I have just found out that I have been selected to join other makers and artists on a two week programme of workshops designed to explore the potential of making art into a feasible business and develop a plan for this.
The programme will include input from other successful creative practitioners who will share their experiences of making a sustainable income from their art, design and crafts. I am so excited about this, I had always wanted to explore this previously but I didn't have the confidence to commit fully as I was preoccupied with my insecurities. Now I am in a better place within my own mental health, I feel able to commit and explore this idea in more detail.
Previously, I had always seen my art as an extension of me, so it was hard to put a quantitative value on this without aligning it to my sense of self worth and self esteem. I worried about limiting or contriving my creativity to produce something that would be marketable. So I felt in some way this would be selling myself out, however, that's not to say everything I will create is with the intention to make a sale. I can still enjoy creating for creating sake and art for me is very much a way to express myself and make sense of the world around me.
As I see it now, I am only limited to the restrictions that I place on myself. How I see the world defines how I experience reality and my creations that come from that. I am open to looking at how to channel my passion and creativity into something that can appeal to others whilst staying true to my approach to creating. It is a matter of discipline and decision making, this is something I am willing to admit there is work to be done. Whilst in the midst of anxiety and depression, I felt very reluctant and overwhelmed by the idea of committing to my art and my art alone. I had low confidence despite all of my achievements and I never felt good enough. Until I began to unpick the past and make sense of where these feelings came from and it was nothing to do with the measure of capacity that I have for making art.
I am looking forward to where this journey takes me and being open and adaptable is where it begins. Watch this space!
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