"Starting an Art Business (With No Clue and No Cash): A Reality Check"

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Things have been a struggle! And that is the understatement of my year so far.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel totally inspired, you’ve got a grand plan in your head, and then… well… you try to actually do the thing?

Back in March, I picked up my pencils and boldly announced (to myself and a few mildly interested friends and family) that I was starting a new chapter. It was going to be fun. It was going to be productive. It was going to be profitable—I was finally turning my creativity into a real business!

Fast forward a few months, and I’ve been doing the same thing over and over: going around in circles. Some days I go clockwise, and some days it's more like an anti-clockwise spiral.

The (Not-So-Simple) Simple Plan

My original business plan looked deceptively doable

• Draw some art ✔

• Build a website ✔

• Set up social media ✔

• Open an online shop ✔

• Book some craft fairs ✔

Sounds pretty manageable, right? Wrong. Every single one of those bullet points turned out to have its very own never-ending rabbit hole.

Even the first one—“what should I draw?”—has turned into a minefield of indecision. Should I do cute animals? Fantastical creatures? Deep, moody animal portraits? What’s trending? What will sell? What do I actually want to make? And before I know it, an entire week has passed and I’ve only produced one very detailed pencil sketch of a mildly confused-looking raccoon.

Tech-Savvy... But Not Business-Smart

I like to think I’m reasonably tech-savvy for someone of my generation. I can set up a website. I can schedule a social media post. I even know how to use hashtags without panicking. But knowing how to use the tools is not the same as knowing what to do with them. Especially when it comes to making money. There’s a big gap between “I made a nice drawing” and “someone bought it.” And no one tells you how big (or stressful) that gap really is.

Drowning in Free Advice

So, like any desperate soul, I went looking for help. YouTube was my first stop. Hours and hours of tutorials, vlogs, and pep talks. I signed up for so many email newsletters that I now get more “secrets to success” than actual messages from humans I know. My social feeds are now overrun with ads saying, “I can help you sell your art—just £499 for my online course!” or “This one tip made me £10K in one month!”

It’s overwhelming. It’s confusing. And it’s often very, very expensive. And here’s the real kicker: when you're working on a shoestring budget (and by that, I mean the budget is the actual shoestring), who do you trust?

No Easy Answers (But Lots of Tea)

So here I am: determined, exhausted, still drawing, still learning, and still figuring it all out as I go. Some days I feel like I’ve made progress. Other days, I want to throw my pencils and laptop out the window and run away to a woodland cabin where the only decision I have to make is “do I draw the owl or the fox today?” and should I make another cup of tea!!

But here’s what I have learned

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and building something real takes time, trial, error, more error, and probably another error after that. And you need to laugh at the chaos. Sometimes, it’s the only way to keep going, and if you’re reading this and nodding along—hello to you fellow art-adventurer, I hope life is treating you well.

There is Light (I Hope)

But, there is now light on my horizon as I have finally selected a very promising source of help, who I am hoping will be my answer to finding my way through this maze. Starting mid-July, I am attempting to cut through the confusion and deliver on my plan, so I'll be back with an update very soon.