in watercolours, I was able to bring this medium in for products from greetings cards, ceramics and textiles.

3 CONSISTENCY

Completing 30/100/365 day projects means being consistent and showing up to do the work. Again much of this was down to mindset, seeing the bigger picture and gaining proficiency over a long period of time. I created a pile of work that wasn’t seen on my website or IG just for practice and fun. It wasn't about the finished product but a journey of improvement through a repetitive task. You will encounter resistance when you make art for a living. This kind of practice is a big part of how I learned to stay motivated and overcome that resistance.

Whether it was sketchbook practice or personal illustration projects, I started to notice myself getting better at things like Photoshop, colour mixing, hand lettering and composition. My process improved the more work I created, and certain things became more clear and obvious, like favouring a certain set of colours or being inspired by vintage lettering — repetition was the key to success here. 

Furthermore consistency can also be applied to your portfolio — clients need to feel confident about what they are going to get from an illustrator before they part with their cash. Most art directors need to see that an illustrator is delivering predictable interpretations of their concept or brief. Consistency proves you’re competent and efficient, and it helps build trust — all this makes communication clearer when there is a tight deadline.

I hope these first 3 insights from my ‘second‘ illustration career will help those who are either contemplating a path into illustration or are already within the field of illustration. Join me for the next post to hear more points about what I gained when reviewing my last 7 years.

Silver Lining Sketchbooks - the positives of painting with pneumonia

It’s difficult to articulate the extreme fear (justified and unjustified) I felt during the painfully slow divorce process and subsequent health issues. Even so, there was little evidence of this in my sketchbooks, which continued to be my refuge and safe haven during this ongoing crisis.

Once my ex moved out, I was given one month’s grace from the mortgage repayments looming over me. I had a small but steady income from stock illustrations and erratic freelance work, but I had no idea how long these sources of income would last. I was beset with persistent financial burdens, which triggered a very heightened fight or flight response, eventually taking its toll on my health. Some days I was shaky and tearful; some days it seemed my heart was pounding uncontrollably through excess anxiety. Generally I was exhausted and felt at the mercy of events, barely able to keep my head above water. I was the sole provider of financial security for my children, and I felt overwhelmed by the weight of this responsibility. Day in, day out, I was on ‘high alert’ and feeling, at one end of the scale, anger, and at the other, low self-worth.

Towards the end of 2015, I developed a cough and cold that I was unable to shift, because I never gave myself permission to rest. I was still able to fulfil my requirements for my then-agent, building collections around Christmas themes and pretty florals in order to build my portfolio for the Surtex licensing show in May, 2016. I felt that if I didn’t keep my foot on the pedal, constantly churning out art to attract more clients, my financial situation could be critical. I now see I was trying desperately to control outcomes based on a fear mindset.

Quite soon after the new year of 2016, there was a sharp decline in my health, which I can now see affected the style and the mediums I started using. My Instagram posts of this time only allude to having a ‘stinking cold’. By early January, 2016, I felt so awful I decided to seek the help of my GP, who ordered an immediate x-ray. It confirmed her suspicions: I had pneumonia, with fluid in both my lungs. She recommended immediate and extended bed rest for at least a fortnight if not more. Unfortunately, I ignored her advice because I was utterly fixated on preparing for the Surtex show and the financial rewards I thought it would bring. This just exacerbated my illness and slowed my recovery.

I carried on with my sketchbook practice as a way to escape all the different strands and levels of trauma I was experiencing. I found a way to paint within my limits. Typical sketches from this period were basic watercolours with line work applied afterwards, as most of these examples show. The truth of the matter was that I simply could not stay lucid for long enough to concentrate for more than 10 minutes at a time. I would paint quickly, go and have a rest, and then come back again several hours later with some quick pen work. I was only able to complete a page when I had a few moments of clarity and strength.

My two sketchbooks from that time are a reflection of my decreased energy, even though at the time I saw each page as a respite from my laboured breathing and general unease with the situation I found myself in. The flip side of my illness was that I had to summon my inventiveness and problem solving whilst I recuperated. Within the boundaries of my sketchbook, I could still be a creative version of me despite the medication. It may have been partly because I had committed to my first 365 days of paint, which gave me a huge incentive to carry on. It meant I had to be resourceful, imaginative and ingenious in how I could spend my very limited time.

Although I was very slow to recover from the pneumonia, by mid-March, 2016, I generally felt much better. Looking back, it occurs to me that those little black books had fast become part of my ‘safe room,’ which I protected at all costs. I could control what happened within them more than what was happening elsewhere in my life. They anchored me and stopped me from falling into helplessness. I wasn’t creating from a fear or lack mentality within the black covers of those moleskines. They were undeniably my sanctuary, where I felt almost immune to external forces. 

Silver Linings Sketchbooks - Painting with my Daughter #fiveyearoldpaints

My daughter had just turned five when she started witnessing my sketchbook practice. During the spring of 2015, just as I started painting one afternoon, she unexpectedly asked to borrow one of my waterbrushes and a sheet of paper and proceeded to sketch a very pretty imaginary flower. By the summer she had convinced me to buy her a little watercolour moleskine and her own paints and brushes. Some of the most enduring memories of keeping sketchbooks over the last four years were the days my daughter and I would paint side by side. (I’ll refer to her here as M.)

Often I would save my sketch practice till my daughter was home from school. M would assess whether she found the subject I picked up that day interesting enough for her. The fruit and flowers were more appealing to her than the packaging or book covers that I sometimes chose. If she decided to join me, M would go gather her own watercolour supplies from her special drawer, and we’d paint together in matching moleskines. At the time we had a circular coffee table in our living room, which we placed in front of our open patio doors on sunny days. M had a little wooden chair that she could sit on, while I would be cross-legged on the carpet. I gave her very little instruction—she just went ahead and drew her outlines, then painted how she wanted. Sometimes she’d ask how to mix a particular colour, but most often we’d just work with companionable chatter, catching up with her day’s events at school.

What I love about these pieces is her candid and impartial approach. Being five years of age, she didn’t seem too concerned how her page turned out. There was no overthinking or overworking (which I was apt to do). She seemed to have a remarkable ability to simplify the object down so it was still recognisable, yet retain a freshness that some of my sketches lacked. It was interesting to see her carefree attitude. I learnt many lessons about loosening up my sketches and making decisions quickly rather than laboriously. She was not constrained by proportions, shading, or mixing exact shades. Being unhindered, at least in my eyes, M was able to paint from a place of pure joy that was delightful to see.

Almost immediately in the period after I asked for a divorce, M took the lead in deciding what we would paint. There followed a period when we embraced a very geometric route. Straight lines were and still are out of my comfort zone, but I was quite willing to show support for her ideas. M was in her element, and she seemed to enjoy the simple forms as seen previously in her flowers and fruit. However you can see the hesitancy and doubt in my sketches from this period. Sometimes they only covered half a page and were incredibly tight. I was still learning from my daughter, who seemed so at ease and instinctive with this outlook.

M’s father frowned upon our joint watercolour practice. We viewed the time I spent painting with our daughter from completely opposing viewpoints. I was supremely proud and impressed by her sketches, and I wanted to share her glorious little pieces. I felt it made M very content to see her work next to mine on the IG grid, knowing that her page was of the same value and interest for anyone viewing. I even made up a personal hashtag for her sketches: #fiveyearoldpaints  However, her father felt that posting our daughter’s art on Instagram was contemptible and a cheap ploy to attract more ‘likes’ (I had about 3000 followers at the time). Although he became increasingly vocal about his feelings, we carried on regardless. 

During this time I avoided being in the same room as my ex and had taken to sleeping on cushions on the floor of the office. He was very slow in making arrangements for finding alternative accommodation, which frustrated me. Telling both my children about the divorce was actually much easier in many ways than expected. Both seemed to instinctively know why their parents had to part ways.

Those simple and honest afternoons spent with our sketchbooks in the sun will stay with me forever. At a time when I knew my marriage was floundering, it was a truly bright spot and often the highlight of my day. The simple act we shared transcended all the lousy feelings that were flying around in other parts of my life at the time. Even looking at the sketches now, I am filled with tenderness for her and her capabilities. M’s three sketchbooks are kept in the same special drawer as my other smaller moleskins because they are so valuable to me. Memories from these experiences with my daughter, as fleeting as they were, delivered lasting happiness during that excruciating period. 

Silver Linings Sketchbook in France

I have had to dig really deep in order to explore the events that primarily took place whilst I was completing sketchbook no. 2. It was not easy to give myself permission to do this, as I’ve had to extract myself from behind a curtain of shame that surrounds the breakdown of my marriage in 2015.

The typical subject matter I’d been sketching at this point was items I had easy access to, including book covers, packaging or just seasonal flowers and fruit. I had a natural curiosity that outweighed any thoughts of trying to capture the object perfectly. My sketchbook was neutral territory, where my inner dialogue was much quieter compared to the rest of my creative business. I could hear my answer when I asked myself ‘what can I learn from this?’ For me, imperfect sketches could still be useful or important. It was encouraging for me to work this way, as each sketch brought about fresh awareness and the opportunity to absorb watercolour outcomes.

In the spring of 2015, I had consented to attend a few sessions of marriage counselling to appease my then-husband. The counsellor hoped that a prearranged family holiday could help resolve our differences. That August we made the long journey to Southern France by rail. After an overnight stop in Marseille, we arrived at our base just outside the small coastal town of Cassis. The day after we arrived, on a very hot trek to Calanque de Port Pin I realised my marriage was irreparable. After a ridiculous argument over apricots and drinking water I could hear all the metaphorical pennies dropping, drowning out the noise of my young children happily paddling. When we arrived at the stunning calanque with its rocky sides and extraordinary blue sea, I sat in a much-needed shady spot to paint whilst my daughter napped. That evening, without much fanfare or too much introspection, I asked for a separation. 

We did not tell the kids about this significant development and pretty much carried on with our holiday as planned. In the sketchbook pages that follow I carried on as usual, too, with my routine of sketching whatever I had close at hand or what I saw around me; the harbour with its bobbing fishing boats or the view from our balcony where we ate.

I posted on IG sketches of local flowers including the endless oleander. And later on, views of Avignon, the Roman amphitheatre at Orange, and the nearby Pont Du Gard. These sketches are quite emotive souvenirs of that complex time. This sketchbook also displays my gratitude for the beautiful surroundings I saw around me, the silver linings in an otherwise poignant chapter.  

Even when I returned home, there were comforting household items, seasonal fruit and flowers that gave me something to focus on. When I focused, a soothing energy flowed over me as I painted. I only felt relief and release when I opened my sketchbook. Continuing within my sketchbooks as if everything were normal helped me through the intense isolation I was beginning to feel. I tolerated his presence in the family home for the sake of my children, who were still unaware of their parents estrangement. I worked hard at holding it together, and not saying as I felt in front of them, as the arguments accelerated.

Towards the beginning of sketchbook no. 3, I suddenly stopped using the pen line that I’d adopted early on. One evening, I was in a rush to attend a dinner party and with the light fading I wanted to capture these poppy heads quickly. I also felt the pen line had become a ‘crutch’ of sorts—it had only been there to support the watercolours, while I found my confidence with the medium. 

It is perhaps ironic as well as symbolic that just two pages later, I painted a little propellor aeroplane darting amongst whimsical and geometric clouds. I asked for a full divorce that day. The words came out of the blue, and I caught myself off guard with my certainty as I delivered my firm demand. In that moment I did not think about my children or my lack of finances, or having no apparent plan. I just knew I would suffocate and never fulfill my dreams or potential if I stayed married. I asked him to move out immediately, which he was reluctant to do.

When I look back on the page, it occurs to me that I was now learning to paint ‘freestyle.’ These clouds were purely from my imagination. Maybe that little aeroplane dodging the clouds was off on an unknown adventure, trying to break free from the confines of the page and sketchbook. I was finally allowing myself to explore with a more free and fluid approach, less grounded in reality. Although I was still suppressing many of my thoughts and feelings in my daily life, this page shows that within that small sketchbook I was making a safe space to express myself. I honoured this peace within the pain, and from this awareness I could see choices. 

My Silver Lining Sketchbooks - overview

To the casual observer they just look like little unassuming black books. Most of them live in a drawer under my desk. There’s nothing especially astonishing about the 18 pocket moleskines when they’re stacked up. However, within them lies a private narrative I haven’t felt able to discuss before.

I think now it’s time to share a more honest, as-yet-unexpressed history about my watercolour practice. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for two years—to give a fuller picture of what was really happening behind the clean, polished work I've been sharing daily on Instagram.

If you go back far enough in this blog or on my Instagram, you’ll see my tentative attempts in sketchbook no. 1 way back in 2015. I taught myself watercolours in the subsequent sketchbooks, learning from doing, learning from observing, learning from overworking, and learning from proportions that were way off. These posts I’ll be sharing will NOT be about how to keep sketchbooks or watercolour technique. They will be the much more personal story of WHY I accumulated so many sketchbooks. At the height of my sketchbook practice, during challenges like #100dayproject and #365daysofpaint, I was averaging a new sketchbook every 8 weeks.

Most days I did paint daily. Wherever I was and whatever I was feeling, I’d sit down with my pans and complete another page, then it post on Instagram with a brief explanation as to why I chose that object on that particular day, and I was fine with giving out that level of information.

In retrospect 4.5 years later, I have been able to connect the dots about their purpose in my life, especially during those early days. In truth, I started my first sketchbook out of unhappiness.When my son was 1 year old I decided to take a total break from illustration so I could spend time just being a mother. This break was to last 8 years and included having another child. I call them ‘my wilderness years’ as I was a stay at home mum juggling school runs, laundry and amusing a toddler with little creative activity.  In late 2013, I started taking online courses after that huge gap to bridge the gap in my skills. Although my then-husband was the main breadwinner, we were leading a precarious existence, being financially challenged most months.I used to buy and sell items on eBay, create home made curry kits at fairs to stretch our meager earnings. Often we drove our car despite the red ‘fill petrol’ flashing sign, and prayed there would just be enough. This scarcity was quite a problem when deciding which bill could be delayed for a month loner.

Even from these early stages, I knew that in order to create a viable income swiftly I’d be running an art business. Bearing in mind my Photoshop, Illustrator, and drawing skills were pretty rusty after 8 years, I threw myself into updating my skills and improving my technique. Most days that was quite traumatic. I felt like a dinosaur, plodding along coming to terms with new technology and online platforms (and working on an archaic Mac).  Everything I did was very much digital illustration-based—as long as I could create it quickly, I thought that was the key. Those days, I shared a table with my husband in our spare room, and often it seemed I was literally chained to that spot whenever I wasn’t looking after the kids or cooking or cleaning. 

I rarely bought anything for myself. Even art supplies had to be kept to a minimum. It was wild extravagance that I bought myself a secondhand Daler Rowney watercolour pan set in the spring of 2015 for my birthday. I also bought a Moleskine sketchbook, similar to the simple black notebooks I knew were favoured by Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso. The added bonus was it was very small, measuring just 13 x 21 cm. Never having painted in watercolours, I wanted to make it ‘easy’ for myself. However, that first sketchbook sat on a shelf in its protective plastic for may weeks.

Once I did start, I realised that keeping a sketchbook meant I could physically remove myself from the office for 20 or 30 minutes everyday and fully be in my own space away from any dramas. At that stage, my ex and I were in general panic mode trying to find money, and he didn’t appreciate me taking those 30 minutes out of my day when I ‘should’ have been working on my website or other things to establish my illustration career. I had become this frenzied woman who was was churning out art, learning about technical repeats and chasing that art licensing dream. I knew something didn’t sit right, something was absent from my constant digital illustration process. I felt like I had lost the connection between my hands and my art and my heart.

I would look forward to sitting down in my kitchen in the early afternoon. It was the brightest room in the house, whatever the time of year. I called it my cocoon room—even though it was unheated, I felt warm and safe there. There would be no kids, no interruptions, no expectations or duties. In its simplest form, it was just me, that clean page, and a box of colours. I painted whatever I’d found growing walking back from the school run, or something from inside my cupboards, or curiosities I had collected that were displayed around the house. Those ornaments, teacups, books, tins of fish all nestled in this warm and protective environment where I didn’t have to pretend to be anything but myself. 

By working in silence, concentrating on the task at hand on those tiny pages, I felt no judgment or quarrel. It felt like I had access to a purer part of me, because I was unburdened by the weight of many problems. It didn’t seem logical to my ex, who felt my sketchbook time was an inappropriate or ‘profitable’ use of my resources, because it wasn’t a directly revenue-generating activity.

Yet without realising it, I had begun an investment in my future on many, many levels. It’s quite ironic that this solitary pastime I carved out for myself, at the time separated from my illustration business, would eventually become a great asset. Sketchbooks nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and beyond would be among the resources that I clung to as I faced massive upheavals and challenges. I could not have guessed that this safe, quiet place I cultivated with my sketchbooks would literally save my sanity in the coming months and years.

Little did I know, they were to become the foundation for some big, much-needed changes.