What on earth am I doing?

I started drawing again for the first time since leaving school during the lockdown in 2020. I work for a large insurance company, and at the time, I was working in their travel insurance department, so as you can imagine, with all the cancelled flights and holidays, and with people being stranded abroad, things were hectic, and I, like many, was working extremely long days. Attempting to draw realistic pictures of friends' pets required me to

fully focus, which helped my brain switch off from insurance and the craziness of what

was happening in the world!

Five years later, I still work for the same insurance company (it'll be 25 years this year, so I'd say I'm pretty much a lifer!), and I have just launched this website, but if I'm honest, I'm not really sure how I got here!

Last year I completed a Post-graduate Certificate in leadership and having worked in business for almost 25 years, I am well aware how important it is to have clear objectives, goals and a strategy in order to be successful but the question I have asked myself and continue to ask myself is, "What on earth am I doing?", so I asked A/I what it takes to be a successful artist and it produced a 5 step plan I should follow:

1. Develop your skills and build a portfolio,

2. Establish a brand and online presence

3. Network and collaborate

4. Market and promote

5. Keep a positive attitude

When I decided to put more focus into my art, I started researching different mediums. I knew I admired the work of other artists whose drawings were so realistic they looked like photos, and I was intrigued to understand the techniques they used, so I did some googling, which is when I found out that coloured pencils can produce the most amazing results! I joined an academy that taught me about the right paper to use, the best brand of coloured pencils, and other equipment I'd need to be a coloured pencil artist. They're a lovely medium to use because they're very clean, but the layering means it can take many, many hours to complete a piece. So, I started looking at other options and discovered pan pastels and pastel pencils. They still produce beautifully realistic results, but I feel they're a bit more forgiving as a medium, a little messier but quicker to work with (but still not quick!). More recently, I've been using watercolours and Pitt artist pens and am enjoying that too.

So if I look back, I suppose I have been cultivating my skills, learning from others, practicing, and by doing so, have created a portfolio of work, which means I've accidentally been working on the first step this whole time!

In December 2023, I set up my art page on Facebook under the name "Eljay Art" (Eljay meaning LJ for Lewis-Jones). At the time, I was too nervous to put my art out there under my own name—what if people didn't like it or thought I was delusional thinking I could draw? But after such amazing support from friends and family, I grew in confidence, and to be quite honest, I was fed up with having to explain why I'd called it Eljay, so I changed it to Clare Lewis-Jones Art. More recently I sorted out some technical issues I'd been having with Instagram and got that up and running too. When a few followers asked me for prints of my work, I found a reliable printer able to produce fine art giclee prints and last month launched this website! So that's the second stage I've been coincidentally working on! Happy days!

I have joined multiple art groups online and I'm lucky enough to already know some established artists who have given me lots of advice along my journey so far. I'm doing some art courses here in Cardiff and I messaged my mum a few weeks ago and asked her if she would help me if I get a table in a craft fair later this year. She said would so that is a goal I'm working towards by expanding my portfolio so I will have a wider range of products to offer. Doing this will help me network and collaborate (step 3) and market and promote (step 4).

When it comes to the final step, I think that by not having a plan or a strategy, I've managed to keep this fun, and that is THE most important thing for me and what being a "successful" artist means to me. If this starts feeling like a second job, then I will stop doing it because that's not what I'm trying to do.

So, by writing this blog, I feel like I've managed to answer the question I've been asking myself this whole time and so if I ask myself again now, "What on earth am I doing?" my answer is, "I'm just drawing and having fun!"

Drawing for fun!