My Endeavour

My endeavour is to professionalise and expand my creative practice into a sustainable, community-engaged enterprise. Having transitioned from full-time teaching to focus on my work as a professional artist, I aim to establish a multifaceted practice that integrates personal creative output, audience engagement, and community support.

This will involve:

1. Developing My Professional Practice (by January)
   I will focus on creating artwork consistently and building a strong portfolio, culminating in a public exhibition. Alongside this, I will develop professional visibility and income streams through exhibitions, markets, online sales (including a dropshipping shop), and workshops. This stage will establish the foundation of my professional art practice and allow me to test different avenues for income and exposure.

2. Building Sustainability and Audience Engagement (by April, before giving birth)
   The next stage is to make my professional practice my primary livelihood. This will involve generating consistent sales, fostering returning customers, and increasing workshop participation. I will also aim to secure recognition through funding, awards, or scholarships. The focus here is on creating opportunities for repeat engagement with audiences and establishing financial sustainability by deepening connections with collectors, clients, and participants.

3. Launching a Creative Community Group – Re-Root Collective (by Summer)
   The final stage in this cycle will be to establish a creative support network or collective—Re-Root Collective. This initiative will emphasise environmental consciousness and sustainability in artistic practice while nurturing emerging creatives by offering platforms for exposure, collaboration, and professional growth. Drawing on my background in art education, I will design initiatives that connect artists with schools and young people, reviving elements of the former Painting for Schools model. This will include touring exhibitions and workshops to give students direct access to artists and sustainability-focused practices. By summer, I aim to launch Re-Root Collective with a website, social media presence, membership opportunities, and initial collaborations with schools and emerging artists.

Ultimately, my endeavour is to shape an art practice that is both professionally viable and socially impactful. It will prioritise sustainability, education, and community-building alongside artistic development, positioning creativity as a vehicle for personal livelihood and collective enrichment.