It is now complete and ready! EarthlyInk is now operational from Wolfe Studios, Wolfe Street, Newcastle NSW, Australia. With four floors of creative entrepreneurs, this will be an exciting and innovative place.
Looking forward to keeping you updated.
All equipment has been moved, with setup to commence over the next four days! Looking forward to being in this space!
Can’t wait to be in my new art studio….counting down the days. Have booked a man with a ute for the delivery of my furniture and equipment, with all other materials to be delivered by me.
Looking at being moved in by Monday 5 January. Will keep you posted.
I have been successful under the Renew Newcastle initiative of acquiring an art studio space. Looking forward to adding myself to this space, including monthly ‘Meet the Artist’ open days and a little retail/exhibition area to showcase and sell my creations.
With less than two weeks until my opening I have been busy completing my works, including two mixed media paintings, five illustrations and two ceramic wall sculptures. The opening will be taking place Saturday 6 September at Four Point Gallery, Hunter Street, Newcastle West, NSW, AUSTRALIA 5pm-7pm, with the amazing and highly talented, Emma Cother founder and manager of The Backyard Bus (artist in residency program), officially opening the event – http://www.emeraldviolin.com.
It has been an eventful and hit the ground running year! Including the rebranding of my logo and arts business, EarthlyInk developed by Newcastle based graphic design company Neon Zoo, successfully acquiring my first major tender with Wyong Shire Council as their Arts Program Coordinator to finally completing and submitting an ArtsNSW grant auspice by Newcastle’s leading art organisation, Octapod – http://www.octapod.org
Learning to breathe and basically stop, is something that hasn’t been so easy to do the past five months. From setting up house, acquiring my first ever arts tender to finding time to complete a body of work for an up and coming art exhibition, and than everything else in-between has started to leave my emotional and spiritual health a little battered. So I say it’s time to recoup and have a temporary escape plan and enjoy the simple things in life – family, the outdoors and fresh food! Sounds good! Escape Plan 1: I have organised a family weekend away involving a cabin near the beach, open fresh air, bush walking and a lot of relaxation. Escape Plan 2: a three day surprise birthday getaway for my hubby, child free! I cannot remember the last time we did something like this since having our son.
As an artist I have begun to look at alternative ways to showcase, sell and promote my work. In the past I was constantly assessing new ways to make my work more commercially accessible. This process became tiresome and took me away from my core visual arts studio practice. Based on this experience I have now adopted a strategy of consciously asking myself two questions, ‘what am I wanting to achieve?’ and ‘Am I enjoying the process?’. This assessment allows me to stop, reassess and change direction (if needed).
Through this reassessment process I have started to redirect and immerse my energy back into my arts practice – this has also come with an array of mixed emotions from excitement to fear of failure. To challenge myself further I have approached three retail outlets, with one rejection.
I currently have original illustrations on consignment at Sunshine Alley, Mullumbimby, https://www.facebook.com/sunshinealleymullumbimby and have recently completed a commissioned mural for retail outlet White Buffalo, https://www.facebook.com/www.whitebuffalo.com.au.
As an artist what successful strategies have you implemented to commercially market your practices?
A very small percentage of artists have the fortunate opportunity from making a living from their careers, but this fact does not deter me from continuing on my own road to hopeful success. I have always been somebody who sees a glass half full, sometimes to the annoyance of my husband who refers to himself as a realist.
After many years working in arts administration, arts and project management I decided, a year ago, to place my energy into my arts practice. This has been such a rewarding and supported decision from my husband and family.
To establish my career as an artist I am at a stage of reasserting my style and reestablishing new and existing industry networks. This has involved a 6 week art course with Byron Bay Art School facilitated by the amazing Emma Walker, negotiating for consignment spaces in local retail businesses and creating this blog to promote my journey and practice.
I have had some successes and of course some disappointments. My successes have included a commissioned mural with retail outlet White Buffalo in Brunswick Head NSW – https://www.facebook.com/www.whitebuffalo.com.au and my original works and prints on consignment at Sunshine Alley in Mullumbimby NSW – https://www.facebook.com/sunshinealleymullumbimby.
My next point of attack will be exhibition proposals with local and state galleries and grant submissions.
Looking forward to keeping you updated x
So I decided to go on a little art adventure with my little man to Federal for Sculptures by a Tree. Throughout the day I was greeted by a little Tiger who took me on his own little adventure.
Due to chasing my little tiger around I didn’t have a great opportunity to view all the wonderful installations and sculptures. Here are some images of what I did see.
