You are the founder of an arts platform, a visual artist, and former dance choreographer. When did your life in the arts first begin?
To be honest, I think art as such was always a part of my life in some way. Both of my parents worked in the TV industry – my dad, originally a historian, as an assistant director and my mum as an assistant editor for the news and later in film production. Thanks to that, I had my first (and last) short movie role when I was about two years old. When I turned eight, my mum asked me if I wanted to start attending drama classes at school, I said yes. And when I was ten, she asked me if I wanted to try a dance camp for kids, I said yes. Little did I know that I was about to fall in love with dancing and that it was the beginning of my 20-year-long journey. I had no idea that I would also fall in love with painting in 2012.
What was the catalyst for Art Mums United?
In 2020, I hired my first coach and it was the best decision I could’ve made. I was in the middle of my maternity leave (it lasts 3 years in the Czech Republic) and I wanted to find out what’s possible in the art world. Until then, I believed that my only option is to create and wait for someone to buy my art. I wanted more. I wanted to create, continue healing from the events that caused my postpartum trauma, empower and inspire other art mums and become a full-time artist and artpreneur. I received so much support from my coach who helped me form a solid ground for my own business. And it’s been evolving ever since. We’ll celebrate our first anniversary in September.
Creating an extensive online platform such as Art Mums United must require substantial experience in graphic design, among other technical skills. What was the process of launching this site like, and did you run into any challenges along the way?
Well, believe it or not, I am not tech-savvy. I learn as I go. I am only a human being so I curse a lot when encountering issues with tech. In the end, I always make it and celebrate. That’s one of the most important things – to celebrate your wins however small they are.
But, you are right, it’s a lot of work and a lot of small things you have to consider. It’s a process of trial and error. You have to test out various apps and software and decide what serves you the most and what makes your life easier. And you adjust as you scale.
Have you received any specific feedback from your artist community and/or audience that you have found especially meaningful?
Yes, I also ask my clients and artists for feedback because I want to make sure that I create things that are valuable for them. I think that the most amazing feedback I received were emails from my directory artists who were also interviewed for our blog. They said that my questions made them think about the stuff they’ve never thought about before. Some even described the experience as cathartic. When I read that, everything I do makes sense.
You are also launching the Women United ART PRIZE soon. Can you tell us more about this upcoming opportunity?
Women United ART PRIZE is an idea I had one night when I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept thinking about additional opportunities that would allow me to give back to the art community. While most of the opportunities at Art Mums United are dedicated to artist mothers, online exhibits and live interviews are open to women creatives in general.
With the art prize, I wanted to make sure there’s no confusion and no doubt that it’s a project for all female artists regardless of education, age, sexual orientation, race and location, who work in 2D (the categories being painting, drawing, analog collage, embroidery).
I am partnering with incredible platforms and art collectives such as Create! Magazine, Art Queens Society, Visionary Art Collective, The Curator’s Salon, Art Seen Magazine, PxP Contemporary. The main prize is a cash prize for the first three artists. The judges are professionals I’ve admired for a long time and it’s an honor that they agreed to collaborate with me on this project – Ekaterina Popova (visual artist, author, podcast host, artist coach, founder of Create! Magazine and the Art Queens Society), Gita Joshi (curator, artist coach, podcast host and founder of The Curator’s Salon and Art Seen Magazine), Tam Gryn (head curator at Showfields), Sasha-Loriene (visual artist and founder of Black Girls Who Paint). It’s a celebration of women and the biggest project I started so far. I’m so excited about it and I believe it’s the beginning of something great and truly amazing.
What do you find most rewarding about the curation process?
I love seeing the diversity among artists. I read every single word of the artist bios, statements and other written documents when curating for the directory and interviews. I want the artists to be seen, heard, understood and validated and so it’s important to me to know their stories and provide them with space where they can share their journey and inspire others. It’s also about the healing process and normalizing the taboos such as postpartum depression, anxiety, etc. as many of us faced this and felt lonely and isolated because society wants to see happy mums. To be a woman in the art industry is not easy and to be also a mum does not make it any easier. Getting to know other strong, powerful women is the most rewarding thing about the curation process for me.
What are some of the challenges that you face?
Haha, where do I begin? First, let me tell you that I love challenges because they make me stronger. This year, I actually make sure that I add more challenges to my life. I am an introvert and showing up constantly, hosting webinars and conducting live interviews with other artists is way out of my comfort zone. Well, it used to be. Once we step outside of our comfort zone and face our fears, do the things we are afraid of doing and look back, they don’t seem so scary any longer. And if I was to be specific, I must say TIME! Mostly, I work when my son’s asleep so I don’t intrude on our time together. Sometimes, that means working till late night hours. I wish my days were longer but doesn’t everybody?
Are there certain qualities that you look for in artists in deciding whether they will be pleasurable to work with? And on the contrary, any areas for improvement artists should be aware of?
This is a great question and I feel it relates more to my coaching practice. Coaching, and specifically 1:1 coaching, is a very intimate relationship between the coach and the coachee. You need to make sure that you create a safe space for your client and that you are a good fit. That’s why discovery calls are crucial in getting to know your prospect. Together, we identify the client’s challenges, struggles, needs and goals and possible solutions during the call. The match has to be perfect. The potential client has to make the decision. They have to be ready to say yes to themselves and invest in their future.
One thing I can definitely list here as an area for improvement is the quality of photos and written materials when submitting to calls for art. My experience is that artists often don’t follow the submission requirements which may result in their exclusion from the selection process. I have created a submission guide that is available on the website but there are so many valuable free resources regarding this topic on other platforms too.
Do you have future plans for Art Mums United beyond what it is today?
Absolutely. I have many ideas and plans that I want to introduce. I always take one step at a time so I don’t get overwhelmed with too many tasks. It helps me keep my head clear and identify what works and what doesn’t. I can definitely share that I am planning on launching a podcast and a self-guided course. These are plans I have for this year. Ideas keep coming so I bet there’s much more coming up!
To be honest, I think art as such was always a part of my life in some way. Both of my parents worked in the TV industry – my dad, originally a historian, as an assistant director and my mum as an assistant editor for the news and later in film production. Thanks to that, I had my first (and last) short movie role when I was about two years old. When I turned eight, my mum asked me if I wanted to start attending drama classes at school, I said yes. And when I was ten, she asked me if I wanted to try a dance camp for kids, I said yes. Little did I know that I was about to fall in love with dancing and that it was the beginning of my 20-year-long journey. I had no idea that I would also fall in love with painting in 2012.
What was the catalyst for Art Mums United?
In 2020, I hired my first coach and it was the best decision I could’ve made. I was in the middle of my maternity leave (it lasts 3 years in the Czech Republic) and I wanted to find out what’s possible in the art world. Until then, I believed that my only option is to create and wait for someone to buy my art. I wanted more. I wanted to create, continue healing from the events that caused my postpartum trauma, empower and inspire other art mums and become a full-time artist and artpreneur. I received so much support from my coach who helped me form a solid ground for my own business. And it’s been evolving ever since. We’ll celebrate our first anniversary in September.
Creating an extensive online platform such as Art Mums United must require substantial experience in graphic design, among other technical skills. What was the process of launching this site like, and did you run into any challenges along the way?
Well, believe it or not, I am not tech-savvy. I learn as I go. I am only a human being so I curse a lot when encountering issues with tech. In the end, I always make it and celebrate. That’s one of the most important things – to celebrate your wins however small they are.
But, you are right, it’s a lot of work and a lot of small things you have to consider. It’s a process of trial and error. You have to test out various apps and software and decide what serves you the most and what makes your life easier. And you adjust as you scale.
Have you received any specific feedback from your artist community and/or audience that you have found especially meaningful?
Yes, I also ask my clients and artists for feedback because I want to make sure that I create things that are valuable for them. I think that the most amazing feedback I received were emails from my directory artists who were also interviewed for our blog. They said that my questions made them think about the stuff they’ve never thought about before. Some even described the experience as cathartic. When I read that, everything I do makes sense.
You are also launching the Women United ART PRIZE soon. Can you tell us more about this upcoming opportunity?
Women United ART PRIZE is an idea I had one night when I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept thinking about additional opportunities that would allow me to give back to the art community. While most of the opportunities at Art Mums United are dedicated to artist mothers, online exhibits and live interviews are open to women creatives in general.
With the art prize, I wanted to make sure there’s no confusion and no doubt that it’s a project for all female artists regardless of education, age, sexual orientation, race and location, who work in 2D (the categories being painting, drawing, analog collage, embroidery).
I am partnering with incredible platforms and art collectives such as Create! Magazine, Art Queens Society, Visionary Art Collective, The Curator’s Salon, Art Seen Magazine, PxP Contemporary. The main prize is a cash prize for the first three artists. The judges are professionals I’ve admired for a long time and it’s an honor that they agreed to collaborate with me on this project – Ekaterina Popova (visual artist, author, podcast host, artist coach, founder of Create! Magazine and the Art Queens Society), Gita Joshi (curator, artist coach, podcast host and founder of The Curator’s Salon and Art Seen Magazine), Tam Gryn (head curator at Showfields), Sasha-Loriene (visual artist and founder of Black Girls Who Paint). It’s a celebration of women and the biggest project I started so far. I’m so excited about it and I believe it’s the beginning of something great and truly amazing.
What do you find most rewarding about the curation process?
I love seeing the diversity among artists. I read every single word of the artist bios, statements and other written documents when curating for the directory and interviews. I want the artists to be seen, heard, understood and validated and so it’s important to me to know their stories and provide them with space where they can share their journey and inspire others. It’s also about the healing process and normalizing the taboos such as postpartum depression, anxiety, etc. as many of us faced this and felt lonely and isolated because society wants to see happy mums. To be a woman in the art industry is not easy and to be also a mum does not make it any easier. Getting to know other strong, powerful women is the most rewarding thing about the curation process for me.
What are some of the challenges that you face?
Haha, where do I begin? First, let me tell you that I love challenges because they make me stronger. This year, I actually make sure that I add more challenges to my life. I am an introvert and showing up constantly, hosting webinars and conducting live interviews with other artists is way out of my comfort zone. Well, it used to be. Once we step outside of our comfort zone and face our fears, do the things we are afraid of doing and look back, they don’t seem so scary any longer. And if I was to be specific, I must say TIME! Mostly, I work when my son’s asleep so I don’t intrude on our time together. Sometimes, that means working till late night hours. I wish my days were longer but doesn’t everybody?
Are there certain qualities that you look for in artists in deciding whether they will be pleasurable to work with? And on the contrary, any areas for improvement artists should be aware of?
This is a great question and I feel it relates more to my coaching practice. Coaching, and specifically 1:1 coaching, is a very intimate relationship between the coach and the coachee. You need to make sure that you create a safe space for your client and that you are a good fit. That’s why discovery calls are crucial in getting to know your prospect. Together, we identify the client’s challenges, struggles, needs and goals and possible solutions during the call. The match has to be perfect. The potential client has to make the decision. They have to be ready to say yes to themselves and invest in their future.
One thing I can definitely list here as an area for improvement is the quality of photos and written materials when submitting to calls for art. My experience is that artists often don’t follow the submission requirements which may result in their exclusion from the selection process. I have created a submission guide that is available on the website but there are so many valuable free resources regarding this topic on other platforms too.
Do you have future plans for Art Mums United beyond what it is today?
Absolutely. I have many ideas and plans that I want to introduce. I always take one step at a time so I don’t get overwhelmed with too many tasks. It helps me keep my head clear and identify what works and what doesn’t. I can definitely share that I am planning on launching a podcast and a self-guided course. These are plans I have for this year. Ideas keep coming so I bet there’s much more coming up!