It’s time for a change ♡ Sharing something I’ve been going through & changes coming to my brand and art
Almost five years ago, I began my artist journey…seriously for the first time. What started with some fun afternoon play with my old oil paints turned into something much more.
My journey began with me creating art that wasn’t that great, but I was still creating for ME. I was passionate and created art that was part of my soul - art that was created behind closed doors, art not for tutorials or to share on social media.
2017 - First year of my art business
And at that time I was also trying to sell my art. My dream was (and still is) to make a living with my artwork. To provide for my family with my artwork. How rewarding that would be!
2018 - one of my first commissions
My art sales were few and I began to feel discouraged, like my dream would never be a reality.
So I started to look into other paths for my art business which led me to creating a YouTube channel. I created my channel to document my journey as an artist and for another revenue stream.
But what I found on YouTube was much more than that. I found my community, my tribe. Other artists who were going through what I was going through. Artists who were also struggling with perfectionism, comparison, selling their art, etc.
I found that my true purpose wasn’t only to create the art inside of me that needs to be let out, but to help and inspire other artists.
I strived to help and inspire others by documenting my own artist life and struggles through vlogs and through other types of YouTube videos.
I then started to create painting tutorials, more specifically watercolor painting tutorials to help artists.
And that led into creating watercolor classes and my membership Nature with Watercolor.
My channel, classes, and membership grew which was a very good thing, something I was (and still am) grateful for. But I began to lose sight of my identity. I forgot who I was and why I was doing what I was doing. I lost my artist soul…
2019 - first year learning watercolor and starting watercolor tutorials
I was pumping out tutorial after tutorial for YouTube, classes, and my membership so much that I couldn’t remember the last time I sat down to create for ME.
My YouTube channel and business started to not be fun for me anymore. I began to dread working each day.
After a year and a half of feeling this way, I said enough is enough. I guess me getting pregnant had something to do with it too. Going through burnout twice in a year wasn’t enough for a wake up call. Come to find out growing a baby inside of me was.
February 2022 - 29 weeks pregnant and starting to learn acrylic painting. About the time I decided to make this big change in my brand and artwork!
When I found out I was pregnant in August, I started to plan out the next months. How am I going to get everything done in time? How am I going to do ALL I’m doing now but with a baby?
I’m a planner..so I planned and planned. And I realized I wasn’t excited about my “plans”. I was dreading all the tutorials to film. All the videos to make. All the classes to launch.
What about MY art? I’ve forgotten that. I lost my art.
I’ve been so caught up in creating tutorials that I lost sight of my original path when I first started which was to CREATE ART and HELP OTHER ARTISTS.
One of my watercolor tutorials started to take off on YouTube which brought in dozens of new subscribers daily to my channel and email list. In turn, the bulk of my audience started to expect watercolor tutorials from me. So I obliged…blindly. Ignoring the gnawing feeling inside of me to create MY art instead and to create videos that fed my creativity - not mainly watercolor tutorials.
2020 - The start of my “watercolor tutorials” season, before burnout and losing my identity
I was so focused on creating tutorials and classes that I didn’t give attention to what truly matters - my art and YOU.
Creating content that others expect from you versus what you truly want to create and are passionate about is a tricky place to be in. I think many content creators go through this.
We can’t let outside influences depict our art, brand, or content. I was doing just that.
I was creating watercolor tutorials because that was what was expected of me for my YouTube channel, membership, and classes. Because I told myself that was me “helping other artists”.
But I can help other artists in OTHER WAYS. I can help and inspire with any kind of content I make, not just watercolor tutorials.
2021 - Working hard on my membership, classes, and YouTube! Feeling grateful for the growth, but at the same time something was missing and I kept ignoring it.
These last few years I feel like I’ve been juggling two different brands - watercolor tutorials/tips and my own personal artwork/brand.
I started my art business to create art I love and to inspire others, not to spend hours in front of a camera explaining how I’m painting something. Not to research all afternoon for the next best video I can make that’ll grow my channel (that I’m not even excited to film). Not to launch class after class putting my own artwork in a bin to forget about.
I can create my art again while inspiring and helping others through videos and content that I truly WANT to make, not just tutorials.
My tribe/true fans will always be there. I don’t expect them to watch every video or buy every class, but they won’t go anywhere. They watch my videos for ME. They buy my art for ME. They purchase my classes for ME.
And that is something I’m truly grateful for.
I don’t want to pump out tutorial after tutorial, leaving behind my own personal art. I don’t want my brand to be “watercolor tutorials”.
I don’t want to forget about my community, my tribe. The ones who see my brand/myself as more than just watercolor tutorials. I feel like I’ve let them down. I’ve let you down.
I’ve lost connection with you, I’ve let you down and I’m sorry. You are a soul with a heartbeat and a dream. Not just someone on the internet I can sell my next class to. Not just another view or subscriber for my channel.
That’s not me. That’s not what my mission is, my purpose. That’s not me helping or inspiring you.
I want you back. I want my community back. I want my art back.
My brand is NOT watercolor tutorials or classes. It’s not art tips. It’s not realistic art or watercolor or nature-inspired. It’s ME.
My brand is ME. And all that entails. Whether I want to create a representational painting with watercolor or an abstract painting with acrylics. Whether I want to create a calming vlog of myself creating or a step-by-step watercolor tutorial.
It’s time I take back my art, brand, YouTube channel, and YOU - my community.
2022 - the year of change and taking back my art and community. No more boxing myself into the “watercolor tutorial” box!
If you’ve read this far and watched the video at the top of this post, YOU are my tribe. You are my true fan and I know you’ll continue to be one no matter what I create or post. I know you’re here to stay and I’m truly grateful for that. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for being here.
Here are some changes coming soon to my brand:
Less watercolor focused content on YouTube and Instagram
Less watercolor art and more experimental art with acrylics and other mediums
MORE vlogs of my days as an artist and creating art
DEEPER connection with you through videos and livestreams on YT/IG, responding better to DMs and comments
Art that isn’t expected from me! I will create whatever I WANT to. I won’t box myself in just realistic watercolor
Fewer tutorials and tips videos and MORE calming art videos/vlogs (because that’s what I really want to make)
Evolving my Nature with Watercolor membership into a membership for ANY artist in my community. It will no longer be watercolor tutorial focused, but a special place for anyone where we can connect artist to artist. A place of community and inspiration. This is something my current members and I will be figuring out. More details to come in later months.
No more classes on just watercolor! I won’t create any new classes this year, but if I do the following years they won’t just be on watercolor.
My watercolor classes will still be available :)
Less watercolor, tutorials, and boxing myself into a specific “niche”.
MORE of my art and MORE artist community focused
Takeaway: remember why you started in the first place. Don’t let outside influences determine your path or art. Don’t forget who you are and what you stand for.