My business is 7 years old!
January 2019 is when my small business “officially” started. It’s funny giving something like this a formal start date, since I’ve been doing creative things my whole life. But this milestone feels significant, since 7 is my favourite number.
To celebrate, I’ve compiled a summary of what I’ve achieved and learnt over the past 7 years.
If you’re new to my feed (hello!), this is a good place to start
Pre-2019
I graduated university in 2016 and landed my first full-time job in the creative industry, working for SCP. I loved this job. But after two years I felt the itch to have my own creative business. I was in a fortunate position where I could take on a part time job to pay the bills, and dedicate the rest of my time to my creative practice (whether that was art, illustration, events – who knew!). So 2019 was the start of my search for creative fulfilment.
2019
I started the year working part time for Yodomo. Another amazing job, and I learnt so much working for a start-up. It gave me hands-on experience facilitating workshops – which was the main focus of my small business for a long time. I also volunteered at Camden Arts Centre on their family program and started assisting at The Workshop N4 (run by the utterly amazing Lisa Price).
Some highlights from 2019 include drawing in a bathtub (clothed!) at a trade event with Jessica Sian, running a workshop at SAMPLE Christmas market, and co-hosting the first Drawing Escapes meet up event in London. I also launched my online shop, and (last but not least) met my now-husband.
At the end of 2019 I decided to go fully freelance. I had some consistent “content, admin, website” type work with clients including Yodomo and SCP. Little did I know how useful that would be for 2020…
2020
The year was off to a good start. I hosted a collage workshop in the Barbican Conservatory (one of my favourite spaces in London), and I was in talks with the Natural History Museum to design and run some workshops for them, and I had my first solo exhibition lined up. Then… lockdown hit.
Despite the hardships, lockdown did benefit me in many ways. I was fortunate that I still had a reliable income from my freelance “admin-y” work, and I found a lot more time to draw and make art. Whilst the Natural History Museum project fell through, my solo show still went ahead. I received illustration commissions, ran online workshops and produced prints and launched my first line of christmas cards.
Prior to 2020, I only ever really worked in sketchbooks. Now with more time (and no-where to rush to), I slowed down and developed a studio practice, making original drawings and paintings. I applied to the Royal Drawing School drawing year. I didn’t get in, but I was offered a place on their Drawing Intensive course, which I completed in the Spring of 2021.
2021
Events and projects picked back up in 2021. A particular highlight includes being commissioned to produce two mural projects in hospitals in London. I also showed in a few exhibitions, ran several in-person workshops and restarted our Drawing Escapes meet ups. I also continued with online workshops, a highlight being collaborating with the V&A as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival.
This is the year that I trialled moving out to an artist studio. I had been fortunate to have a bit of space to work at home, but the studio unlocked so many possibilities. I was eager to keep up my studio practice. By summer 2021 I felt in a stable enough position to step away from one of my regular income freelance “admin-y” jobs. This would free up more time to take on more fulfilling projects.
(NB: I applied to the Drawing Year again, thinking I’d have more luck having done the Drawing Intensive and… I didn’t get in. Which was disappointing, but not surprising. It is very competitive).
2022
I entered 2022 with 4 months experience of going “fully art freelance” (I still had 1.25 days of guaranteed paid work a week). I was enjoying what I was doing, and was proud of what I achieved. But I felt worried about the future. The way I was making a living didn’t feel sustainable. It took a lot of time and energy and I didn’t make enough money. I had started to consider alternatives when I saw an advert for a funded coding bootcamp. One of my regular gigs involved hackily updating the HTML and CSS of a website, so I figured I could do it and I would enjoy it.
I completed the bootcamp part time over a year alongside running my small business. A large focus for that year was an illustration project working on a children’s book. Sadly the book was never published. Whilst I enjoyed the opportunity, it proved to me that I didn’t want to be a children’s book illustrator, which was convenient timing! Other highlights include completing a mural commission for Haringey council, running workshops at ALSO Festival and becoming a member of Crouch End Open Studios. I decided to move out of my art studio. I realised that my dream is to have a home studio. A dream I’m still chasing!
By the end of the year I had started a new role as a junior software engineer. My first full time job working for a large company, my first hybrid job since covid, and my first job in tech.
2023
My focus this year was more on my new role, rather than my small business. But I enjoyed some exciting opportunities. I ran two workshops with Imperial College London, as well continuing to co-organise Drawing Escapes meet ups and exhibiting work.
I struggled to find time for my studio practice, but I continued to draw regularly in sketchbooks. I’ve always loved to draw whilst on holiday. One holiday we took to Ghent was particularly special, because we got engaged!
One set back I experienced that year was a charity auction where mine was the only piece that didn’t sell. It obviously isn’t the end of the world, but for various reasons I found it quite upsetting. I took it as a sign that I wasn’t a good artist, and I should just stop trying to “make artwork”. I entered the new year feeling resolute on sticking to running events and drawing in my sketchbook.
2024
Luckily taking a few months out gave me the opportunity to reflect. I realised that I had barely put any time aside over the previous year for my creative practice. How could I expect to make “good art” if I didn’t put the practice in? So I decided to do compressed hours at work to give me more time to draw. I didn’t want to put any pressure on selling, sharing or exhibiting my art. I invested time and energy into my art for my own well-being and enjoyment.
The focus of 2024 continued to be drawing in sketchbooks, co-organising drawing events and (last but not least again!) getting married. Hence why I changed my artist name. It was a delight to be invited back to Imperial College London and to run a workshop at a Tate Members event at Tate Britain.
2025
I signed up to take part in Crouch End Open Studios art trail in June, which meant I needed some work to exhibit. I spent the first half of this year rediscovering (and falling back in love with) my studio practice. Not only did I develop new processes, I focused on shifting my mindset and building my resilience to be that required of an artist.
I realised I had stopped sharing my work on Instagram in late 2023 around the time that my confidence took a hit. I was worried about posting something that would be deemed as “bad art”. But that meant I wasn’t brave enough to post anything. I started reading books and journaling to help me build my confidence, to get better at sharing and letting people see my authentic creative self. I’ve learnt that my story and my journey is mine and it is important. Which is one of the reasons why I’m sharing my story like this with you now.
Other highlights of this year include lots of drawing abroad, doing a painting course at City Lit, and co-organising plenty more Drawing Escapes events.
2026
Well, what’s next? I hope to continue drawing from life regularly, creating work in the studio, and sharing my process. I want to place more emphasis this year on exhibiting and selling original art work. I have stepped back from projects and workshops. I am still open to opportunities, but I have donated most of my workshop materials to charity. I will continue to co-run Drawing Escapes free drawing events, work on building my confidence and resilience, and sharing my story.
Who knows – maybe it will take me less than 7 years to write the next one of these?
Isabella Mitchell 