Emily Louise Heard Talks About Life as an Artist During Covid-19
Q: It has been 4 years since we had the pleasure of featuring your artworks here on Whim. How has your style, technique, or experience as an artist changed during that time?
A: How time flies!! As a self taught artist, seven years into my art journey I was still very much finding my feet when we last spoke. Four years ago I was experimenting with colour, trying to find exactly what it is that I love to create. I knew I loved bright and beautiful colours, and all things whimsical, but I hadn't yet found my signature style or subject. I also flitted about between different mediums, never really settling on any particular one. Back then, I also worked full time alongside my art so it meant that I painted furiously in the evenings whenever I got home from work.
Fast forward four years later and I've developed a style of working I feel really comfortable with and passionate about. And more importantly I feel like I have really honed my focus onto what exactly it is is I love to paint. I adore the sky, and the sense of infinite possibility, wonder and sense of freedom it elicits. It's like a beautiful painting to me that an artist is always working on and I am OBSESSED with trying to capture those feelings and beauty in my work. And I can't see my drive to paint the sky diminishing anytime soon!
I have developed a semi abstract way of celebrating the sky in my work, using acrylic paints, pearlised pigment powders (that shimmer and catch your eye in differing levels of light) and inks. The technique I use is aimed at portraying the sense of childlike wonder that I get when I look at the ever changing skies. My brush strokes are loose and expressive and I really enjoy the challenge of weaving in elements of magic into my work.
As far as my experience of being an artist and how that has changed in the last four years - it has been gradual but there is definitely a big difference. I've grown in confidence not only with my technical ability but also with my willingness to put myself 'out there' rather than hiding behind a paintbrush.
I also no longer have a full time job alongside my work which afforded me more time to focus on building my brand and portfolio for a couple of years. Then our beautiful daughter was born so my time for art shifted considerably as I navigated how to balance being a very sleep deprived mother and productive artist at the same time! But the birth of my daughter has only fuelled the fire within me to chase the path less trodden and to show her that chasing your dreams isn't something to avoid in pursuit of the 'sensible option' but something to celebrate and put everything you can into. Even if that means being antisocial and surviving on coffee after a long night of painting!! After all, we only have one life on this planet and I'm firm in my belief that we should be doing our best to follow our passions.
Q: How are you holding up during these Covid-19 times? What have been the biggest challenges for you personally and/or professionally so far?
A: I've read many artists jokingly say on social media that lock-down life is no real change for creative types who typically spend all day everyday working alone in their studios! And for me there is an element of truth to that. I used to feel a lot of guilt each weekend (before lock-down) when I often had to say no (reluctantly) to social occasions because I knew I had to use the time to focus on my art because I'm serious about it as a career path. Since we can't socialise anymore I must admit I have been a lot more productive. But that doesn't mean I don't miss everyone lots too! I know we are all feeling the sting of not being able to see family and friends. We have a one year old daughter and it's hard knowing we can't take her to visit family members who desperately want to see her during a time where she is changing so rapidly.
A big initial professional challenge for me was promoting my work and expecting people to buy a luxury non essential item (after all that's what art is) when we are all going through strange and uncertain times. It didn't feel quite right to me so I came up with another idea. I created a series of 22 affordable originals on paper which formed part of my 'Pick N Mix collection'. I wanted to use this collection as a way to make art more accessible to everyone. The collection was incredibly well received and pretty much sold out within 30 minutes of launching it live on my website. Which was so humbling and wonderful and has inspired me to create further series of affordable works so that more people can afford art to brighten up their homes in a time we can all do with a pick me up.
Q: What does an average day in your life as an artist look like? Please give us a rundown of your usual morning, afternoon, and night.
A: I like to spend the morning through to mid afternoon (when the light is at its best and brightest) working on new paintings or current works in progress. I have a small but bright studio in the comfort of our own home where I lock myself away, typically listening to podcasts or audio-books (currently nostalgically listening to Harry Potter...)
Throughout the day I make sure to take photos/videos/time-lapses to share on Social Media as these channels are critical for my business so managing those is a full time job in itself sometimes!
I use the evenings to update my website, answer emails, create social media graphics, send marketing emails, update spreadsheets,work on video content and order supplies etc etc. I also use this time to package up any sold paintings ready for shipment to their new homes. Packing up a paintings safely is quite a time consuming task so I usually like to put Netflix on in the background for this.
Being an artist without a team of staff is like trying to shovel snow when it's still snowing at times. There are never enough hours in the day and sometimes I feel like a frantic squirrel trying to divide my attention between a never ending list of things to do. It's my dream one day to have a little team to help me out and the first person I would employ would be a website designer - working on my website is my least favourite thing to do and it always takes me far longer than it should (amidst swearing and resisting the urge to hurl my laptop across the room)!
Night time when I'm asleep is where my brain seems to be most active in dreaming up new work, so I keep a pen and paper by my bed to scribble down ideas when I wake up if I have had some particularly good ones.
