Go from: 'I can't possibly call myself that'
To: 'It's true - I am an artist!'
Take the FREE
'I Am an Artist' 7 Day Challenge
and change the way you see yourself.
SIGN UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
If you don’t see yourself as an artist, it’s very hard to be one.
It’s always going to feel like you’re pretending, and fake it till you make it doesn’t work for all of us.
The thing is, feeling like you're pretending - that you're playing at being an artist - opens a crack for the imposter syndrome demon to squeeze in.
It starts telling you you’re a fraud, that people will find out you don’t really know what you’re doing, and you’re being arrogant and presumptuous to think you can dare to call yourself an artist.
Is it any wonder you're struggling in the studio?
Let's play a quick game of Artist Bingo.
{Yes I just made that up.}
How many of these sound familiar?
☑ I don't know enough
☑ I don't have a degree in art
☑ I don't know colour theory
☑ It's not my full time job
☑ I just dabble on the weekends
☑ I'm not always inspired
☑ I don't have a studio
☑ I don't sell my art
☑ My Instagram bio is ambiguous and non-committal
☑ I don't have a style that's recognisably my own
☑ I don't make art every day
... and therefore, I can't call legitimately myself an artist.
How many boxes did you check off? One? Three? All of them?
Well the results are in, and guess what?
Even if you ticked every box, and some I didn't even mention, you're still an artist!
Easy for me to say, right? But actually it doesn't matter what I think.
It's what you think that's important.
Sometimes we need more than someone else telling us something is true before we can let ourselves believe it.
This challenge will help you get back on your own team.💪
What if you could…
Feel comfortable telling people you're an artist
Trust yourself when it comes to your own work
Share your art without getting a knot in your stomach
Decide you're an artist and believe it
Make your art in a way that feels true for you, no matter what
Put 'artist' in your Instagram bio {without cringing} 😉
"This first lesson was so spot on. I sat in my office and just looked all around me at the art I had created over the years and then realized I've been doing this all my life. By darn, I'm an artist!
This art expresses itself in SO many ways through me, but I never saw it all together before. I write, I make fabric art, I do photography, I paint, I crochet, I create my own clothing, I create inspirational posters, cards, painted stones, I make jewelry, etc. I can't even name all the ways I make art and it never dawned on me to call myself an Artist!
This experience was like dusting off a portion of my personality and discovering a gem underneath."
Sandy Walker
This is all possible for you, artist friend.
You don't have to be one of the many artists out there who cringe when they think of 'daring' to use that word to describe themselves.
Help is at hand!
The 'I am an Artist' challenge offers a fresh perspective on this most fundamental of artist experiences - standing fully in who you are.
The world needs more artists and humans doing that.
And when you give this gift to yourself, it inspires others to do the same.
{So you can bop that 'It's selfish' demon on the head while you're at it!}
And while it’s not always possible to undo decades of particular experiences and habitual thought patterns - not to mention centuries of cultural conditioning - in one week, that doesn’t mean we can’t at least start the process!
Internal shifts can happen in a moment.
And it can be easier than our brains want us to believe.
Especially when we approach it from a position of curiosity and experimentation.
And with lashings of encouragement and support {of course}.
"After two days in the challenge, I am realising how hard I have been on myself. Basically for no reason. Everything is there - apart from the degree. Sticking to the essence and what feels true to me. Decluttering the head feels so good! Thank you Tara for this beautiful offering!"
Sandra Gea
Hi, I’m Tara.
I created the I am an Artist Challenge because I see way too many artists being held back by this one word.
I filled the challenge with tools and perspective shifts I use in my own life to become the human and artist I want to - and know I can - be.
No one will advocate for your art the way you can - and must, if you're going to bring your secret artist dreams to life.
But it's really hard to do that when you can't just say 'yes!' when someone asks if you're an artist.
So I created the challenge to help you step into your true artist identity, and enjoy all the wonderful things that come with that!
Are you ready to see yourself as the artist you are?
What you need to know:
✔️ 7 days, 7 emails. One email a day containing a prompt for you to try.
✔️ Videos & Text, so you can either watch or read that day's prompt.
✔️ 1 simple task each day, carefully chosen to help you step more fully into your artist self in diferent ways.
✔️ Direct to your inbox. So you can keep the emails and refer back to them any time.
✔️ A hashtag to connect with others. If you want to share on Instagram, you can use the hashtag #callyourselfanartistchallenge.
✔️ At your own speed. Take your time; you don't have to complete it in 7 days.
✔️ It's FREE!
...let's get you using the A word with confidence!
Don't just take my word for it...
"I had to fill in a boring form with details including ‘occupation’ today. It’s not going to make any difference to the people reading the form, but I put my occupation down as ‘Artist’ just to see how it felt.
I felt surprisingly comfortable about it! I think it might be a great way to try it on for size. ;) Thanks for all your encouragement."
Nikki Stretch
"Today's prompt is to put Artist in my bio, now I thought it was already there but I was wrong. Now it is there nice and loud, I AM AN ARTIST, thank you Tara this challenge has been amazing.
It's reminded me to spend time with my art, that I have come a long way so far with what I have achieved, I'm on a journey to being an artist full time, how important self trust is and redefining some of those 'rules', the sticky note under the mirror is genius and creating a pattern interrupt."
Jenny Hobbs
Start the journey to owning your artist self - for real
Sign up below and look forward to 7 days of thought provoking and weird but highly effective prompts.
Signing up for the challenge also gives you access to Artnotes - email letters of encouragement, inspiration, and actionable ideas to take into the studio. Easy unsubscribe any time. We never share your email.
"I needed that! I went through all the steps and was amazed the difference it made in my attitude. I also took your great advice about saving all of the positive comments I get. I already have so many just since August!
I always think that selling is what makes a “real” artist, and I have sold some, but now I know that it is making art, not selling! You are an inspiration and so kind to do such a thoughtful free course. "
Elizabeth Burleigh
"Thank you Tara! I loved participating! Lately I am half 👎 because in my country (Argentina) we are going through a very important economic and political crisis and sales have dropped significantly. But with this challenge I recharged my batteries and felt like an artist beyond selling or not selling a work! Thank you once again!"
Mónica López
"At first I thought that the challenge would not be a good fit for me, because I have been comfortably calling myself an artist for about 2 ½ years now (though I have, in fact, been an artist for far longer than that).
The thing is, while I had thought I had been authentic about it, I recently began realizing that I had actually fallen victim to the need to 'prove it', at great cost to joyfully embracing it. That was a sure path to resentment & burnout for me!
So, for the past year I have been in the process of pulling back & tweaking my art practice in order to learn what opportunities resonate with me and what ones feel like they are holding me down. I have been shocked to find out just how much I need to drop in order to remain a happy artist.
These decisions frighten me, because I really like myself as an artist, and I do not want to "throw the baby out with the bathwater"!
So for me, your "I am an artist" challenge is more of an "I am still an artist"! Thank you so much for helping me to connect the dots with these two truths.
For me, art has been a wonderful ally because it is so flexible and compassionate about the other parts of my life that also need attention. I suppose this time that I am going through is no different from other times that art has shared the spotlight with different life challenges/opportunities.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for showing me that I can still "call myself an artist," even if I am not "only" an artist!"
Beth Kane
"I am so profoundly grateful for your course which has given me such new growing confidence, motivation and so many ways to try out new ideas or discoveries.
I am a needlepoint artist (new name for me )... I was given a designing cross stitch programme some years back and your sharing, reflection questions and challenges have made an amazing simple connection in my brain.
I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH."
Penn Barnett
"I wanted to let you know that the "call yourself an artist" exercise was a real eye opener for me. I discovered that my biggest obstacle to calling myself an artist was that I had placed "artist" on a pedestal and that becoming an artist was a pipedream.
Once I realized this I was able to focus on what I was already doing as an artist and I saw that yes - I am an artist!!"
Jacqueline Biller
