Mentoring
You're not doing it wrong. You just haven't figured it out yet.
There is so much advice, so many opinions and so many invisible rules that it can be difficult to know what to focus on next. Sometimes it feels like everyone else has the answers while you're still trying to work things out.
To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing when I first became an artist. In fact, I didn't even know that I wanted to be one, or that I could be one. All I knew was that the chapter of my teaching career was coming to a close after twenty years, and I needed something that could fill the space it left behind.
Six years into a full-time art practice, I have replaced my teaching salary through the sale of my work. It wasn't the result of overnight success or a perfectly mapped out plan. It was gradual growth. The kind that allowed me to build consistency while continuing to learn, experiment and develop my craft. In those early years, I didn't always know what I was doing. What I did know was that if this path was going to last, it needed to be sustainable.
The teacher in me never really left when I stepped out of the classroom. At the heart of my teaching practice was connection, and that remains at the centre of my creative practice now, not only through the work I create, but through the artists I support along the way.
It gave me the ability to step back, make sense of complexity and identify the next step forward. Those same skills have become invaluable in my own art practice and naturally extended into the way I mentor others.
I take a gentle approach to mentoring. I don't claim to have all the answers, and I certainly don't have a one size fits all blueprint for artistic success. What I offer instead is a walk beside you approach.
Equal parts guide, sounding board and encourager, I help artists make sense of where they are, where they want to go and what might come next.
I share the lessons I've learned, often the hard way, and offer honest guidance, perspective and encouragement as you navigate your own creative path. Because most of the time, you're not doing it wrong. You just haven't figured it out yet.
Gentle Mentoring is built on the belief that growth doesn't have to come through pressure, comparison or constant productivity.
Together, we'll focus on building confidence, clarity and momentum at a human pace.
Finding clarity when you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed
Balancing art alongside work, family and everyday responsibilities
Navigating exhibitions, sales and opportunities
Creating momentum without burnout
Developing sustainable habits and rhythms for your practice
Building confidence in your creative decisions
Making sense of the business side of art
Identifying the next step when you're unsure where to focus
She is looking for a small group of artists in a similar stage of their career to run through her new pilot program Gentle Mentoring at a reduced rate.
The program is designed to support you as an artist in a walk beside you approach while providing Kate with an opportunity to iron out the creases. With a combination of small group video conversations, a one on one video conversation and some individual reflective tasks, the program will run over a couple of months. At completion of the program, Kate will ask for your feedback so help shape the program for future artists.
By completing the profile below, Kate will be able to select artists in a similar stage of their career. Further information will be provided to you in the coming weeks and if selected, you will be notified by email.
There are no wrong answers, we are all on a completely different journey.
