Returning to work after eight years and considering a creative career

[Scottishdame]

I’ve been out of the workplace for 8 years, which I can’t quite believe. I have 4 kids one of which has high support needs. I need school holidays off to look after my disabled child.

I used to work quite high up in planning but it was never where my heart was. I’m a creative at heart - love print art, collaging and I’ve gotten into digital art recently. I’d love to create and sell my own work and/or run art classes but I have no qualifications relating to this - I have a degree in history. I need advice/a push - I’ve lost all confidence being away from work for so long. Any courses which don’t cost a fortune and would be useful to take?

no one will ask for you qualifications to teach your own art classes - they’ll simply want to see that they’re good quality and have great reviews, as well as being value for money.

so make your plan, put on a free one or two for friends and acquaintances, get lots of feedback, take lots of photos, work out what needs tweaking, then put the next one on for money.

Sorry op i have a couple of friends from school who got into this and they are both absolutely skint. Doesn’t sound like it brings in reliable money, and one of my friends had to ask people to help with her dad’s funeral costs even. Do you have something else in mind supplement income?

@badtester you’re right, I’ve been to loads of classes and never checked someone’s qualifications 😂 I suppose I just feel not qualified.

@Iocanepowder I know it’s not going to be a big money earner and that’s not an issue. My husband has a good job which is why I’ve been able to not work for so long. I’m more looking for something to get a part of myself back away from being a mum and if there’s a little extra income, great 🙂

I know a lot of graphic designers and illustrators - small businesses and freelancers - and they are all struggling at the moment. Globalisation brought down their rates and now AI is having a big impact. Also, the economy… I work in a related field and all our big clients are slashing their marketing budgets. This may not affect you if you do something like art classes, but just a warning that there are a LOT of creatives out there looking for work at the moment.

Something people are always looking for is experiences and things to do together. Groups of friends who want something a bit different than the usual going for a drink to catch up, people looking for something to do with their mum on Mother’s Day that isn’t yet another afternoon tea, hen do’s, work night out…. If you can think of an idea or concept for a class or experience that takes a few hours and find a nice space to hold it, people will come. No one really cares what qualifications you have or even if you’re that good at art yourself, you just need to be able to plan a good session with clear instructions and inspiration for those who need it and provide the materials. You also need the kind of personality that can hold the room - be warm and engaging because people are there to have a nice time rather than to upskill.

I have experience of this.

You don't need anyone's permission or qualifications. You can start tomorrow. If you have a flair for graphic design, you could use a print on demand service like Red Bubble to drop ship items with your designs on them to people. Not good for high end stuff as RedBubble's quality can vary and it pays pennies. It's do able to in large volumes though, but I suppose one could say that about anything.

Getting your work seen is the hardest part. Not only do you have to compete for people's attention, but you also have to face hobbyists, many of them over the age of 60, selling their work for almost nothing. This is almost heartbreaking as it's not really anything serious for them, but it massively undermines and undervalues people who's entire life is the arts.

I saw it recently in a gallery where a professional painter had listed their work for £800 (which is actually not that high), but was showing next to other painters who were selling for £30.

OP is also a hobbyist, so is just joining all the other hobbyists. I agree with you about people underpricing their work, I looked at Vinted recently and it’s sad to see how much people are selling handmade prints for. Art is generally undervalued, as a lot of people can’t tell ‘good’ from ‘bad’ art, and there is also the assumption that ‘everyone is an artist’.

OP, I agree with the ideas that PP have given about setting up your own events. If you hit on the right market and right activity it might succeed. Selling work is hard. I have a BA and MA in Fine Art, have won awards etc. I sold a lot of paintings and prints when I just graduated because (minor) galleries were keen to take me on. But they just as quickly drop you if your work isn’t selling as well as it used to, and the commission they take is crazy - 50% plus half of the VAT on the sale (10%) plus you pay tax on the 40% of the sale money you end up with. Selling prints on etsy and Vinted is possible but the price point is very low.

@GoldTie The commission is ridiculous. Some galleries really do put in the work into marketing, but a lot of galleries seem to be run by wealthy people who do it more as a hobby, so that commission price is just to have the honour of having your stuff up on the walls. The whole open art exhibition format (where you have to pay a non-refundable fee to submit work OP), winds me up as well. I see more and more galleries do it and I find it exploitative.

If you enjoy making art anyway and don't need to depend on it for an income then you could pretty easily make some art and put it on Etsy/ Patreon/ Redbubble or take it to local craft fairs. It's quite cheap to set up an online page or book a table at a craft fair so I don't think there's any harm in trying it out.

Do you know of any local places that run things like art classes? Community colleges, libraries, community centres etc? You could reach out to them and see if they're looking for anyone/ propose your idea. You could also reach out to local cafes etc to see if they'd be interested in collaborating on events. I'd recommend putting together a simple business plan/ lesson plan (what supplies you'd need, how much you'd have to charge for your supplies and time, what you would teach and how) so that you have a clearer idea of what you want to do and can convey that to these people. I'm sure you have lots of experience with this from your career in planning but if not you can find templates online to help.

Good luck! 🙂

You might usefully browse the Mature Study and Retraining board, here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

Just don’t go down the road of using AI…