Reflections of a decade as an artist
Next month it will be 10 years since my very first solo exhibition!
I still remember the mix of excitement and nerves. I had exhibited alongside other artists previous at some lovely studios and cafes but this was different. This was a real art gallery exhibiting art by “real” artists, displaying my art – only my art! There was nowhere to hide.
And I loved it!
I officially felt like I could now call myself an artist. I wanted to do more, and that’s when I started to create a business around my art.
Celebrating 10 years as a proffessional artist.
Since having a wonderful summer break in Europe it has been VERY busy at Studio Flow. I had two fabulous exhibitions in September and then a workshop in Holland and a huge team building workshop here in Sweden.
Then came the chance to draw a breath, take a bit of time for myself and think about how I want to make this anniversary a celebration. So, I indulged myself a little and spent an afternoon going back through all my old blogs… wow what a fantastic journey it has been the last 10 years.
In my classes, I often talk about the journeys we make as artists and creatives. The decisions we make and the people that influence us. Well, reflecting back on 10 years has been eye-opening. There are people that have been with me at every step, others that were part of my journey for a short time but had an incredible influence on my work, and then there are those that came and went and then returned. It reminded me of a beautiful quote by Joseph Andrus…
“No one comes into your life by chance. People come into our lives when we need them to. Our paths crossed for a reason. A need was met. Some will stay longer than others, but all should be embraced. Just as others will be what you need, you will also be what others need. Open your eyes, arms, and heart.”
I have, of course, been preparing some very special offers and tips to say thank you to my wonderful students and people that buy my art and I will be sharing these in early November as my 10-year anniversary draws close so do follow me on social media and sign up to my newsletter below to be the first to know. However, in this blog, I wanted to share with you, and give my sincere thanks to, some of the incredible people that have impacted my journey and processes as an artist, as well as how I approach life.
My rock, my soul mate, Simon
Simon is my husband and my biggest cheerleader, but he is also the one that keeps me grounded. His love and support know no bounds. Little did he know that giving me that tarpaulin (I have a blog post about my first studio in a box) all those years ago would lead to this incredible and fulfilled life (or maybe he did…).
❤️ Me and Simon ❤️
My amazing kids!!
Max my youngest made me take the break that I needed from my full-time job. In Sweden, we have 18 months paid maternity leave… pretty amazing! Max was a fantastic sleeper and super happy watching me paint from his highchair (he also loved the neighbours, he could spend hours with the kids next door… and we often thought at times that he would move in with them). This all meant I had time to explore my creativity while the two older kids were in school.
Lucas, my oldest, with an exceptional ability to concentrate and enjoy reading or building Lego for hours on his own, was totally happy when I spent time in the studio.
Family is everything
Meya, my very creative and talented daughter, loved painting with me in the studio. She also helped me to find my way back to my creative spark. There is something magical about how a child paints. They do not follow the “rules”, they do not adhere to guidance on balance within their creation – they simply paint what they feel. Meya and I would often go on a Creative Wanders. We would pack up some supplies and find a spot that felt right and just start to create. It could be a park or even a sidewalk, we were led by what Meya felt was “right”. You can learn so much from your kids and Meya gave me the confidence to turn off the inner voice in my head and feel my way through my painting.
Meya’s choice of stop for our Creative Wander -looove it!!
Angela – My neighbour and friend when we moved to New Zealand
Angela had a daughter in the same school as Meya. When we moved to New Zealand, Meya could understand English but not speak it and Angela’s daughter made friends with her immediately.
I remember Angela inviting me to come to see her crafting materials. She really had EVERYTHING and told me to just use anything. An incredible crafter, Angela not only facilitated me with art material but also connected me with the art community online… a new world opened up for me and I started to connect with other creatives. It was Angela who started that first adventure into mixed media and what a magical world that opened up infront of me.
My very first true mixed media painting
Suzi Blu
Angela introduced me to Suzi Blu and her style and whimsical girls became the start of of my art, particularly faces. I created my first mixed media painting using lessons learned from Suzi Blu and using her stamps I created my first lady (the blue girl above). She is still hanging in my sister’s home. The first painting I did painting a face is the painting below. This painting means a lot to me and is still hanging in my studio. She was on the flier for my first solo exhibition - The Voice within.
My very first mixed media portrait - inspired by Suzi Blu
Flora Bowley
When I got into painting when the kids were young, it was all just for me, a way to just get some me time without having to worry about finishing a piece. Then, after my first exhibition, I started to focus more on what the outcome would be, I felt a pressure to perform, my self-critique went into overdrive and resulted in creative block.
I found Flora online and she just started up a 5-week class called Bloom True and I went for it. For me, it was a big investment in me and my art and it really changed my mindset and how I painted. I knew that there would be an end result but I started to trust the process and just let the painting appear without thinking. I put this mindset together with my love for paper collage and mixed media and my own process started to take shape… I was hooked and there was no way back…
“I am” - painting created in Bloom True
Monika Welch
The process is the focus
Monika had a gallery and took a few pieces of mine to have on display and was a lovely support. Coming from an engineering career, I had a very structured and ordered approach to everything. Monika had a much more relaxed approach. I went to one of her art retreats in her home and studio and her art studio was an amazing place. Everything was so accessible and almost became part of the surroundings, there was a feeling that you could just “be”. I realised that art supplies are just a means to creativity, they have no value in themselves. Before I was scared of wasting supplies or using them in the “wrong” way but now I really started to focus on the process. the doing and I dared to experiment and trust my own findings. I loved taking elements of this approach in how I set up my studio and how I use my supplies.
Joyce van der Lely
In 2013 I started some art classes for students and I got to meet Joyce who has the same vision for inspiring young minds to get creative and just enjoy the flow.
I worked together with Joyce (Young at Art DownUnder Studio), as well as with Karen and Ken at the Lightwave Gallery, the same gallery that hosted my first solo exhibition, to set up a vibrant art exhibition displaying art from more than 50 kids. And what a fantastic project it was. I looooved it!!
Me and Joyce infront of the exhibition created by 50 kids!
Tracy Verdugo
I found Tracy online and loved her spirit and what she was doing. She was travelling around the world and doing workshops in Europe and the US, so I invited her over to New Zealand to run a workshop in my little town to get the feel of her amazing energy. Tracy is amazingly present and she gives soooo much of herself, her experience and her knowledge in her classes… I have never felt anything like it. Tracy is very organized and has a fundamental structure to her workshops but she is so open to the needs and wants of her students. Her presence and her compassionate and responsive style to guide her students really inspired me when developing my own unique style for my workshops.
Since then, our friendship has grown deep, and she has been to Sweden twice, running workshops both in Sweden and Norway and I have visited her in Australia. We chat on a regular basis, and I know that she will always be a continuous source of inspiration, fun and guidance in my life and work.
Me and my amazing friend Tracy Verdugo
Mystele Kirkeeng, Heather Santos and Jeanette House
In 2014 I got invited by these three amazing creatives to be a “Sous-Chef” in Soul Food. A 3-month long online art class consisting of lessons from a wide variety of talented artists. These three ladies believed in me and I jumped in front (and behind) the camera to create my first online class. Very scary but great fun… and with varying results (I have learned a lot about, light, angles, technology, filming and editing since then). I loved it!!
Paint Big - Soul Food 2015
Tamara Lamporte
In 2015 I got invited by Tam Lamporte to join as one of the artists on Lifebook 2016, her year-long art journey. This was the second online class I had ever done, and the response was incredible. Tam really elevated my love for teaching and delivering classes online and I was absolutely amazed by the reach and response in her amazing art community. Suddenly I reached people all over the world. I love working with Tam and I have been part of several of her amazing collaborative classes. This year I am part of Kaledioscope and next year I will be part of Lifebook 2023. Amazing classes and both are possible to join through the links above.
My Inner Wizard - Lifebook 2016
Donna Martin
One day I got an e-mail from Donna asking if I was running workshops in the US… I answered no… but why not, would you like to host me? She said yes and I started to plan my first big 2-day workshop. Prior to this, I had done small-scale workshops. It was a step outside my comfort zone big time so I grabbed the opportunity and we had a fantastic time and so much fun!
Since that first workshop I have been in the US several times and I will be going back to Colorado to run a workshop in November 2023. Sign up to the waiting list here.
My very first 2-day workshop in the US
Ivy and Chris Newport
Ivy is a fabulous artist and has an online art platform with an incredible amount of classes on. In 2018 I got in touch with Ivy and I created an online class for her platform that we marketed together. I had done a few small classes on my own platform at that stage, but having a class on Ivy’s platform elevated my work and structure and I got many followers. Chris is her amazing husband and he has a great business mind and really knows how to set up an online art business and promote art classes and shared his knowledge and insight in an amazing way to help me. I would not be where I am today without the help from these two amazing mentors. Since then, I have created several classes and live workshops for Ivy’s Studioworks Journal and I love to collaborate with her and her community.
Chris and Ivy Newport
Tove Marie Hunt Sørensen
My dear friend Tove and I met in Tracy Verdugo’s workshop in Stockholm. Tove is an amazing artist and she invited me to run a workshop in Norway in 2015. Tove has the most amazing community in Norway and she is fabulous at getting people involved and excited about the classes. Together we have run 8 workshops, every one of them has been a sell-out and they bring so much energy and creative flow.
Find your Flow in Norway
Karin Nordvaller
Karin is my biggest supporter and mentor. She has helped me around the local art world since I moved back from New Zealand. Her energy and amazing spirit has inspired med and helped me along the way. She persuade me to join forces with her and arrange our local Art Trail together with her. We are 3 ladies arranging the local trail with over 80 artists opening up their studios every other year. It is a huge job and great fun. It is such a fantastic project and I looooove working with Karin. We are just starting up the planning for the 2023 Art Trail - Danderyds Konstrunda 2023. First weekend in September 2023, and I am so looking forward to it!!
Me and Karin - hanging a joint exhibition
Nicola Case
My business has been growing steadily and so have my hours of work. One year ago I decided that it was time to get some help on a regular basis and I sent off a couple of emails to potential VAs (virtual assistants). One of them answered “Thank you for your enquiry. This certainly does sound like an interesting project.”… it was from Nicola at Pink Spaghetti PA Service… that certainly sounded like an interesting company!!! I LIKE!! We started to work together on a project and Nicola was amazing at sorting through my crazy business. The power and knowledge within the Pink Spaghetti Network was perfect and Nicola is more than perfect… she is not even perfectly imperfect… she is perfectly perfect for my business!!! Without Nicola and her team, I would not be where I am today and I am so grateful. To build the business knowing I have such support ensures I can focus on painting and running classes. Letting go and passing things over to someone else was difficult but it has been liberating to have someone to bounce all the crazy ideas off of. I love working with you, Nicola!!
Nicola Case - Pink Spaghetti
And so many others
Last but not least I want to thank my mum and dad and my very special sister, that is my absolut everything. You have always been there for me in all ups and downs and I would not be who I am today without your love and support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!
❤️ My family ❤️
This is by no means the full list of all the incredible people that have supported and inspired me along my journey and I thank you all - every single one that have inspired and supported me along the way.
I hope this has been an interesting read to see how I have grown over the last 10 years and encourage you to take steps on your own journey. And there will be more… the celebration has just started…
Love to you all!!
Jenny