Welcome!
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog: ‘The Artistic Conservationist’!
I have considered blogging before but never saw a need to and didn’t have much confidence in myself when it came to ideas. However, I now feel that I have both a reason and motivation to write one and so I have created this to go alongside my artwork! Please bear with me whilst I find my feet with this new method of interacting with you all.
I am basically thinking that this blog will be a space where I can connect my artwork with conservation. As some of you may be aware, I studied a Wildlife Conservation degree and have had a passion for animals and the environment from a very young age. I have always wanted to help wildlife and thought I would do so by becoming a scientific conservationist and go out on expeditions collecting research. Whilst that did all sound very exciting, it was also very daunting, and if I’m completely honest I was not sure if I was cut out for it.
Having rediscovered my love of drawing during the first lockdown of 2020, I decided that perhaps I could combine my passions instead. I am aware that communication is a vital part of conservation, however this doesn’t necessarily have to be in verbal or written form. I realised that perhaps art could be my voice for conservation instead. I believe that art is something that anyone can relate to and therefore I plan on portraying conservation awareness through my work. I know that I am by no means unique when it comes to this, there are so many fantastic artists out there that use their creativity to make a positive contribution to conservation; which I think is so amazing that I want to join them in their mission!
I still want to acknowledge the scientific side of me and make a commitment to conservation; which is why I plan to use this blog as a space to write about the species I draw and any projects/organisations associated with them. Nearly all of my wildlife inspired pieces and ideas have a story or particular motivation behind why I create them, and so instead of me writing this in mega-long posts on social media I shall provide more in-depth information here and post a link instead.
I hope to encourage others to feel inspired by, and gain a deeper connection with, nature through art and creativity. So whether it be via purchasing a piece of my work or reading a blog post, if I can inspire just one person to create art that has a conservation message, or learn more about a threatened species, or maybe even write their own blog about a conservation related topic, I will be over the moon! I really hope that we can form a new generation of creative conservationists!
Despite this being a very conservation-based project (incase you hadn’t already noticed!), I also plan on writing entries on what motivates me as an artist, how I have found setting up and running my business; including hurdles I have faced and how I have coped and overcome them, and also providing some tips and advice for other small art businesses looking to grow. This has been a huge learning curve for me and I’m sure there will be even more learning to come, so I am more than happy to help others by sharing my experience.
I have no intention of being specific with when my blog entries will be updated, however I shall aim to produce two a month. I shall always notify you of when a new entry goes up via my social media stories and posts, and if you have subscribed to my newsletter you shall also be notified in this way too.
Additionally I want this to be a positive and upbeat space because I think there is too much doom and gloom in the world already! Therefore I aim to provide factual information and positive conservation stories and not just the negative stuff. When it comes to the environment it can seem like most information is very pessimistic at the moment, however there are also plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet and I hope to shed some light on these particular areas.