An Art To It

Painting shop shop-window mannequins in Chelsea is not a traditional way to learn the art of blending oil paints, but it's just one of the steps on Sally Hirst's journey to becoming both an artist and a hugely popular tutor.
 
Sally was in Spain in the spring of 2020 when it became clear that the workshops she'd planned for the summer back in Norfolk were unlikely to happen. She got the last flight out of Malaga, announced on social media that she'd find a way to teach online, wrote a blog about it for Jackson's Art Supplies and woke the next morning to around four hundred emails -  because Jackson's had listed her online courses, which did not yet exist, among their ten things to do during lockdown.
 
What followed is one of the more decisive pivots I've heard about. She went from a newbie on YouTube to thousands of followers and the beginning of a thriving business.
Six years on she has twenty-four courses, around a hundred hours of video, two Instagram accounts, and a book out this autumn. She's also refreshingly candid about the parts that haven't worked: the second Instagram account that never took off, the gallery representation that's been "somewhat elusive," and the awkward suspicion that not needing gallery sales might mean she doesn't chase them hard enough.
We also talk about her teaching career which she gave up at time she still had the energy to pursue other things, and how it - and her MA - have helped her develop her teaching style for the artists she works with.
 
In this episode:
Why Sally took a whole year off her own practice - and how she avoids resentment when doing two jobs
The GP who tore up her job application and told her to sort herself out
ADHD as a superpower, and what a late diagnosis actually changed
Why a teaching qualification matters more for developing artists than for teaching skills
"Leave your audience at the door" and why she advises students not to post new explorations
Selling her work well in Spain yet finding UK galleries elusive
Writing a book: 50,000 words, hundreds of captions, and no exclamation marks
 
You can find Sally's work and courses here:
https://sallyhirstcourses.com/
https://www.sallyhirst.co.uk/
@sallyhirst_courses @sallyhirstartist
Her Book, Printmaking for Collage is out this Autumn
https://www.crowood.com/book/printmaking-for-collage/

After 13 years of running a successful jewellery business, Claire Gent knew that something no longer felt right, but she wasn't sure what should come next.
 
Picking up an art book in a cafe on a family holiday in Penzance she discovered the work of  contemporary painter Alasdair Lindsay https://www.alasdairlindsay.co.uk/; she fell in love with it and it sparked a passion for her to pick up her own paintbrushes. What began as a new creative interest rapidly became an obsession.
 
In 2024, Claire tested a small collection of paintings alongside her jewellery at the annual Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey in Devon https://craftfestival.co.uk/. She sold almost every piece, returned home with just two paintings and her partner immediately suggested they build her a studio. And so began this chapter of Claire's creative career.
 
In our chat Claire talks candidly about losing her love for her jewellery business and the excitement of moving onto painting, how she is carrying the skills from one creative career into another, and learning from the burnout she experienced while supplying multiple galleries.
 
We also discuss:
 
• Recognising when a successful business is no longer making you happy
• Testing a new creative direction before committing fully
• Beginning again without beginning from nothing
• Allowing your own artistic voice to emerge from your influences
• Using a part-time job to support the development of your work
• Pacing growth and resisting the pressure to accept every opportunity
• Why Instagram should support the work rather than become the work
• The many hats - and occasional grown-up decisions - involved in running a creative business
 
You can see Claire's gorgeous semi-abstract field-scapes - with a hint of the sea - inspired by her home in Cornwall on her website https://www.clairegent.com/

Some guests really need more than one episode, and Kellie Miller is one of them. A successful artist in her own right, she is also founder and director of Kellie Miller Arts, a renowned Brighton gallery representing an exciting mix of national, international and local artists. She also teaches, is involved in philanthropy and plays a major role in the creative life of  Brighton - she just has to come back for another chat.
But in this very entertaining episode we talk about the realities of life on both sides of the gallery wall: the freedom (and occasional exhaustion) of wearing two hats, why curating is its own act of creativity rather than a lesser cousin to "real" art, and why Kellie believes entrepreneurship is vital in being a successful artist.
Kellie is also refreshingly honest about the business side of running a gallery - how gallery pricing actually works, why undercutting a gallery by selling direct to a client who found you through them is one of the fastest ways to end a relationship, and why she thinks art fairs have had their day. She also talks candidly about a pop-up space she lost at the last minute - and the lesson in handling disappointment that came out of it.
In this episode:
Why being an artist and a gallery owner gives Kellie authority in supporting the artists she represents 

The invisible labour of curating - and why "you're just a curator" undersells what a gallery actually does

How she built her stable of 70 artists, and why the window for taking on new ones is smaller than people think

What she's really looking for in a submission 

Why keeping consistent pricing across the board is essential for artists - and what happens when artists forget that

The real cost of art fairs

Handling disappointment with grace -  and why it pays off later




You can find out more about Kellie and her gallery at kelliemillerarts.com @kelliemillerarts

What happens when an artist decides that joy isn't just an emotion - but a creative purpose?
 
In this episode I chat to ceramic artist Emily Hett, whose colourful, tactile sculptures have captured the imagination of collectors and social media audiences alike. Emily's joyful 'blobs' have become her signature, but behind the playful forms lies years of thoughtful experimentation, resilience and a clear understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable creative business.
 
We talk about the moment she realised joy was at the heart of her practice, the extraordinary impact of a viral Instagram reel, and why success isn't simply about algorithms or follower numbers. Emily also shares some refreshingly honest advice about marketing, consistency and finding a way of working that feels authentic.
 
Whether you're just starting out or already running your own creative business, this conversation is full of practical insights and plenty of encouragement.
 
In our chat we discuss:
 
- How Emily discovered that joy had become the driving force behind her work.
- Why colour, shape and tactility create such an emotional connection with people.
- The value of experimentation and allowing your creative practice to evolve.
- What really happened when one Instagram reel reached millions of people—and how it changed her business.
- Why artists need to embrace the business side of their practice as well as making great work.
- Building an audience without losing sight of why you create.
- Creating content that feels natural rather than chasing the latest trends.
-  Balancing exhibitions, commissions, social media and studio life.
 
You can see Emily's work at https://emilyhettart.co.uk/

When creating with flowers is not quite fulfilling you, it's time to pack away the secateurs and pick up the paintbrushes. Brigitte Girling shares her story in Episode 56 of An Art to It.
Brigitte is a fine artist based in Suffolk whose vivid, joyful still life paintings celebrate what she calls "the beauty of the everyday." But her route to the easel was anything but straightforward.
In this episode, Brigitte talks about a childhood of creative freedom in Framlingham, being steered away from art at school despite loving it, studying psychology at Exeter, teaching primary school children, and eventually building a thriving floral design business specialising in seasonal, chemical-free flowers.
When COVID brought events to a halt, Brigitte found herself retrieving a box of art materials from the attic — materials that had been sitting there for a decade — and quietly began to paint. Within a couple of years she had exhibited at the Colchester Art Society, done Suffolk Open Studios, and become artist in residence at Wickham Vineyards in support of the charity Art for Cure.
We talk about:
The creative thread that runs through every stage of a life, even when it isn't obvious
Why she called herself an artist from day one — and why more of us should
How her floristry background shaped her composition and colour instincts without her even realising
Changing her mind about galleries — and why she's glad she did
Self-limiting beliefs, fear of judgement, and the art of ignoring both
What it really means to burst out of the chrysalis of other people's expectations
 
A warm, funny and genuinely inspiring conversation to kick off Series 6.
You can see Brigitte's work at brigittegirling.co.uk and @brigittegirling
Brigitte talked about:
Mandy Leeson of Vanil in Woodbridge @vanil_ltd    https://www.vanil.co.uk/
 
Kay Prestney Kinship Creative @kinship_creativedc
 
Art For Cure @artforcure  https://artforcure.org.uk/
 
Wyken @wykenvineyards   https://www.wykenvineyards.co.uk/
 
An Art to It: the home of inspiring stories of how women artists and makers turned their creative passion into their business. Hosted by gallery owner and mentor to creatives, Elaine Dye.
Follow An Art to It for artist conversations, creative entrepreneurs, creative women and interviews with women artists and makers.