It’s frustrating when an artwork is shared on social media and it gets no likes or interactions.  Especially when the picture of your dog gets much more attention (thanks to Simone for that reference).There are so many hoops to jump through when it comes to ‘working the social media system’.

Times are changing and the way people use social media is changing.

In this episode, I talk about whether you need to be a slave to social media and how you can work just as well off-line.

Have you ever felt distracted when you are making art? Do you find that you have lots of conversations happening in your brain as you make? Or, do you get in a zone where you are completely immersed???

That is the topic of this week's podcast. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Have you ever felt uncertain about what direction to take? Maybe you are creating art and you don't know when to stop? Or, you have lots of passions and you don't know what to choose?

Join me and my special guest, Lisa K as we talk about how you can tap into your superpower: INTUITION.

We discuss what intuition is and how you can start using it from today!

Lisa K. helps people trust their intuition to make better decisions. Lisa teaches others how to use the power of intuition in their decisions, so they no longer doubt themselves and feel confident moving forward. Considered intuition expert, Lisa has taught hundreds of people about intuition development in workshops and seminars.

Her public appearances reach people around the world through guest speaking on stage, radio, and online media. And you, my friend, get a free access pass to this juicy episode - enjoy 😊

Learn more about Lisa K. at: http://www.LMK88.com

YOUR MAGIC MANTRA   Join me and my special guests, Leon Taylor and Sarah Griffiths as we discuss how you can overcome mental health challenges and achieve big goals. We will also be revealing Leon and Sarah’s new book: ‘Leon's Magic Mantra’ and I want to share a special story of how this book exists.   Leon is a mindset coach on the Headspace app, former Olympian Silver Medalist Diver, Commentator on BBC sports and supporter of the SportsAid charity.   Sarah Griffiths is a Children’s book author, storyteller and writer with a passion for celebrating each child's magnificent uniqueness. Sarah’s stories teach children how to improve self-esteem, reach for dreams and unlock limitless potential.   This episode will be a super inspiring talk and I can't wait to share this with you.   You can learn more about Leon's Magic Mantra here: https://amzn.eu/d/hOUdrKg|https://amzn.eu/d/hOUdrKg

In this episode, I want to talk about my mental health as I have found life difficult this year. It's common to look at other people and think they have it all figured out, that you are the only one struggling.   I feel the more open we are about mental health, the more it helps others realise that these feelings are normal and that they will pass.   In this episode I talk about:  

• Wim Hof, The Ice Man.
• Reframing 'I can't', 'I am struggling', I am not well' with the opposite, even if I don't feel like it (I am feeling great etc.). Unless I am sharing this statement to seek help.
• Finding small ways of taking control of my brain, such as having a cold bath, focussing on my breath for 60 seconds, and having a positive mantra I say over and over again (to stop negative thoughts).

I hope sharing my story may help someone who needs to hear you are not alone, this time will pass and things will get better - you can gain control.   Slow Down to Speed Up. Take it easy. Breath.

Have you ever felt disheartened when someone doesn’t show any interest in your work? Or worst still, they have a negative reaction to your work?

Or, maybe you have seen an artwork in the past and it’s made you feel uncomfortable but you are not sure why?

This episode is for you!

I share how we view art and how this can impact sales, how you make and how you view art.

If you want to take part in our annual MAKE ART YOUR LIVING Workshops that happen once a year, we start on 1st September and you can join the wait list right now: https://uas.unitedartspace.org/mayl/

When things aren’t going right or taking longer than you expect, it’s easy to fall into the trap of what’s the point? Why am I doing this??

Many times you are feeling this way as you are focussing on outputs and not the inputs.

To me, the input is the impact you are having on yourself and others.  

You may not see the impact from others who admire your bird painting from afar, you may brighten someone’s day with your art and never realise it. You might be inspiring someone else to make art. There are so many ways you might be impacting others, but you can’t see it.

And, then there is the impact you are having on yourself. Never underestimate the power of mistakes and getting things wrong. Every action you take is a lesson. Whether it’s good or bad. You are growing and growing pains are normal.

This is what I want to chat to you about in this episode, so grab your headphones and tune in with me!

I often get asked if we can use other people’s images, this is what this week’s episode covers.  

Copying images from others is a great way to learn and develop our art. But, we have to ensure we are not breaching copyright.

If you are copying the image for your own personal use, that is fine. As soon as you share the image publicly, or commercially you need to check the rights of that image.

Here is a checklist for when you are using images:

• Check the source of the image, is it copyrighted to someone or in the public domain?Use the reverse image tool to find the source of images: image.google.com
• If the image was created before 1923 or is an image so popular that it’s being used in multiple places, it’s most likely the image is in the ‘public domain’ and is free to use.  But, you still have to check.
• If you are unsure use a site that provides copyright free images:
• https://pixabay.com/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary
• https://www.openculture.com/
• https://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online
• https://www.freepik.com/
• https://unsplash.com/
• https://www.pexels.com/royalty-free-images/

You can also download this amazing graphic from The Visual Communication Guy to help you:

In today's episode, I invite you to Stop, Look and Listen.

When we are feeling overwhelmed, or clueless on where to start with making art - this exercise is super!

It brings us back to the present moment, brings clarity to the mind and space for ideas, relaxes us and also leads to inspiration that is sitting at our fingertips.

We often take what's in front of us for granted, we see scenes every day and miss the hidden gems that are awaiting us!

This simple exercise that you can do in 2 minutes will help!

If you want to learn more about Make your Mark, click here: https://uas.unitedartspace.org/mym/

If you want to follow along with the 5 days of sketch-booking, check out our stories on Facebook or Instagram.

Join me as I unveil a step by step process Sharon Griffin and I wrote to help you make powerful art. Sharon has been an artist her whole life and her art career is booming. 6 years ago we wrote a course called MAKE YOUR MARK to help people at all stages of ability who have:

• No idea where to start
• Been making for years but are tired of copying images
• Too many ideas and constantly play but feel like they're not getting anywhere
• Established careers but yearning to make something else - but don't have time

The 6 part process covered in Make your Mark is:

• Research - sounds boring but this is about stopping and noticing.  Noticing what makes you curious, what is in front of you but you can't see?
• Materials and Techniques - Using a starting point from what you notice around you, how can you use different media to express this. This is play time.
• Formal elements - again, sounds so serious but these are the foundations on making art.  This is what Sharon goes back to every time she improves and strengthens her art.  You might know what the formal elements are, you can Google them.
• Colour - do you need colour?? We notice contrast before we notice colour, but colour is a powerful tool.  Playing with different colour options and seeing what happens when you change them is powerful.
• Select and Reject - this is all about learning the right questions to ask yourself during the art making process.  If you are not following this step, you are missing a huge opportunity to learn from every artwork you make.
• Finally - round this up into an outcome, this might be a finished work, a collection, a sketchbook of ideas.

The course starts on 3rd June and runs for 7 weeks. On the 30th May we will be releasing daily prompts on social media to help you start the MAKE YOUR MARK process.   SIGN UP HERE: https://uas.unitedartspace.org/mym/