Just Start
Because of Art I am someone who laughs at her mistakes and pushes through the challenges of writing a book.
Mine is a story of adversity and persistence to become who I am.
Year after year as I’ve worked on becoming the person I always wanted to be, I’ve come to realize we’re never too old. And it’s never too late.
Certain moments in our lives happen because they are meant to be a lesson for others. Much of the adversity I’ve faced happened so I could share with you that it’s never too late. You just have to start.
So let’s start with my story…
Although the common thread through my life has been Art, there have been many pauses and restarts. Winning an Art prize as a school child, topping my high school in Art and having my paintings chosen for the Art Express Traveling Exhibition all looked on course. Completing Newcastle Art School was the next step crossed off the list.
(Thank you John Lennon for the reminder: life is what happens when you’re planning something else.)
The first of many pauses follows as my Art School scholarship ends and real life costs come inevitably into view. Teaching high school Art takes care of the financial questions. However, creating my own Art gets put on the back burner and becomes more difficult to practice and pursue.
Saving for our first house and the rearing of children pushes art further down on the priority list. I do my best to keep my hand in with semi-regular plein air weekends, and even an exhibition at our local shopping complex. (“Plein air” painting is a French term to describe what the impressionists did when they took their easels outside into the open air and sunlight.)
Life moves on and Art is more a memory than a practice, but hope is the last thing to die. A stint in China gives the space and time to reflect and familiarize myself with Art from another culture. I realize Art is interwoven through all aspects of life and society everywhere in the world.
Art continues to call to me, wanting a commitment. I respond with excuses, most of which are lies, saying, “I’m too busy with my family. Art will have to wait until there is more space in my life.”
On returning to Australia from China, with a reawakened love of its natural beauty; rugged, picturesque, clean and eternal… I decide it’s not to be taken for granted again. This has to be painted!
But back to resettling and anchoring the family into a new life and new business. Art must surely be next?
And it was, after another ten years and launching the children into their post school possibilities.
Now, how to start? Again?
On reflection, I realized that Art School was a period of time as opposed to a path of development. If I was to finally dedicate myself to Art I needed a refresher, a relaunch, a renewal. And like so many renewal processes, you return to the start.
In this case, after much research, I found an excellent drawing and painting atelier in California that leveraged off the old and modern masters and anchored in drawing the human form. I attended the Watts Atelier and was again overcome by that familiar awe and inspiration of what Art can be and the learning challenges to deliver Art.
And as much as I learned, which was just the tonic and discipline I was searching for, there was also that identified gap between where I was fast approaching and where I wanted to be.
But I was back on the horse. And the technical skills were just the beginning. All that other “marketing” stuff was suddenly more important than the Art: finding your customer or tribe, digital media, websites, Instagram Reels, posts, hashtags, artists CV, gallery applications, copyright, - a world of work that was not Art, but is as important as the Art itself.
Then came more pauses and frustrations, but I knew I had to grab this nettle if I was going to be an Artist in this world of digital reach and NFT’s.
By compiling a body of work, participating in Watts Atelier online courses, and converting our sizeable downstairs into my own gallery and studio space, I was careful to keep Art as a top priority. The brushes and the oils were back for good.
While the online arsenal of course work from Watts Atelier was developing both my drawing and painting techniques, I realized I needed direct feedback on my work. More research led to finally discovering a coach to help me on my way. Steffan Baumann from The Grand View TV show filled the gaps in my understanding, insights, process and artworks.
A Gallery from my past called Weswal Gallery in Tamworth accepted my Mother Nature Collection for a four weeks exhibition in March 2020. At about the same time a global phenomenon started to ring alarm bells and within the first week of the exhibition we slowly moved into lockdown. My momentum came to a screeching halt. Again.
And so it goes as those Covid years paused all Art shows, Art gatherings, life drawing classes and exhibitions. Artists were working in splendid isolation with the only exposure being by social media, so my digital presence certainly improved. And by such activities my Home Comforts collection came to the notice of the Gosford Regional Gallery. After being noticed on Instagram, my paintings became part of the Iso Exhibition during what was seen as the end of Covid restrictions. But we all quickly returned to more restrictions as the new variant came and took away our brief freedoms. And another exhibition.
Exploring myself as an Artist has taught me that learning and opportunities come by doing. Some of the best works and ideas had come from starting on one project and discovering an even better one on the way. Yes, just as I am making progress with better developed Art, gaining exhibitions and followers and customers, this hiatus was not what I was working towards. But if you’re making Art you keep discovering and learning new insights into yourself, your Art and your customers.
Had it not been for the lockdown, the Gosford Regional Gallery wouldn’t have noticed my Art on Instagram and I wouldn’t have found Lyndsie Barrie, an Author and Marketing Coach who helped me write this book.
So, here we are after Covid is no longer in the news and I have finally completed a recent solo exhibition at Gosford Regional Gallery and am preparing for my third exhibition.
All the pauses and restarts happened so that I could share with you two things:
This message: if you are fascinated, have dabbled in, have studied or just discovered Art, it is never too late. You just need to start.
This book: a collection of stories, references, examples and links to videos - all my best tools and strategies. I’m so excited that you are holding them in your hands right now.
You may have to start and restart again and again. Like mine, your journey of exploring yourself as an Artist will have its own rewards regardless of the challenges and the obstacles associated with the gatekeepers and critics of the Art world.
Remember that you are the most important gatekeeper on your journey. And the harshest critic.
Just start.
