21/05/2026
Have a look at Lisa's website with her lovely artwork, read what she has to say below.
Ask her about the free children's art outlines to download too.
www.rekindlebylisa.com
Being An Artist In Current Times
Is It Worth It?
I have been working as a professional artist since 2017. When I first opened my shop, Instagram was relatively new. People posted pictures and it was easy to gain a following. My first sale quickly lead to my second, third, fourth and before I knew it I had sold hundreds of pieces of original art. I was contacted by Vegan Life Magazine who wanted to write a 4 page feature about me! I was stunned! I was working as a full time artist using my work to raise awareness and help the causes I care deeply for.
Fast forward to 2026. It is quite a different story. It seems in just this short time, maintaining a job as an artist has become a path full of hurdles. Social media became difficult. Reels, videos- it became so personal and I hated having to make reels and speak to a camera. Trying to gain followers and to get my art seen on there became a full time job in itself. I only have part time hours now because I am a mother and social media was taking up so much time for such little reward.. in fact, It was having a negative effect on my mental health and leaving me feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. So I deleted Instagram. It felt freeing. I decided I wanted to be free of social media more than I wanted to be an artist. So that was that.
For a while I continued to get sales. Most of my lovely customers are from the U.S.A. And then the U.S tariffs happened. Suddenly it became very expensive to post to the U.S.A. Then the Royal Mail stopped posting anything smaller than a large letter to the U.S entirely. Thus, postage prices for my smaller items had to shoot up to be sent in a larger parcel or envelope. So I had no choice but to put my postage costs up and, since then, I've had no sales from the U.S.A.
Then let's get to ETSY. Well... It is now saturated with AI art. AI art is everywhere and real artists are getting lost in the sea of AI listings.
Now the other hurdle us artists face- cheap, immoral companies like Temu, not only selling everything for way, way cheaper than any small business could possibly profit from, but also stealing art in the process.
There are a lot of hurdles. So the reason I am writing this is to be a voice for all of the creatives trying to do what they love with all of these modern difficulties. With the limited time I have, It feels like I'm fighting a losing battle. But I keep creating, because it is part of me. It is not easy currently and we must support the small businesses, the real artists as much as we can, otherwise I fear that real art is going to be lost.
Raising Money For
Surfers Against Sewage
I am hoping to raise some money for this awesome charity who are trying to put an end to plastic pollution and sewage pollution in our seas. I will donate 10% of the profit from all of my save the sea/ ocean pollution art work, whether its patches, prints or originals.
'Raw sewage is being dumped into our seas, lakes and rivers on an industrial scale – almost a million times last year alone. While people get sick and nature suffers, polluters profit and the regulators turn a blind eye. The system isn’t just broken, it’s rigged.' Surfers Against Sewage
Speaking of single use plastic. Despite our best efforts, sometimes it's hard to avoid. For example, the plastic wrap around tofu. I haven't found single brand that doesn't use it. Tofu is an important part of my families diet, so we buy it and we recycle that plastic at large supermarkets, along with any other single use plastics that we can't avoid. Perfection doesn't exist and I believe that a lot of eco anxiety stems from trying to be perfect environmentalists. This isn't about perfection. This is about making mindful choices with planet, animals, and our wellbeing in mind. My patches are created to raise awareness because awareness creates small changes that ripple in to big changes. My art is not to encourage perfection among those of us who have already adapted our lives to be more gentle, more kind and more compassionate. I write this because I so often feel like a hypocrite when I create my artwork. I am not a perfect environmentalist. I have tried and it lead to depression and burn out. I made so many sacrifices to my health and food shopping was an absolute nightmare! It left me feeling incredibly low. I live very gently and I make conscious choices. I am trying to be kinder to myself and release some of my eco anxiety.
So if you feel this too. please go easy on yourself. There is no perfect.
If you would like help living gently, I have a growing range of FREE artwork that you can download and print out to inspire your sustainable living journey. There is plenty that we, as individuals, can do to have a positive impact on the planet and I aim to help inspire small, simple changes that can make a big difference.
These downloads can be printed out and placed in your home or workplace to inspire you on your gently living journey.
I also have a range of educational colouring pages for children! Find Rex The Recyclasaur, Second Hand Super Hero and The Happy Earth and have fun learning as you colour!
Get Your Free Art & Colouring Pages
