ARTIST SUPPORT PLEDGE AND OTHER LOCKDOWN LEARNINGS
How are we all doing? We’re nearing our fifth week (I think) of lockdown here in the UK and, I have to say, for the most part my day to day life hasn’t been that much different.
Apart from my Monday morning planning meeting with myself in Costa or Caffe Nero not much has changed. I guess that’s one of the advantages (?) to a) living alone and b) working from home most of the time anyway.
Before the world changed I was able to put the majority of the finishing touches to my Edgware Road design project however a problem with the dining table meant that one small area had to be left un-styled. It was quite frustrating to have to leave it unfinished when we were so close to the end but at least no-one is viewing it so I will be able to return when lockdown ends and get it all ready for its close up with the agent’s photographer prior to it going on the market. I am so pleased with the end result and can’t wait to share the professional photos but here are a few I took myself:
Master bedroom
Master bedroom
Guest bedroom
Living area
After that I pretty much threw myself in to painting and was able to finish off the huge order of 6 bespoke art packages for a client that I’d been working on since December.
While everyone was coming to grips with their new life indoors, social media became an odd place for a bit with people saying ‘I’m not sure what to post’ and ‘it doesn’t feel right to post this..’ but it quickly developed in to one global support group, with everyone posting advice, inspiration and some just downright hilarious stuff.
I, for one, have been incredibly glad of the daily dose of pretty pictures on Instagram (not to mention being able to get a sneaky glimpse of the Beckhams’ kitchen and Kelly Hoppen’s living room!) but I have also discovered some really good initiatives that I might otherwise not have found.
On A Mission II was my first sale as part of the Artist’s Support Pledge and is on its way to its new home is Australia.
One of these is the Artist’s Support Pledge which was started by artist Matthew Burrows. The aim is to help artists gain some income by selling work at a time when galleries have been closed and exhibitions cancelled. I had just been accepted in to my first exhibition only to have it postponed two weeks later, so to still have a reason to produce work has been a nice focus.
Each piece an artist puts up for sale must be no more than £200 and when you reach £1000 worth of sales you then buy a piece from another artist and so on. I think it’s a great loop and I’ve come across so many wonderful artists. So far I have sold two pieces which was a real thrill but I have a way to go to reach my £1000 target. I have a couple of artists in mind whom I’d like to buy from so I’m hoping I get there and am able to support them back.
If you’d like to get involved, search the hashtag #artistsupportpledge on Instagram.
Other than painting I have taken the opportunity to try and get to grips with SEO and online marketing, mainly by learning how to use Pinterest for business. It’s pretty tedious so I won’t bore you with the details but, having done a couple of webinars and read numerous blog posts on the subject I am slowly getting somewhere. I’ve also been creative on photoshop by dropping my artwork in to some rather glamorous interiors (as you may have seen on the new homepage) and also redesigned my logo with a view to a complete brand overhaul.
I’ve been having some Photoshop fun, dropping my art in to some fancy interiors!
I think I’ve been quite productive for the most part and I’ve only had a couple of minor breakdowns in the process so all in all I can safely say that lockdown hasn’t been too bad. Let’s hope I can say the same in another three weeks’ time!
Kx