And Another and Another

The impact of taking courses and joining groups

A diagram. From the start of my course and group journey. Notebook by United Art Space.

It’s enough to make you want to give up. Quit. Do something FAR, far easier. But it’s not. I forge on. Because something inside knows this is my journey. I have faith that I can do this. That I can earn a living from my art. That this is my path.

What am I talking about? The fact that 11 years of a creative ‘business’ and I’ve managed to make a loss every year but two (and they were by the skin of my teeth). From designing and making handmade bags, textile artist, watercolour artist. I worked so hard, burnt myself out with the bags and grew to hate it. I felt a failure.

How many lessons have I learned during that time? A gazillion for sure. But my biggest has been to invest in joining groups and taking courses. I’ve learnt this the hard way. I now know, doing this ‘alone’ is painfully slow and can be soul destroying.

One of my handmade bags that I designed when I was known as SuQ Designs. This is Libby.

You don’t know what you don’t know!

My first club I joined was A Handcrafted Business with Nicola Smith. Nicola had set up a free Facebook group in the days of GDPR which quite frankly, had blown my mind! Thanks to Nicola, I learnt about it and set up a GDPR policy. I joined her Handcrafted Business club. Here I learnt a plethora of things I WASN’T doing and my eyes were opened to my complete lack of business expertise and capabilities.

As the saying goes, you don’t know, what you don’t know. However, when you do know what you don’t know, it gets complicated!

Through Nicola, I was introduced to Ben from Rosier Internet who became my long suffering website host. God this man has had the patience of a saint. Always at the end of an email, he has helped and enabled me to set up my Wordpress website Susan Mills Art which I am very proud of. I am far from technical. It has been an uphill struggle but I’ve done it and generally, can sort out my own issues.

Discovering my place

In 2022 I took a free intro course with abstract artist Judy Woods. Judy’s free course led me to sign up to her full year StArts course, which has been the best course I’ve ever taken and investment in myself.

Judy’s course changed my life. I went from realist watercolour to mixed media abstracts and felt I’d found my Nirvana. Abstract art had never been on my radar before this. It wasn’t something I enjoyed looking at particularly and I had no aspirations what-so-ever. But something clicked. I began to appreciate abstracts. With Judy’s tuition, I learnt how an abstract can have good composition and subject, even if it’s just about the colour red for example as well as different techniques and process, colour and tone. And freedom.

Best dreams

This week I have finally achieved my best dream to join Connected Artists with Alice Sheridan.

I am also a member of Art Tribe with Louise Fletcher (another best dream group of mine). I belong to Marissa Cummings Expansive Artists group and I’ve taken multiple courses with Michelle Lloyd from United Art Space this year and previous years.

That’s a lot isn’t it.

Timing could’ve better for Alice’s group as I’d committed to a year with EA. However, opportunities don’t come up very often to join Connected Artists and I know what I’m aiming for. With the support of Alice Sheridan’s group, I will progress more quickly.

And yes. I am spending a lot of money from savings and from a family loan and from earnings from painting sales. In some ways it’s a risky strategy. But I know how lucky I am I can do this. If I still had my young family, it wouldn’t be an option and my health is an issue. I want to do this now.

My mind is on the long game, on the goals I’ve set myself, on my dreams.

But what about YouTube?

There is so much ‘free’ advice out there - just Google or YouTube it? Much of it is great and at the start of my painting journey, I was so grateful for the lessons. There is so much there, provided for free. However it lacks support. Support from the teacher but also from others inside a group. A community that is full of so much knowledge. Friends you make. Fellow creatives who get the trials and who also show you the highlights. Show what can be possible. You get to celebrate their wins, share in their achievements.

It is said that you should surround yourself with people who are ahead of you. And honestly, that is the best advice.

I wonder if you’re reading this and thinking but surely being an artist is all fun, fun, fun! It can be. Painting when you’re in the zone is the BEST feeling. However. There’s a lot involved when trying to run a business of any kind. And being a creative, my business brain finds this stuff challenging!

Without the groups I’ve joined these past few years I wouldn’t

• have a blog and a fab website.

• have had the courage or the skills to turn to abstract painting.

• have the self-belief I have now and lessons on planning, goal setting, working out my ‘Why’, which has been vital.

• have started to learn and attend to mindset and how important that is.

• be surrounded by other artists at all stages and with all-sorts of advice, know how and most of all that friendship and support.

• keep learning techniques, skills and have a place to be sparked with new ideas.

• Have the courage to start my Substack.

The list goes on.

Caveat

My only caveat is choose wisely. I’ve found the best groups and courses are committed to giving quite a lot for free before they offer you memberships or more in depth courses. You get to see that you really like the person who is teaching. That you like their methods, that they are a good fit to what you aspire to be, do, have (as Michelle Lloyd from United Art Space would say).

I have loved all of mine without exception. Be prepared to evolve, different groups for different stages. Join in, be part of the community and reap the rewards.

If you could give this post a like, if you did like, it will make all the difference. I am new to Substack and it all helps.

Thank you!