Want to get your art back, but not sure where to begin?
You, artist friend, need a Fresh Start đą
The mini membership with gentle support for lapsed artists - pick up a paintbrush and get back to making art, without the overwhelm.
It's time for your art to have a place in your life {again}.Â
Whether itâs been four months or forty years, when youâre rediscovering your artist self, itâs so easy to feel overwhelmed, confused, and full of self doubt.
Being a beginner {or restarter} can feel daunting, but itâs actually one of the most exciting parts of the artist path.Â
This is the part where you get to dabble to your heartâs content, and explore whatever catches your eye.
The refining and clarifying can come later.
Any of these feel like you?
đą Maybe youâve been supporting &Â encouraging others in their creativity, but havenât given time or space to your own for a long time.Â
đąÂ Maybe you've been hearing whispers from your art, and they're getting louder and louder and not going away, but you're afraid it might be 'too late'.
đąÂ Perhaps youâve spent a lot of money on courses, but havenât finished any of them, and now you feel so overwhelmed by all the options sitting on your computer, youâre not even starting. And maybe thatâs nagging at you, or youâre beating yourself up for wasting money and procrastinating.
đąÂ And maybe youâre wondering if you should even bother, because letâs face it, youâre not a ârealâ artist.
What you need is something light touch, but focused.Â
Something that will help you start to bring out all that unexpressed creativity, and then stay on track with your dream of developing your art and feeling comfortable calling yourself an artist.Â
Something that doesnât take up time you donât have, but supports you in taking one step at a time into a more regular, confident art practice.
All without overwhelming you with Stuff or pressuring you with time constraints.Â
A consistent, calm reminder you can rely on, week after week, that you can make your art and be an artist, alongside ideas, encouragement, and inspiration to help you do just that.
Welcome to
Letâs dream together for a moment.
Imagine that...
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đĄ Instead of feeling overwhelmed and tangled up, youâre excited to explore and play when you get into your creative space, without worrying about outcomes or whether youâre âallowedâ to be doing it.
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đĄÂ Instead of feeling a bit embarrassed to admit to anyone youâre âdabbling in artâ, your delight and enthusiasm bubble up naturally, so people wonder what youâre up to, and whether they can have some of that too.
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đĄÂ Youâre making discoveries about yourself and what kind of art you want to create - you can see a future in this for you, whether thatâs simply getting to be creative in your life, or developing a full career.
đĄÂ It feels so much easier to see yourself as an artist, no big deal.
This is all possible for you. Â
And itâs why I created Fresh Start.
 Iâm less critical about my work, itâs more fun and I look forward to the experience.Â
âBefore the course I never seemed to have time for creativity, and was always putting it off; I see now it was because of an underlying fear. Now Iâm giving it time and space in my life; Iâm less critical about my work, itâs more fun and I look forward to the experience rather than dreading it. Tara's video lessons were amazing! Loved watching her at work and learnt so much about the process giving me permission to try new things myself. Great teacher, great course ~ you are encouraged to try things in a safe environment.â
Janet, talking about the Creative Spark course, inside Fresh Start
What's inside?
A carefully curated combo of core content {oh the alliteration đ},
and light touch - but regular and reliable - support
âď¸Â The Artistâs Starter Kit - a mini course to help you get the basics in place
âď¸Â Creative Spark - a self paced course that guides you through different ways to approach making art in simple ways, culminating in a finished mixed media piece on canvas
âď¸Â Monthly Q&A videos that answer the inevitable questions that will start coming up as you dive into all things art
âď¸Â A full year of weekly artist tip emails to give you a boost and help you stay on track, whether itâs a practical thing to try, a little pep talk, or an idea you can take into your creative space
âď¸Â A discount on one to one sessions with Tara, for when you need support that is specifically tailored to your unique situation
âď¸Â Occasional surprise extras!
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All that for just $7 a month.
Because when youâre just getting your art back, you need simple,
affordable encouragement and ideas to help you not just start, but keep going.
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Want to see inside?Â
Press play to watch a short video taking you
behind the scenes of Fresh Start.
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Confidence and pure joy in making art without the anxiety
âI have done all your free videos and courses and it has already made such a huge difference to my art and given me much confidence and pure joy in making art without the anxiety.
Honestly Tara, there is so much on offer out there but you have something special. Your honesty, empathy, kindness, generosity and understanding is unique and of course, your talent. You have been the single most constant influence on my art since I started. I respect what you do greatly.â
Karin Vermeulen
Being an artist is one of the best decisions youâll ever make for yourself, and itâs not always an easy path.
We all need inspiration, encouragement, and support along the way.
Fresh Start gives you that, with just enough investment to make sure you have some skin in the game, but not so much information that you end up back in overwhelm and procrastination.
You already know you want to make art.
Maybe you donât know exactly what kind yet, or what your life could look like if you embrace your artist self, but you want to give it a go.
Fresh Start can help you take those first steps back onto the artist path ⌠and keep going.
This if for you if:
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- Youâve been feeling a pull to make art but havenât felt brave enough to try yet.
- Youâre feeling overwhelmed by the whole âanything is possible and everything is availableâ thing.
- You would love a bit of pressure free, regular, bite size guidance and support as you get back on your artist path.
This isn't for you if:
- Youâve been making art for a while, feel happy with your practice, and confident in your artist voice.Â
- Youâre looking for a deep dive rather than a gentle, light touch re-entry. {In which case I suggest the Happy Artist Studio!}
- You're looking for a community of artists. {Again, you'll find that inside the Happy Artist Studio.}
Ready for your Fresh Start?
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Hi, I'm Tara.
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Iâm your guide on this artist adventure!
I know what it's like to lose your art for a long time.Â
For me, it was mostly because of chronic and debilitating depression. {That'll put it into dormant mode very effectively!}
For you, it might be to do with making life choices that didn't leave room for your artist self, or criticism that led you to believe it wasn't worth 'wasting' your time on it.
Whatever your personal experience, it's incredibly common for us to enjoy making art when we're younger, and then lose that connection as we move into adulthood.
It's also very easy to think that it's gone and will never come back, except we both know those whispers aren't going away!
Whatever your reasons for the time away from your art, they don't have to mean you've missed your chance - it's truly never too late.
You can step back into your artist self at any time, and Fresh Start is here to help you do exactly that, in ways that are gentle, encouraging, inspiring, and resolutely non-overwhelming!
I've been making art for most of my life {apart from during the depression years}, and teaching online since 2013.
I know a thing or two about losing your art, and getting it back. I created Fresh Start to give you a smooth re-entry!
We'll have you creating away in no time. đ
That massive block of 'I can't do art' has completely lifted.
"I know it sounds cliche, but I didn't think I could draw or paint. I knew I was 'creative' but in craft, not in art. I thought art was for other people but not me. I had tried art classes before and absolutely hated them so I had resigned myself to only appreciating what art others created. I can draw! And paint! That massive block of 'I can't do art' has completely lifted. It's such a huge weight gone and life is so much brighter and more fun.
Akiyo, talking about the Creative Spark course, inside Fresh Start
Questions & Answers
Why is this only $7 a month?
Can I cancel if itâs not for me?
What kind of time commitment is this going to take? Iâm up to my eyes in life/work/stuff.
Iâm not sure I can call myself an artist - I havenât made anything or picked up a brush in 1/10/50 years.
How do I know if this is right for me?
How long do I have access for?
How is Fresh Start different from the Happy Artist Studio?
Is there a community with Fresh Start?
Do I have to want to make art my career to join?
I have another question!
Eye opening, easy to follow, and inspirational
"This is exactly what I needed! There is a whole great big bunch of baggage that goes with being an 'artist'. I have struggled with it for years. But want to make art? YES! YES! YES! I can do that! In fact that is what I do! This is so freeing! No more questioning: Will it sell? Do I have to make money with it to make it valid? Does it have to be in a gallery? Who would want it? Is it good enough?
And so on and so on. Those questions are gone! You waved them away with your magic wand! Thank you for freeing me from the shackles of other people's opinions of what an artist is and 'what is art'.Â
Let me introduce myself. I am Marilyn. And I make art. Period."
Marilyn, talking about the Creative Spark course, inside Fresh Start