On Thursday morning I hosted a Living from Art Members meet up, our first for a while. Understandably, lots of members were unable to attend: People were busy with their own exhibitions – running them or preparing for upcoming events. Other were busy with their ‘day jobs’ and for some, I suspect the idea of sitting chatting and having coffee with other artists is their version of purgatory. They much prefer to work and think alone.
It’s a great pleasure for me to work with such a diverse group of people, but also a challenge to offer them all something they want or need. So although there were only a few of us, I was struck by just how much of value happened, facilitated by us all coming together in person.
We shared information and ideas about websites, news letters, discounting work, studio sales, online galleries, studio spaces, getting into the right magazines, cards and where to get them from, reducing our plastics use, different tools to schedule social media and probably much more I didn’t make notes on!
We offered each other practical help, passed over cards for different sales points and kept each other up to date with new challenges and opportunities We welcomed and learnt from having a different artist join us. And afterwards, I and several of the artists checked in with other members who were exhibiting in Cheltenham.
My aim is to help artists to earn the money they need to make the art they love. Building a positive, supportive community of artists is a not insignificant part of this, alongside advice, support and encouragement. This doesn’t mean that this all comes from me. Sharing the experience and wisdom of other artists is just as important and that certainly happened on Thursday. Arranging these events, asking questions and listening to all the different artists is how I’ve learned so much which I can pass on to others. When people find my input valuable, it is because of the contributions of this positive community of artists.
And after we’d finished talking, I really enjoyed my ‘Full English’ at All Bar One, which has proved to be an excellent venue for these meetings.
I recognise that there are many different organisations and communities that many artists are part of and each one suits different artists looking for different things, But If you would like to know more about Living from Art or think you might like to join us, do contact me for a chat about what membership offers
Anna
anna.poulton@outlook.com 07747032912 www.livingfromart.co.uk
Instagram @living_from_art