I Want to Be an Artist

I want to be an artist and I have wanted to be an artist ever since I was in Kindergarten. I came home with piles of crafts and colouring sheets that were plastered on my bedroom door as a kid. Wanting to be an artist doesn’t just have to be a dream!



If you want to go to art school - check out my art portfolio coaching -to help you make an art portfolio application that stands out and gets accepted!

I have always loved creating. I have always felt a spark while creating and known I wanted to be an artist. 

Jackie Partridge I want to be an artist

I know I am an artist. I went to school and did my undergrad in painting and drawing at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay - you can read about that here. 


I also did my Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. I am educated and trained to be an artist. When I make art I feel like I am an artist. 




Right now, I am not doing art on a full time basis. It’s hard because I love teaching and I enjoy it and I’m a great teacher and love my students. Most days I don’t feel fulfilled. 




But when I’m making art, writing about art or posting my art on social media, I feel so much happier. I am in a transition where my husband and I are trying to buy a house, to decide where we want to live and find work that we enjoy and that is meaningful to us. 

jackie partridge - i want to be an artist

As a teacher and artist I know I can work anywhere. That’s one of the reasons I want to be an artist.


As we prepare for this transition of me working as a teacher to switching to teaching part time after I have a baby - here is how I am preparing:


  • I am drafting and planning content. In the summer I filmed and my husband edited 12 youtube painting tutorials that could be released on my YouTube painting channel one per month- so that I have consistent content coming out. 

  • I also do this with the blogs that I have created so that I write 4-5 months of blogs and schedule them out ahead of time.

  • I started creating items that were easy to sell online and that are digital items that don’t need to be shipped like art teaching resources on Teachers Pay Teachers or my prints that are printed and shipped by Society6

  • I have spent a lot of time reading business books and taking courses to prepare myself for running a business on a full time basis

  • Lastly, I have spent a lot of time thinking and journaling about what I want my life to look like. Which is why I know I want to be an artist full time and not just on the evenings and weekends! 


How can you help me with this hopeful transition? You can share my work to your friends - here is the link to my shop you can share.


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Why I Became an Artist...

Why I became an artist…..I became an artist because I always loved creating things but more importantly I found art gave me freedom. Freedom to express myself - thoughts, ideas, interests and perspective on larger topics like the environment. And of course, freedom to do what I love. I like doing something I love each day and I feel so lucky to be given that opportunity.

Teacher's college was something I did because I knew I loved helping people from volunteering teaching figure skating to spending my summers working at camps. Art teaching, both in the classroom, my Teachers Pay Teachers store where I sell art teaching resources and on YouTube has been a way for me to combine both of my passions of teaching and art.

Teaching allows me to bring in a consistent income and it allows me to focus on my art and not have to worry about money but instead make the art that I want to make. 

Jackie Partridge

There are a lot of stereotypes about artists not making money. As an artist I want to break those stereotypes and prove that I can make consistent money on my art alone.


There are many different paths an artist can take and I like being in charge of that and choosing what applications or opportunities I want to take. Not every opportunity or decision is going to be the best for me or my art.  There is a lot of possibility in store for me and that is exciting! I enjoy being able to teach art in the classroom and online through my YouTube channel.

I have found with consistent work and effort it has been easier to make money as an artist and I know it will get easier and easier in the future. I continue to create more established systems like templates and ways to automate which will save me time and allow me to truly focus on art making.

There are many roles an artist takes on including being a writer, photographer, advertiser, marketer, promoter, teacher etc. I enjoy all the different roles of an artist and being able to do different things each day whether it is making art, writing blog posts, editing photos, updating my website, planning my Instagram posts or applying to art exhibitions. Read the 8 reasons of why I love art here!

With all the areas of my art business to focus on - I need to constantly remind myself that I must continue to make art and apply for opportunities to show my art and reach new people. 

I am lucky to be able to do what I love each day and get paid for it! 

acrylic paint palette

 

Each day is different, challenging and exciting!

If you would like to support my art practice - You can check out my art for sale here!

 

If you're an artist I would like to know more about why you became an artist and what you love about it. Let me know on social media so we can continue this conversation! Just click the buttons below ⬇️

why I became an artist