Learn On The Go

Business planning, websites, content creation…So much to learn apart from all of the lovely creativity and art we get to work on.

My hope for this section is to:

- share resources that I find useful in my journey

- identify some of the stepping stones that were important for me as they might resonate with you

Two snowdrops done in ink with a pink background

Resources:

Shopify Photo Resizer - here

Empty Easel blog - here

Laura Day artist statement workbook (+other workbooks on the link too!) - here

Podcasts:

Here are some of the podcasts that I love!!

  • Fail Like An Artist

  • The Art of Being a Mum

  • Art Juice

  • Creative Genius

  • The #justbloodypostit Podcast

  • Do it for the Process from Emily Jeffords

  • Unfold with Kellee Wynne

  • Learn To Paint Podcast

  • The Warrior Artist

  • Paint Rest repeat

  • The Inspiration Place

  • Thriving Artist Podcast

  • Artist/Mother Podcast

Website Tips:

I'm no expert on website building but I'm coming across plenty of tips and some time savers as I go along so I'll share what I can.

The below are starting points to get you thinking. Each deserves more than a few lines but they're a great place to start!!

  • Identify why you want a website - is it a blog? A shop? A personal gallery spot? A mix? If you really don't know what you want from it, but have decided to start off as a basic launchpad for your art, then that's great. Leave yourself room to grow by choosing a good, easy to use platform that will allow you to easily integrate a store in the future. Makes things much easier than trying to rejig everything later!

  • Who are your target audience? Is it people to buy your artwork? Is it other artists (think about the future possibility of adding courses or memberships to your business as examples)?

  • Prepare!! You can do loads of prep before you even sign up for the website to get ready.

  • Research other people's websites. It doesn't have to be just other artists either. Get an idea of what you like and don't like about other websites. Make lists and try to notice things like colours and layouts.

  • List the pages you need - homepage, about me and contact page will be the basic needs 

  • About me - this may include your artist statement so if you've never done on before, it's no harm to get investigating this area too.

  • Photos - this can be a slow area. Check out the next section for some ideas.

A painting under the sea showing three whales, including one breaching the top

Photo Suggestions:

  1. Resize and rename them prior to upload. You'll thank me later! Check out Shopify's free photo resizer here

  2. Make a list and gather them prior to starting. You can always add as you go along but it helps to have a stack of them ready!

  3. Get a mix of general paint/studio/artwork photos, some ones of you and anything you need for your shop