Starting a proper YouTube channel
has been something that I had been talking about for a few years but it wasn’t
until the end of 2023 that I actually began taking action. I had been speaking
at an event and had made some films as part of the presentation so decided to
publish them as a starting point.
Making films takes time, it is
something that is always said but it is really true. Filming is only a small
part - planning, writing, editing, voiceovers, even the publishing process means that it
is a big investment. My plan was that, by sharing sketchbooks, travel
and drawing tips, I would increase my workshop bookings. I also felt that it in
the longer term it might be a way to earn an income if I managed to reach the
monetisation threshold. I knew it would have to be a long game, two to three
years seemed an amount of time to invest that might recoup rewards.
The great thing about the
platform is the amount of data that you have access so I can measure my
progress. These are my numbers at the time of writing:
Numbers of videos - 31
Number of YouTube subscribers - 4101
Number of views - 98.3K
So, I am doing well but still
have a way to go. I know that I just need to keep on keeping on. The one thing
that I haven’t done so far is appear in front of the camera. I’ve shown the
view of the world through my eyes for vlogs and shown my hands at work but I
have resisted doing a direct to camera piece. I’ve never even done those for
Instagram so it would be quite a jump for me. Why this reticence? What am I
afraid of? Being mocked? By who? My immediate family are hugely supportive so
no one else really matters. But being visible as an older woman and not a
glamourous one, still feels difficult. So that is my next challenge.
I am not interested in talking
about aging itself, I want to focus on drawing. I always say that I have
sketched my way through the menopause. Half jokingly, half true. I suppose I
want to show other people what adding drawing into their lives can do. It can
help to slow you down, have peaceful moments, travel, connect with others with the
same interest, look at the world and really see it.
I have made a list of some of
the women, from a whole range of ages, that I have been looking at and learning
from on the channel and am sharing them below. Just click on their name to be
taken to their channel.
I would love to know your
recommendations too!
The Business Side of YouTube
An Older Perspective
Patricia Brooks -
The Courage Catalyst
Life + Home
Clothes + Style
Artists + Illustrators
Entertainment
When I first started my blog, it was a way to get back to drawing from life. A challenge to draw something every day for a year. My online sketchbook was another way I thought of it. It was September 2011. At that time I just posted whatever I had done, there was no quality control, it was all about putting in the reps. As time went on I continued, adding photos and anything else that inspired and helped with my creativity.
Things changed when a few years in, I had a review of my illustration portfolio. The reviewer was quite disparaging about how I used my blog, calling it an ‘image dump’ and encouraged me to use it more as a way to show my expertise by writing articles which would support my illustration business. I took this advice on board and started but as each article required more time, I posted less frequently. Slowly the posts became fewer and fewer. And the last few years here have been tumbleweed to be quite honest.
But the blog played such an important part in my ‘creative recovery’ that I just can’t let it go. So this year, I’ve decided to use it as my online scrapbook and will put things here that I want to remember or that inspire me. It will go back to being primarily for me (although I hope you will enjoy it too!) becoming my own source of inspiration not a way to get customers or showcase my work. After all, I have a website for the ‘professional’ side of things.
January was about unravelling my year and reflecting on 2024, using the prompts from the generous Susannah Conway I wanted to take the process slowly this year and went to a myriad of coffee shops to work through the exercises. I practised getting back to basics, making some small, short sketches before opening my phone too. So this first blog post of 2025 is just coffee shops reviews and quick sketches.
My creative bank account needs replenishing and
this is where it starts!
The Yurt Cafe, St.Katherine’s Precinct, 2 Butchers Row, E14 8DS
Bija Coffee, 2a St.James’s Market, SW1Y 4AH
The Standard, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG
Ozone Coffee, Emma Street, E2 9AP
Barbican Kitchen, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, City of London, EC2Y 8DS
I am delighted to say that I will be doing a free lunchtime
sketching session on Zoom with the fabulous Ohn Mar Win in January! We will be
drawing from my photos taken in Portugal and it would be great if you are able
to join us.
Click here for the link to sign up for the session.
These are the selection of the photos that we will be working from:
