Creating an inspiration board

Recently I was challenged by an art mentor to create a vision board for my art business. It was an excellent exercise and one I would recommend to anyone with a small business - creative or otherwise.

The objective was to create a visual representation of the artistic journey, branding, goals, artistic style, motivations, inspirations and ultimately to answer the question “what makes my art unique?”.

It forced me to slow down and really think about answers to those questions. Symbolically, the tree represents the organic and interconnected nature of artistic growth as well as continual branching out into new areas of creativity. Butterflies are symbolic of change as well as (for me at least) fragility. If we don’t take the time to notice beauty its often gone in a moment.

The two main artworks reflect where I’ve come from and where I am now in terms of my artistic practice. And the whole thing has a vintage aesthetic which is really my happy place.

The quote is from Mary Oliver - whose work I find incredibly inspiring.

I’m still working on what makes my art unique, but this exercise did lead me to some ideas. My art lives at the intersection of old and new: using modern technology to create art that is organic and nostalgic. My work is likely not what someone would immediately think of when asked what “digital art” looks like. Its one of the problems I have with the term “digital art” - it has connotations that are limiting. The truth is that these days digital art styles can be classical or high tech and everything in between.