Becoming a Full Time Artist with Wendy Robinson

Becoming a Full Time Artist with Wendy Robinson.

On this week’s podcast episode I interview Wendy Robinson from @the.unexpected.gypsy. Wendy is a an artist from the UK who decided to quit her full time teaching career around the time she was 40. Her and her partner ran away in a van and toured through Europe. Since then Wendy has created a YouTube channel to share her art and love for creativity with the world. I stumbled across her content when I was looking up art journaling and I was completely drawn in to her calming and authentic vibe. Take a listen to Wendy’s story, and her advice on following your heart and creating your own art style:

Some of my favourite takeaways from the episode with Wendy Robinson were:

Do it for the Love of the Craft

I think Wendy is the perfect example of someone who just did things because she truly enjoyed it and her authenticity is what began to build a community of support and like-minded people. She didn’t set out creating for vanity metrics but for the pure love of her craft.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Way

I think Wendy’s journey to self-employment and that freedom lifestyle is much like many others. You don’t necessarily jump off without having anything lined up but have some part time gigs or other sources of income to sustain you during the transitional phases of your career.

Just Start Selling

If you’re a creative and you want to start selling your work then just do it! I love what Wendy said about not being afraid to fall flat on your face. It’s not a comfortable feeling, but sometimes we need to in order to grow and learn. If no one likes it then hey, paint something else and adjust!

Stay in Your Own Lane

It’s amazing to be inspired by what other people are doing but that should never be the art that you sell, or the face that you show to the world. Take lots of quiet time to connect with yourself, and do what feels right to you. Take inspirations and make them your own. You are unique in your own way, why would you want to be a carbon copy of someone else.

There is Power in Routine

I really enjoyed hearing Wendy’s story of van life and how it impacted her art and she was able to draw inspiration from it. I also found it interesting hearing about the challenges and the realizations of the power of routine, as I’ve learned myself from a long travel journey also.

E xx