As much as we would love everyone to like our art, it's impossible.  We all have different tastes, budgets and opinions. Did you know if you have an artist in your life, for that matter anyone with a small business, you can still support them, it's not just about the sale. 
Your support is just as important as the sale.
Here are 5 ways to support a small business or the artist in your life. 

Follow the business on the socials. Social media plays an important role in helping to grow the visibility and reach of the artist.  If you share their posts and work, this has a huge impact on them being able to build their community.  Liking, loving and commenting on posts also assists with the algorithms on the different platforms and shows you value their contribution. 

Go to the show. Artists participate in open-call exhibitions, solo exhibitions,  and open studio events.  Attending an artist's show or event is one of the best ways to support them. By showing up you are supporting them, showing you care about them and their work.  There would be nothing worse than going to all the effort of putting on an event and there are very few people in attendance or no familiar friendly faces  as moral support.  

Word of mouth is one of the most valuable forms of advertising.  Talking about your family or artist friend to others is a great way to introduce new people to their art.  Ask if they know the artist, if they don't suggest they look them up, or even better, share a link to the socials. 

Attend an art class.  I am a bit biased on this, as you probably know, I run over a hundred art classes a year.  It's a numbers game when it comes to running classes. Classes going ahead generally come down to the numbers being enough for a class or program to go ahead.  If you have always wanted to join a class, why not enrol for a class?  You never know, you might find your passion for art.

Shop local.  Have you ever been stuck with having to buy a gift for a surprise invitation?  Local artists often have framed artwork ready to go.  Check in on your local artist, to see if they have an artwork to your taste and budget.  If you are local, they may even offer to deliver on the day. 

There you have it, five simple ways to support a local artist, family member or friend.  You will be surprised how much they appreciate your support.  

How do you support your local community, small business or artist?  Comment below. 

​Featured Artwork: Cityscape on the river

To easel or not to easel, is the question today.  
When I got back into creating, I purchased a small desktop easel to hold my small canvases.  It was good enough; I didn't know if I was going to continue the creative journey when everything when back to "normal" so I went with a cheap and cheerful option which suited me at the time.   Within a few months, I realised the cheap and cheerful just wasn't cutting it, so ordered in a desktop easel which was so much better with larger canvases.  I soon learnt I much preferred standing to paint than sitting. 

A few more months later during one of the breaks in lockdown, my gorgeous hubby came home with a studio easel for me.  I love it and use it every day I am in the studio.  It is sturdy, holds large canvasses and is now covered in paint, I think the paint gives it character.

I found as my circumstances changed and also my painting style I needed a few different easels.  My larger desktop easel is still on hand for when I am sitting at my desk and creating, my studio easel is a must and I have a few portable easels I use for open studios and displays.  I have also been using the portable tripod to take to my art classes. 

The tripod easel I have been taking to various classes is great, yet it is bulky to leave in the boot of the car. I had been eyeing off on Amazon a tripod easel with a shelf etc. (pictured).  So last week I ordered it, and it arrived 2 days later. I was pleased to see it fits in a small bag and is so light and versatile. I can now use it at my art classes, along with en plein air excursions and also painting demonstrations.

You don't need to be like me and have multiple easels, pick one that suits your needs, ask yourself, will I be painting on paper or canvas?  Will I be creating large or small pieces? Do I need to incorporate storage?  Does it need to be portable?   Can I leave it up or do I need to pack it away?  Do I like working on an easel or on the table? What type of medium will I be using?

Once you have answered these simple questions you will have a better understanding of your easel requirements.    You can check out some of my favourite tools and a couple of easels. 

How do you like to work?  Leave a comment below.
  

Art can be a relaxing past time, a hobby, or your way of making a living.  No matter what role art plays in your life, creating art teaches us to problem solve.  Looking at a piece of art and seeing that it doesn't quite work or quite speak to you means stepping back and looking at what is working well, what is ok and what isn't working.
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When I was in a corporate role, we often as a management team would sit down and analyse the business based on what's working, what's not, what can we do to improve it.  As artists we do the same. We look at our artwork in the same way as a businessperson would look at their operations.   

Art teaches us to observe, analyse and work through a specific problem to overcome what is not working.  Do we add some texture, shape, tone, or colour?  Do we make this come forward, back, paint over it, leave it.  What will make this piece speak to the viewer?  

This process carries over into every area of our lives.  These skills are transferable and valuable to our growth, increasing our capacity for thinking in new and diverse ways.  We determine what we need to do to ensure a better and different outcome for a specific problem.

The benefits of taking time out for creativity are endless.  Keep creating! 

I love music, I have an eclectic taste in music which I was able to indulge in for 10 years as a radio show producer and presenter.  I could pick and choose what to listen to in between the on-air interviews. You now have access to any song, genre and artist and thousands of podcasts with apps such as Spotify, Apple Music, Iheartradio and the like.
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I have also had two successful podcasts in the past both interviewing guests and sharing knowledge from LBA (life before art).  You can probably tell I love sound and can be highly auditory given the nature of my past exploits. 
For me creating art is intensifying my visual skills and has reduced the need for auditory stimulation.

Initially when I started creating again, I sat in silence and got lost in the paints. It was so relaxing and peaceful.  It was also at a time that there was a lot of negativity and sadness in the world with the pandemic. 

Over the years I transitioned to a playlist for creating.  It is easy to listen to and has intermittent songs I can hum or sing along to. I know of many artists that prefer to paint and create listening to music from various genres such as classical, heavy metal to easy listening.

Occasionally I listen to a podcast from my favourite art podcasts such as Art to Life, Art Chatter and my all-time favorite Art Juice. 

Lately, I have opted for silence.  I have been enjoying creating florals and being present in the moment of creating in silence.  The stresses of everyday life slip away as the paint glides on, and time gets lost. What a fabulous feeling.

Do you prefer music, podcasts or silence when you are working?  What is your favourite podcast or music?