Wednesday, July 10, 2013

5 weeks down the track....

And WOW - what an amazing, challenging, fun learning curve I've been on!
As mentioned in my previous post, I was fortunate to win a place on the MATS (Make Art the Sells) e-course run by Lilla Rogers Studio. It is an understatement to say that I was nervous in the days leading up to the start. I did not know what to expect, had many unproductive thoughts, like my work would not be up to standard, I won't keep up, it will all be above my head etc, etc. But what an incredible ride its been; both in the course content, (and the growth its produced in me) and in the wonderful community of like-minded artists from around the globe, all in different stages of their creative journey. Lilla guided us through the weeks with encouragement and affirmations and reminded us that it was not a competition, but an opportunity for creative growth and finding our own style.

Beth Kepmton (of Do What you Love fame) and Lilla Rogers provided us with inspiring assignments to get us going, whilst at the same time giving us first hand tips on what the various markets are looking for.

Our first was to create a design for bolt fabric, including mushrooms and pyrex dishes!.


Next was a plate design for the home decor market.


A picture book cover


A wall art piece


and in week five, a zipper pouch for the gift market.


There were many "eeek!" and "Help!" moments along the way, but with a positive attitude that we were encouraged to foster, of 'grow and learn', I was able to put joy into my pieces as I worked away to complete the assignments. I have learnt so many tips on how to make art that sells. I feel so much more equipped to creating what the various markets require, whilst still creating art that is true to myself. A huge thank you to Beth and Lilla for putting on this super high quality course and for giving me the opportunity to take part.
The good news is, there's a part B coming up in October! Click on the little house below to find out more.


And where to from here? Well, I am going to go back and reread/redo all the assignments and then with some more practice, it will be time to start sending off those pitching emails to my dream companies that I would love to work with!

13 comments:

  1. What a great way to push your boundaries! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! As always, your work is amazing. I don't know which one I like the best. Congratulations and best wishes for getting your beautiful art out there for everyone to see and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my gosh, your work is amazing! Love it all but especially love the design for the fabric. Well done. Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like SO much fun, and a great source of learning more from knowledgeable people.

    ReplyDelete
  5. P.S. I clicked to subscribe to your Etsy RSS, but a window opened with a bunch of code.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know! I will try and get it sorted!

      Delete
  6. You did a beautiful job with each assignment. What an awesome opportunity for you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's so cool. I'm working on pitching too, a small amount. Go for it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I adore the pyrex fabric illustration!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love how you did the assignments. Also great job describing the course you were in. It certainly makes me wish I was there. Best of luck pitching your work.

    ReplyDelete