Painting with Positivity
with new ‘Cloudscapes’ tutor Charlotte Aiken
Sarah Edmonds talks to Charlotte and discovers how positive thinking and a success mindset can translate into sales.
as featured in The Artist magazine – March 2024 issue
Creating something from nothing is one of the most positive acts humans can make.
Painting has always felt like a positive step forward; then finding someone else who loves your work and wants to hang it on their wall is a great privilege. But sometimes life gets in the way and artists feel the pressure to succeed just like everyone else. It can be inhibiting and at worst, debilitating. Artist’s block is a very real thing – so how do we overcome it?
Approaching painting with positivity can have a transformative effect on your productivity and, in turn, boost sales. Feeling positive is a learned practice and can always be improved. Re-routing our neural pathways in connection to your painting practice will precipitate so many positive outcomes, you’ll be amazed at the ripple effect. One simple way to start that process is positive time-blocking. It’s a simple technique that many people ignore – rather than being reactive, take a proactive approach to building in time to be happy (yes, really!), creative, administrative, time for networking and events, quiet solitude, walking and thinking and so on. Without a plan, we are lost and much more likely to procrastinate.
In challenging economic times, it can be hard to keep going and the juggle is a seemingly never-ending battle. Our case study, Charlotte Aiken, is candid about her struggle to keep a positive mindset, ‘I often feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world and the critical voice in my head,’ but is certain of the multitude of benefits that come from an optimistic approach. Charlotte was an art teacher, squeezing in time for painting every evening and at weekends, a full schedule that will be familiar to many, ‘it was pretty full on.’ Making the move from city living to the countryside freed up time and headspace, enabling her to focus on painting full-time.
Her commitment to painting pushed her to make this life-changing decision and create the momentum to move forward. Now her time is precious and carefully managed.
Instead of randomly posting on social media, with a focus and hoping for the best, give yourself time to get clear on your offering. Once you’ve done that, I suggest spending as much time as you can afford building a website that work efficiently for you. Combine traditional methods of selling, such as exhibitions, open studios and galleries, alongside a website that is taking up the slack in the quieter moments between events. If your website is set up correctly with a passive income stream – that could be print sales or an online course – with a quick and ordered response service in place, coupled with newsletters to support your offering, and all presented beautifully, you will have created time to paint with positivity.
So, as with everything in life, giving yourself the best chance of success is a mixture of mindset and time management. Once you’ve got those sussed, you will be well on your way!
Top Tips for Positive Painting
- Get out into Nature. Scientifically proven to improve your focus, energy and productivity. In a recent study of students, those who went for a 45 minute walk before their examination performed 30% better than those who didn’t.
- Positive Time Blocking. You’ll feel more organised and increase your productivity. With time blocked off for painting, marketing or administrational tasks, you won’t waste time procrastinating.
- Spend time on your website. Create a website that works efficiently. Not just a shop window to your originals, but a space that is actively doing your marketing for you. Capturing contacts, offering potential customers valuable information or services and creating a funnel to keep bringing them back.
- Goal Setting – Write it Down. By setting, and then achieving your goals you’ll find greater motivation. Without knowing where you are headed, you’ll never find your way. Research has shown that people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than those who don’t.
- Passion, Positivity & Persistence. Keep returning to the reason you have chosen to be an artist in the first place. Stay focused on your passion.
Interview with Charlotte Aiken
Do you have a naturally positive mindset and how does this translate into your paintings?
I wouldn’t say my mindset was naturally positive; I often struggle with feeling overwhelmed by everything going on in the world, but also the critical voice in my own head. However, my mindset around my paintings and my creative practice is positive (most of the time).
I find it hard to keep all my ideas in my head because I get so excited about the different projects and paintings I have planned. I spend a lot of time thinking and a lot of time painting on my own so I do have to really work on reinforcing positive thoughts, which I would say really helps my practice. Sometimes from the negative thoughts or mistakes, really great things happen.
My paintings are representations of the sky, and I began painting clouds whilst living in London. I didn’t like feeling trapped in the city, so I looked up at the clouds for inspiration. I found that by focusing on something much greater than myself helped me change my mindset. My cloudscapes are my own escapism and I use my work to unpick my environment and make sense of the world around me. The layers of colour I see in the sky, translate to many hours of painting in the studio, building up layers and layers of oil paint; I get so much happiness from the process of painting.
How do you balance the creative side of your work with marketing and administration? We would love to know about your marketing efforts.
Balancing the creative side and the administration side is really hard, as I always want to spend time in the studio and it is easy to put off sitting in front of a computer! I therefore make myself a weekly timetable in order to plan days of admin. I still go into the studio most days to paint, but by giving myself the structure, I know I have time to complete any administrative tasks that pile up during the week.
In terms of marketing, I use Instagram the most because I like that it is visual, quick, and simple to use. I create time lapse videos of my painting processes and people really enjoy seeing a painting being created rather than just the end product. I also take time to update my website with new work and exhibitions.
Would you call yourself an intuitive painter? Do you approach your craft with spirituality or practicality (or a mixture of both!)
I approach my work in a variety of ways, I spend quite a lot of time thinking, observing, and planning my next paintings. If I see that its “a good cloud day” I will get myself up to Rodborough Common to take some photos. Once I have a photo I am really inspired to work from, I switch to a more intuitive style of working. In the studio I will look at the cloud formation I photographed, but then go with the colours I see and let them flow freely on the canvas. Once I am part way through a painting I must work slowly and consider which part to adapt or which part to keep. I usually go with what I feel it should look like as I get excited by the vision in my head and I want to create it, but sometimes as I am painting it will change and adapt.
Have you found that an optimistic, energetic approach attracts other like-minded energetic people to collaborate / work with?
Quite often I meet the right people at the right time, and I think this probably is because I have quite a focused and energetic approach to my practice. I am so, completely obsessed with painting that I talk about my ideas and projects loads, I also love to meet like-minded people.
I have found that most collaborations, opportunities, and experiences have come about because I strike up a conversation about painting, or general creativity. Most recently I met a photographer from Germany, whilst traveling to Borneo spotting Orangutangs in the rainforest! We are now planning to do an exhibition of the work we have created from visiting the rainforests to raise money and awareness for a rainforest preservation charity. Hopefully this will be happening next year (watch this space)! I think this is exactly what happens when you are passionate about your work and your interests, and you meet other like-minded creatives.
I also really enjoy working on commissions, as I get to work closely with the client to understand what their vision for the painting is, then input my own ideas. Alot of the commissions I have painted have come from myself or someone else talking about my work and it has led to an opportunity down the line. Pushing myself to go to as many events as I can also really helps connect and network with other artists, galleries, and buyers.
What parameters have you put in place to give you the best chance of success?
Now that I am working full-time as an artist, I finally have the capacity to invest time into my practice, and keep up with commissions, sales, and opportunities. I think I have given myself the best chance of success by taking the leap away from juggling my 9 to 5 job with my practice. I spend most days in the studio and have at least five, if not more, collections that I am working on currently. So for me, the time to create has led to me investing financially in my business. I constantly want to get more work out to galleries, take on more commissions, and have my own projects too, so time is vital.
I invest financially in opportunities, exhibitions and advertising that could get my work to larger audiences. But I also invest constantly in my art materials, supplies, prints, website, and studio. Another avenue of my business is teaching and tutoring, I enjoy being able to share my passion, it gives me time to communicate with others about creativity, and it also helps me to financially support my business.
Instagram @charlotteaikenart
Charlotte will be teaching a regular art class at Pegasus Art in Stroud from January 2024
‘Captivating Cloudscapes’ with Charlotte Aiken
Tuesdays 9.30am – 12.30pm
6 weeks £130
Starts Tuesday 2nd April 2024
Studio One, Pegasus Art, Griffin Mill, Stroud GL5 2AZ
This six-week course is designed for students of all abilities and is an opportunity to learn exciting and expressive ways to paint your own cloudscape. You will have the option to reference your own sky photographs, giving you the chance to turn your favourite skyscape into a painting!