Have you ever felt like you have missed the boat in your creative career? Ever thought you were ‘too old’ or it was ‘too late’? Or maybe you’re not experienced enough in your chosen creative field?
My guest this week – Lisa Congdon – is a wonderful example of someone who stumbled into a creative career due to discovering her passion for art in her 30s. Lisa hasn’t always been ‘an artist’ – indeed, when she was younger, ‘creative’ wasn’t a label she would have given herself.
Fast-forward 15-ish years since she first picked up a paint brush, and she is now a well-known and prolific working artist – creating art, illustrations, books, videos, and more – and making a living from her creativity out of her home studio in Portland, Oregon.
Lisa is the perfect example of how you can make a shift into a creative career, even if it’s something relatively new to you. It is never to late to learn new skills and it is never too late to pursue your creative path as a second (or third, or fourth!) career. The key is to put yourself out there, to build a name for yourself, and to be open to the possibilities that come your way – to grow your career or business in ways you might not have anticipated or planned for.
Lisa’s journey and my story have a lot in common (chatting with her I felt like I’d found a sister from another mister!), and she has a lot of practical advice and wisdom to share with you – whether you are an artist or any other sort of creative.
Quotes and Highlights from this Episode:
- Lisa’s art started purely as a hobby after taking a painting class with her brother.
- In about 2004 Lisa started uploading images of her work online and after a while, she started to get inquiries and gallery offers.
- She opened her Etsy store in 2007.
- Lisa realised that she had to continue to share her work and create her opportunities if she wanted to do this full time.
- Lisa has built a huge following which creates its own opportunities.
- She now also has a couple of published books which were exciting opportunities that appeared for her.
- Instagram is an incredibly important place for artists to show their work and to help be found.
- Don’t be afraid of others stealing your work or ideas – the benefits of being present online far outweigh this risk.
- Lisa can’t stress enough how important it is to have a support network.
- ‘If you don’t have a supportive partner or supportive family then go find other artists who could be your support network’ {Lisa}
- You need to be prepared to take risks if you really want to see the rewards of a creative career path.
- ‘The magic is always in the creative ideas’ {Lisa}
- You can find Lisa on her website, Instagram and Pinterest.
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