Artist working in painting and installation, based in California, U.S.A.

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“I love connecting with other artists, and feel I have a wide range of experiences, geographies and people I have worked with that make me particularly insightful as a mentor. I really enjoy using all that I have done as an artist, a peer, a collaborator and a traveller as points of interest to connect with other people. They provide me with a range of possible overlaps with the experiences of others, and guides the way that I can give feedback. My travelling, residency grants, education and exhibition history are rich with experiences--good AND bad--that I have learned so much from, and would like to use in advising others. The main challenges I have had as an artist lie in networking, in travelling and moving a lot (having to socialise and insert myself into new art communities), in maintaining my practice while becoming a mother, and financially supporting myself. Thankfully, I have met all these challenges with a lot of energy and am doing OK in these fields (so far anyway!) I’ve had a “day job” for 10 years making paintings for an art resourcing company from which I earn royalties. I’ve also had experience as an assistant for two well-established artists, which gave me so much further insights into all the levels of the art world. This is another area of experience I can advise on: balancing an art practice with an art-related day job.

I also love “talking shop” regarding painting, installation, and artmaking in general, and would be eager to advise on the technical front should it be necessary.”

Multidisciplinary artist, working in painting, installation, printmaking, textiles as well as curatorial projects and writing. Based in Bristol, U.K.

View Beckie’s Artist Page

“I enjoy supporting people with new ideas, helping others to grow in confidence and to highlight and frame their skills and experience in the best way possible. I am keen to support people to reach their full potential. It can be difficult to see your own strengths and having an outside perspective can help you to see your skills and qualities in a positive light. In the past I have supported artists to enhance their cvs, write applications, artist statements and structure proposals.

As a mentor I like to spend time listening and understanding the person I am working with, some of the things they enjoy or aspire to and what might be their current challenges. In my own practice I have explored ways to use limitations and restrictions as part of my methods to find ways around difficult circumstances and this can be a useful way to approach things rather than all or nothing. I like to set some clear achievable tasks at the end of each session as well as direct people to any relevant resources. I keep notes and will forward these on to the person I'm working with and would encourage them to also spend a few minutes making reflective notes following our session. ”

Artist, Curator, Gallerist and creative coach living and working in Dursley, England.

View Georgie’s Artist Page

“I love to help artists and through the years often found myself naturally falling into the position of mentor, offering advice, nurturing talent and developing creatives strengths. With my experience as a curator, gallerist, creative coach, artist, business development manager, educator, and of course a mother of two, I can provide support and encouragement to help an artist stay motivated and focused on their creative endeavour by sharing my own experiences and insights.

My special interest is supporting artists who have taken a break to become a parent, or feel stuck with the barriers that parenting can present, providing a valuable perspective and guidance on how to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the creative process.

Before anyone begins a mentoring scheme, it's important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Are you looking to improve your technical skills, develop your style, or explore new creative avenues? By having specific goals in mind, I can work out how to best support you and focus your efforts. This can come out in an initial discussion where I use a few tools to discover what your goals might be, and what you want out of the sessions.

Throughout your mentoring programme, I can provide guidance, support, and encouragement to help you develop your skills and grow as a creative. Mentoring can be a valuable tool for nurturing the talents of artists at any stage of their career and as a natural listener, I will provide the space for you to set goals, prioritise and find direction in your practice. “

Interdisciplinary artist, publisher, curator, and mental health and arts activist based in Todmorden, UK.

View Helen’s Artist Page

“I am an open hearted, open minded woman, who is passionate about art and helping other artist/mothers to thrive. I am passionate about contemporary art, the maternal experience, collaboration and co-operation and promoting positive mental wellbeing practices in relation to the creative arts . I have faced and overcome many professional and challenging life experiences as a woman, a mother, an artist and academic. I use compassion and deep listening to help artists to develop their arts practice. I have devised professional strategies and tools to enable artists to identify their individual needs by working through their core values and goals. I am able to work with artists to identify their short, medium and long-term goals and to help them to become more independent and achieve professional success.

I have experience of helping artists to find their voice, artist story and to increase their self awareness and confidence. Artists that I have worked with have gone on to succeed in terms of funding, exhibiting, publishing, gallery representation, continuing in education, residencies, self initiated arts projects and finding work within the creative industries. I have experience of working with artists who have invisible disabilities and who are neurodiverse. I understand and can support artists who have specific access needs. I am able to sign post artists to individuals and organisations when there are specific needs that are outside of my knowledge and understanding. I have a lot of life experience, I have two children from two different partners, my grown up son is a professional musician and my youngest son is a teenager.”

Multidisciplinary artist, and community architect living in Fife, Scotland.

View Jill’s Artist Page

“I am an artist of diverse skills, knowledge and experience. I create sculptural work using ceramics, drawing, printmaking, painting, textiles and found objects. My work shows memories of life events: memories which may be inaccurate, misremembered or one-sided; which traverse timelines, with imagery appearing at times incongruous to the narrative of each piece. The work makes no attempt to ‘correct’ the memories or straighten the timeline. Over the last year I have widened my creative practice to include writing and mentoring other artists to help shift and grow their perceptions of what they can achieve as creative people. I live in Fife overlooking the River Tay with my 18 year old daughter and 2 dogs; I know the best inspirational podcasts for any situation; can put together an excellent playlist; I’m an online DJing sensation (in my mind) - I DJ every monday morning for an online community to give them pep for the week; I can make people feel at ease; I have entrepreneurial spirit; I am tenacious, ambitious and committed to living a life of compassion, connection and community.

I'm particularly keen to help those who are stuck in their creative career, aiming to build confidence not only in their own work but themselves. I have found that developing self love/confidence has had a remarkable effect on not only reducing my inner critic but has made me really love and appreciate the work I make.”

Multidisciplinary artist, curator, educator and founder of Spilt Milk Gallery CIC, based in Edinburgh.

View Lauren’s Artist Page

“I’m a problem solver at heart and I love working with others to come up with innovative solutions to the challenges they may be facing. I really enjoy helping artists get to the core of what it is they are trying to say with their work, and how best to present their ideas in a way that engages their desired audience. As well as developing my own practice, over the last ten years my experience has included managing commercial art galleries, curating independent exhibitions, running community workshops and devising socially engaged projects with arts and heritage organisations. I have a wealth of practical knowledge, resources and experience to share on the business aspects of developing an independent practice or art organisation (funding, applications, websites governance etc) but more importantly, I believe the key to success is self-belief.

Having worked with hundreds of artists over the years, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern of low self confidence amongst women and mother artists and it’s one of the reason’s I founded Spilt Milk. I truly believe with the right support to rediscover that self belief and go after what you want, everyone can achieve the success they envision. As a mentor, I will engage in active listening and reflection to help you set manageable goals for your work and then offer the practical resources to help you to achieve them. I will compassionately encourage you to step out of your comfort zone because that’s always where the good stuff happens!”

Multidisciplinary artist mainly working in figurative painting, based in England.

View Lucy’s Artist Page

“I want to help guide other women through the push and pull of family-career demands and ambitions using my experience of the last 15 years. I have dealt with hardships such as making a living from painting and choosing 'smart' part-time work, as well as having a mental health condition (psychosis - from which I am now in remission) during the most intense years of mothering two, then three children. I have the experience of coming back to art after around 7 years away and am really keen to share the tips and tricks I discovered in getting back up to speed. I am a dedicated follower of Julia Cameron's 'The Artist Way' and have developed a mindfulness practice to guide me through the difficult times.

I’m passionate about building an effective mentoring relationship to help make the magic happen. I am interested in really getting to know other people's practices and listening to problems they may be having, guiding them to find the solutions for themselves by referring to different artists, practices and methodologies they might look at. Every person and every artist is different and I don't believe one approach will suit all, so the most important thing will be getting to know how they work, observing and listening before advising. As a highly organised teacher though, I will be setting 'homework' and goals to structure the mentoring sessions and the time between sessions.”

Multidisciplinary artist and qualified teacher working in ceramics, mixed media and printmaking. Irish currently based in Germany.

View Michelle’s Artist Page

“I really enjoy helping people bring out their best self, growing their confidence both personally and professionally. I’m a mother of three and teach freelance once a week, so having a structured schedule and a daily routine are an integral part of my practice, and I’ve learned I am more productive as an artist when I stick to my schedule and manage my time effectively. In the last few years I have tried to embrace the shyer sides of my character by pushing my personal boundaries, for example volunteering for the Spilt Milk exhibition committee, joining a German speaking art group and helping at a gallery occasionally. All of these things have been a little out of my comfort zone, but by pushing myself in this way, I’ve grown so much both personally and professionally.

As a mentor, I really enjoy connecting with and nurturing the talents and skills of other artists and as an empathic person, I’m able to adapt to the individual needs of each artist I work with. My strengths lie in my ability to listen, to nurture creativity and manage my time effectively. As an artist I have had to learn to direct and focus my personal time, therefore I’d love to offer guidance for other artists to manage their time effectively and prioritise their art practice.”

Photographer working in artistic projects as well as consumer-based assignments in New York City.

View Shweta’s Artist Page

“I think of Mentoring as a sacred path to deep learning and confidence building. I believe that we each carry great potential within us, we only need to recognize it. We all need someone to believe in us and support us in a personal way, and mentoring does that. I would like to mentor to share what I have received and be the person to nurture and support the journey of an artist-mother, having known firsthand the struggles that come with owning this identity.

I was creatively blocked for a very long time. I used to take pictures before I started making them. It required soul searching and discipline to unblock myself, find a balance between the identities of artist and mother, and develop my creative practice. I have been helped along the way by some wonderful professionals who have supported and mentored me.

My approach would involve mindful listening, and responding with thoughtful and practical suggestions taken from acquired knowledge and personal experience. I would provide encouragement and critique with kindness and care to support the growth of the artists’ practice in line with their goals, and provide links to relevant resources and organizations for research and enrichment, or as needed.”