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    10 Tips for the Self-Taught Artist

    I came across this blog post on Pinterest and I thought I’d share because it is a great read.  These 10 tips are from ardithsart.blogspot.com and they were written by Ardith Goodwin, a self taught painter and artist.

    A little preface from me.. lol..

    Choosing to be a self-taught artist is a journey filled with failures, challenges, and learning experiences. For me, teaching myself how to sew was something I wanted to do as a hobby in the beginning and grew to be passionate about over time. Once I started to teach myself, I realized sewing may be harder than I thought. In the beginning I struggled with self doubt a lot. I often wondered would I ever be good at this, should I quit while I’m ahead, when will I create something I like? However, if you are truly passionate about your art you will push through those moments of self doubt. The thing that kept me going was my love of learning, being inspired by other people and blogs, and having a sewing mentor. Although my sewing journey is far from over, I am excited to continue growing. I started this blog because I want to share my journey in hopes to inspire someone else who wants to sew! It doesn’t matter if you are a music artist, a jewelry designer, an author, a hairstylist, a fashion designer, a painter, basically anything you do that involves you creating something that you ultimately share with the world, remember:  The key for any self taught artist is to silence the voice of your inner critic and release the voice that serves you toward growth. Don’t feed your fears. It is possible to be a successful self taught artist, don’t let anyone tell you differently, all it takes is passion and effort! Stay committed to your craft, because anyone who is an expert, was once a beginner.

    1. Fall In Love With The Creative Process

    At some point, you LOVED making stuff as a child. Either with crayons or clay or even mud…you loved being a creator. As an adult who chooses to become a self-taught artist, you must fall in LOVE with the creative process all over again.

    Explore ideas with reckless abandon. Test out new techniques and supplies and mediums to see what your heart loves…and what it doesn’t. View the works of master artists and contemporaries of our present day. Learn what you are drawn to, what styles captivate you, what genres you feel akin to. Then ask yourself why…and then ask again.

    Wake up with the excitement that every day is a new experience to create and learn and experience the act of being an artist….for no other reason than because you love it, because you can, and because it makes you happy. First be true to creativity itself.

    2. Pay Attention To What Fascinates You About The World

    A Self-Taught artist needs to know what fascinates them about the world. Are they drawn to lines and patterns or textures and light? Do birds and everything about birds keep and hold their attention like no other animal? Does love or heartbreak move them…to music…to color…to expressions?

    We are each hardwired with a brain and heart that finds some things in life more fascinating than others. When we truly find those juicy tidbits that rock our own world, we then are able to tap into our own, unique point of view which is the pathway to our artistic voice. Create in response to what fascinates you.

    3. Practice Your Art Everyday In Some Way 

    There is no getting around it. If you want to be a successful self-taught artist you must practice. You must not just practice…you must adopt being a creative as a way of life. Seek out the practice that moves your joy. Create a consistent pattern of showing up and doing the work. On off days, think creatively in a different capacity…bake something, grow something, build something…but keep creating.
    When you are called to rest, rest. Give thanks for the ability to practice and do what you love, and create the next day. Practicing our gifts…and growing our skill sets is what we are called to do. There is no short cut to success…you must do the work…you must do the work.

    4. When You Decide To Go From Hobby to Profit….Learn The Business

    The minute you choose to go from creating because you simply love it for fun…and that is a beautiful thing, to creating with the intent to sell….LEARN THE BUSINESS. Get a business license, study and become informed about taxes, pay attention to the market and what you are up against. I say that because in business you are always up against something….know your mountain. Learn how to climb it by viewing what other successful artists are doing.

    Make a plan. The business side can zap an artist’s spirit so fast and believe it or not, not every artist is set out to be a business person. Get help. Ask…. and OWN the fact that you are now in business and that your work is ready to sell to a greater audience.

    Put meticulous care into creating the best product you can and develop a beautiful connection to customer service. It will always pay off…it will.

    5. Find Teachers/Mentors/Study Programs To Help You Master Your Skills

    Be willing to study…to learn…..and to seek help. Choosing to be a self-taught artist gives us a lot of freedom, but it also calls us to truly understand our craft and practice. Depending on what type of art you create…become a master at that type of art. If there are techniques you need to learn, be willing to sacrifice if necessary to pay for the best training you can.

    Let go of the mindset that you don’t have the money for workshops or mentors. Start setting aside a little everyday…or every week. Make your business and your passion a priority. Ask yourself, “What am I willing to give up so that I can do this or that?” I literally gave up eating out for 4 months to save enough money to attend a week long workshop that changed my entire artistic life. It was worth every single can of beans I ate instead.
    6. Own Your Confidence, Share Your Journey

    Self-taught artists seem to come out of the gate feeling the need to prove themselves or measure up. I get it. To offset this way of thinking, know your place and time in your journey. If you are a beginner, celebrate being a beginner. Own every single moment of practice to learn and better yourself…..and to show up for the creative process.

    Do your very best not to compare. In fact…thump the comparison fairy on the head every time it flies into your head. The very fact that you are willing to show up every day and do the work is golden. Be proud of that…be PROUD.

    With that confidence, share your journey. There are many artists in the world in the exact same place you are, so sharing your journey helps them relate to theirs. Don’t profess to be more than you are, but don’t profess to be less than you are either. When you choose to share your journey you become a Wayshower. The world needs more Wayshowers.

    The Wayshowers 30″ by 48″ Ardith Goodwin

    7. Practice Authentic Marketing

    Be true to who you are…and to the profession of creators when it comes to marketing. If you copy to learn, bravo…but don’t share that as your own. Market what you create that is uniquely yours. We are all influenced by external forces, especially visual ones, and at the end of the day, we must choose to honor the artists who create from their unique voice and honor our learning path as well.

    Realize that marketing is important, creating your own brand is important, but underneath all of that,  honesty and integrity in the business world should rule the day. Don’t undercut your galleries, be consistent with pricing. Don’t sell high one day and then cut your prices in half the next for a ‘flash sale.’ Really seek out the steps in marketing that ring true to the customer as well as your artistic brand.

    8. Serve Others 

    At some point, give back. One of the beauties of living a creative life is that it gives you so many opportunities to give back. Volunteer to speak at a school, offer to share a craft with a local senior center, write a blog offering how-to lessons for free. Find a way to use your gifts for the greater good. It will fill your wellsprings, it is a community minded way of thinking, and it is so very needed in this world.
    If you are called to teach, teach…but know your subject matter. Don’t jump on the bandwagon of teaching because you only see profit, truly know what you are going to teach and meet your students needs as best you can. Serving others is how we move creative love forward.

    9. Understanding That Timing Is Everything

    Patience is a big deal. Just because you see a painting that you love…and you want to paint like that, doesn’t mean you know how to just yet. Give yourself the time to develop as a creative. If you put in the work and the effort, the doors will open. They will…but all in good time. There is a level of work ethic that you must find your balance to…and be willing to put in the hours, but when you do, the timing of opportunity will reveal itself.

    Some artists study for years before they know they are ready to go full time. Explore, learn, have a riot of a good time, and trust your inner voice. He/she knows the way for timing.
    Trust the timing.

    10. Understand That Everyone Of Your Marks Matters 

    Never let anyone else, or yourself, convince you that your marks don’t matter. Every mark we make from doodling to scribbles to the fine lines of a finished piece are the steps it takes to achieve greatness. Without the little steps, the big steps wouldn’t connect. We are not giants…we are humans that through courage and grace have chosen the calling to be a creative. We create marks to learn, to grow, to expand our point of view, and to share with others. EVERY SINGLE MARK MATTERS…it does. Go make your marks.

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    Pinterest-Inspired Sewing/ Ways to Wear a Tunic

    Anybody who knows me knows I’m in love with Pinterest. I’m on it all the time and I often visit there for inspiration when looking for my next item to sew. So when I come up with something to sew that I find off of Pinterest I call it Pin-spiration. (the combination of Pinterest & Inspiration) lol This project is the result of some “Pinspiration” I found a couple weeks ago. I saw this outfit and fell in love with it, but y’all know I had to put my own twist on it. So I switched the colors around and made my top the camel color. My top is made out of a ponteroma knit fabric from Hancock Fabrics. Ponteroma knit is actually kind of heavy, it is a perfect knit to use for fall or winter sewing. This was my first time ever making a turtleneck and I love how it turned out. I knew I didn’t want a super tight turtleneck because the fabric is kinda heavy but I also didn’t want a cowl neck. So in the end I guess I just have a loose turtleneck. lol

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    The Pinspiration!

    To sew this look I used McCalls 9172 which is actually a very old pattern. When I say I have used this pattern as the basis for so many looks, it is ridiculous. It’s just so versatile. As you can see this is a dress pattern, but of course when you slit it all the way up to your stomach on one side it then becomes a shirt or a tunic. So I used view A,  made the sleeves long, the neckline higher, added a turtleneck, and did not sew up one side of the dress to get this look. Below are some ways to wear a this top. I definitely love this tunic and will be wearing it again, paired with other items. I didn’t want mines to sweep the floor, so I brought it up a little bit more. This top can be dressed up or down.

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    Vintage Trench Coat Makeover/D.I.Y

    This D.I.Y  project was inspired by me wanting a new trench coat but not ever seeing one I liked enough to buy. lol I have a trench coat from H&M but its a classic tan trench and it is kind of dressy as are my other 3 trenches. I do love them, however I wanted a trench that was a little different, and that wasn’t tan. This jacket was about $12 from the thrift store and it was a size 12. I am a size 2. The jacket is now probably a size 6.

    *Sidenote* I just want to say that pretty much any and everything you get from the thrift store should be washed or at least rinsed thoroughly before use or wear. If the item says “dry-clean only” it is probably best to dry clean it, especially if it is a different material like sequins, anything beaded, or leather. Always wash tops, dresses, pants, etc. before wearing. This jacket did say dry clean only, so I took it to the dry cleaners before I altered it. Here is the before picture.

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    The first thing I did to help make this jacket wearable was to remove the shoulder pads, they were huge. lol The next step would have been to remove the lining, but luckily the lining on this coat was not fully sewn on. So I was able to alter the jacket while keeping the lining in tact. After that, I figured out how much I would need to take in for the jacket to fit. Most of it had to be taken in around the arm area. I was able to do one long stitch from the arm of the coat down to the bottom in order to take it in, which is really what made this a fairly easy project. I did want to leave it a little bit big so the coat can have a slightly over-sized feel but I didn’t want it to look weird either.  It took a few tries to get it right but I finally got it to a size I liked. The last thing I did was change the buttons on the coat to the military style buttons. I thought it enhanced the vintage/army/military feel of the jacket! In the end I looove this coat and it will be my new go-to trench! I love it with jeans and heels but also dressed down and layered. What do you think?

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