One of my favourite things to do in the Far North of Scotland is to go exploring and by that I mean far off the beaten track. I take an Ordnance Survey map, find an area that looks intriguing and then ‘do it’, whatever and however that means. Last weekend’s adventure saw me scaling an almost sheer cliff face to get to what the OS map stated as a ‘Natural Arch’ near Portskerra in Sutherland. And wow did I get lucky; I would say one of the highlights yet of my adventures. This natural arch is very similar to the stacks at Duncansby, near John O’Groats, which I have painted before, but more secluded, remote and rugged. Have a look:
It’s sometimes difficult to go out exploring as we aren’t always blessed with good weather, so I take the chance whilst I can. But just because sometimes I am house-bound it doesn’t mean that I am not exploring uncharted territories or pushing boundaries! By the nature of what I do, i.e being a self-employed, full-time artist, I have to be a leader and I have to forge my own path. I can not sit here and wait for someone to tell me what to do (I never was any good at following orders anyhow!). So I thought I would give you some pointers if you too want to set off down the self-employment path..
Self-belief is crucial. There will be times when it seems that no one in the world believes in you, but as long as you do you will keep going.
Be driven. Be determined, gritty and dogged for when you get knocked down and knocked back (and you will!) this resilience will keep you on the path.
Only look at your own path. If you compare or focus on someone else’s you are diverting precious energy away from yours. Only focus on how far you have come, not where you are in comparison to someone else. This takes practice, especially at the beginning.
Learn as you go. Unfortunately there is no other way to learn. You can read all the manuals and guides in the world about how to be an artist or how to run a business but head knowledge stands for nothing until you are putting it into practice daily. It reminds me of how I learned to speak German. I studied it until First Year Degree Level but it wasn’t until I spent 5 months in Austria as a chalet hostess that I fully ‘learned’ German. My level of understanding improved drastically. When you are immersed in something you consume it and absorb it..You have no choice.
Love what you do. Without passion you will not continue. I do not work to live I definitely live to work.
Make opportunities. Unfortunately you can not sit and wait for success to come to you, you have to go out and find it. I could sit here and paint but without my marketing and hard work the world would not know about me. The physical painting is only 50% of what I do. The rest is hard graft and a lot of sitting at a laptop…alone.
Get used to being alone..unless you are able to employ others. I am my business. It’s just me. I spend a lot of time alone, but that’s ok, I never get lonely because my head is always full of ideas, plus if I didn’t have my alone time I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.
Do not be shy…or find ways to overcome shyness. If you do not put yourself on that platform no one else will. Lots of creatives struggle with this – how to promote my work when it’s so closely connected to me. Yes it is scary at the beginning, but it does get easier with practice. I find it easier once a painting is complete to objectify it. I can almost look at it with fresh eyes and appreciate it for what it is, hopefully a good piece of art, and not something that came from within me or is still part of me.
And lastly, be resourceful. God is good..He provides, He lines you up with people, opportunities and resources that will take you further. Your job is to be open to receive them and to step through that door.
Let me know how you get on and let me know if I have missed anything. Remember each path is unique and what applies to me may not be relevant to you, but all I can do is share my experience. This is me after six years of being self-employed and definitely a lot older, wiser and canny as they say here in Scotland.
I have some new original canvases for you to browse in the Small Canvases section, inspired by fairy forests and magical glens.
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Quantity: 1 £95.00 
