Ciara Gilmore, Artist, Teacher and Coach, Ciara Gilmore Art
I'm Ciara, and I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and I discovered my love of art from an early age. I never stopped creating, even during my time as an occupational therapist and complementary therapist.
Following the birth of my beautiful two children, a natural break in work inspired me to say goodbye to conventional employment and follow my dream of becoming a full-time artist.
Self-taught, I found my groove in textile art for a while, then progressed to abstract expressionism, which finally felt like home.
Today you will find me painting in my garden studio with paint-splattered hair and a mug of hot tea! I am humbled to say my art has found homes all around the globe. I also teach abstract painting and art business skills through my online courses.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Instagram. It works well for artists as it is a visual platform. It's like having your personal online gallery. Instagram seems to be the place where my ideal customers hang out, and my art students are. I love it more than any other platform and feel it is a great place for visual artists to be!
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I'm an abstract expressionist, artist and teacher, and business coach. I paint large-scale statement art pieces. I like to call them 'lyrical symphonies of colour to make your soul sing'. My aim with my paintings is to touch the hearts of others and connect with them on a deep emotional level.
It's like poetry by paint! In creating art, I attempt to express the invisible energies of love, hope and joy. Therefore, my paintings tend to have contrasting solid elements like light and dark colours, soft and hard edges, and textured and smooth spaces.
This contrast seems to draw the viewer in and captivate them, taking them o a journey into my own personal world of creativity and connection to something that I simply cannot describe.
My paintings have often been described as ethereal and heavenly at times. Being an artist is an amazing job, and I'm grateful to call myself a professional artist. It took a while to get to a place that I could call 'successful', and there was a lot of learning along the way.
And so, through this journey of revelations and lessons, I decided it was time to teach other artists... so they could avoid my mistakes, and hopefully, I could take them to where they want to be faster and more efficiently.
I do this through my online courses and 1:1 coaching. I love being an art and business teacher who has a fulfilment like no other. Witnessing and being a part of the accomplishments and successes of my students is the most satisfying feeling.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
It's not like a job. I do what I love every single day and make a great living from it. I love painting for myself as a creative activity, but I also love the role of painting for others. I believe that every painting I paint is for someone else.
That's why, as I paint very intuitively, I sometimes never know where my painting will end up. It takes on a life of its own, and even if I don't understand why I know that the person who will own it will see the answer!
I love coaching artists to run their businesses. It's tough when you start out, and they don't seem to teach business skills in art college, so it's difficult for most to get up and running. I have an online business course for artists and also have 121 coaching, which is really rewarding.
There are so many opportunities for artists these days. And the outdated traditional way of selling art is being turned on its head with the ease of communication via the web. It's an exciting time for artists. If only they would stop believing in the starving artist myth.
The biggest lie in the creative world! I'm a single parent, and I have a menagerie of rescue dogs, so I love that my career allows me the flexibility and the luxury of working from home. Of course, it does mean that I probably drink too much tea and eat too many bickies, but that's fine... I can live with that!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Done is better than perfect. I used to get so stuck on perfecting my paintings that I would never show them to anyone. They were always not quite 'good enough' in my head. I have now been able to tame my inner critic and show my art even if I don't feel it's 100%.
It sells anyway, regardless of my insecurities. Every day, this mantra was in my head when I promoted and created my first online course. It was a mammoth task to create the videos and write the content.
I always aired on the side that it has to be perfect, so progress was very slow until I found my favourite piece of advice... 'done is better than perfect', and the rest is history.
I now have consistent five-figure months from my online courses and could not have done this without this amazing piece of advice!
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
I'm a great believer in trusting yourself and your intuition. It has taken a while, but in all of my decisions, I have now come to a place where I trust my choices. I know intuitively they are the right ones for me. I trust my gut. I trust myself.
I'm inspired by the success of other artists, especially women and businesswomen who have taken big leaps of faith and risks to fulfil their dreams. Their resilience, stamina, consistency, and success inspire and motivate me.
I'm a great believer in the power of positive thinking, and I work on my mindset daily to help me be the best version of myself, both personally and as an artist and business owner. Mindset work is a non-negotiable for me, and it has probably been the most significant factor in my success to date.
I'm now quite good at switching difficult situations into learning lessons and can amplify what is going well through powerful affirmations and a strong mindset for success. I think in terms of my personality, I have always wanted to experience more, try new things out, and push myself to the limits of what I'm capable of.
Now I'm not talking about jumping out of an airplane or anything daft like that. I just mean being as good as I can be.
I love variety and challenges. But, I'm never content to sit back and let the days roll in. I want to make a difference in this life. I want to do something special.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I'm proud of the risks I took and for never giving up on my dreams. I'm proud that I am a successful artist and that I have created opportunities for myself through hard work, self-belief and being consistent.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I'm basically an introvert at heart, but when I'm with like-minded people, I just love it! I connect with my students from all over the world through zoom but meeting them in person is amazing.
I build relationships and connections through some of the courses I attend or group masterminds I have been a member of. And, of course, there's nothing like networking at an exhibition opening or art show.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
My ability to take a risk. Try it out. If it doesn't work, then put it down to experience and lessons learned. Everything I experience is always helping me grow and develop as a better artist and business owner.
My ability to be consistent has been a quality I have improved on... as when you start out as an artist and you are not getting much feedback. It can feel isolating and hopeless.
So, showing up and being consistent is a challenge. It feels like its a waste of time. But sticking to my plan and being consistent paid off.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
That in order to build a successful business, you need to invest in yourself. I played at running my business for eight years and didn't think I needed to learn any business skills. I was probably just scared. But I have come to realise that the more I invest in myself, the more my business grows!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I admire Caitlin Bacher, Gabby Berstein, Amy Porterfield, Mariah Coz, Denise Duffield Thomas and my favourite artist, the wisest and most talented artist I know, Natasha Barnes.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I love my kids and dogs. So walking them takes up my free time. I also love to potter in my garden, grow plants from seed and tend my cottage garden flowers. I have lots more hobbies that I would love to do, but my priorities as a single parent will always be my kids.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic had a very positive effect on my business. It was my best year at that point. As people had to stay inside their homes a lot more than usual and no one could spend their savings on holidays, I think they switched to spending money on their interiors.
And a piece of original art is the finishing touch to any interior design project. So, it went crazy! I couldn't keep up in 2020 with paint commissions and sales. It was fantastic!
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I have had various mentors along the way and definitely recommend one. They help to keep you motivated and focused on your goals. I tended to be in small group mastermind groups, so have never had a 121 experience. I learnt different things from every coach I was with. I have mentored some artists in a 121 setting. I have taught both painting skills and business strategies. It's very rewarding.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
I would say:
1. find your passion and focus on it. So if you like abstract, then be the best abstract artist you can be. If you like painting animals, then focus and be the best animal painter you can be.
2. When artists start off, they often try to do a little bit of every artist out there. However, niching down and developing a unique signature style is the answer to success in your art journey.
3. I would also say invest in yourself, buy art courses and business courses. As you don't know what you don't know, you need to keep studying and learning and never stop. Your business will grow as you grow.
4. Don't allow the starving artist's mindset to burrow into your beliefs. It's a load of nonsense. You will only struggle if you decide to believe it! Get your mindset success ready and build an attitude of success and gratitude.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Beginners often succumb to the starving artist's belief and give up if they haven't sold their art within a short space of time. Selling art is hard in the beginning because you don't have a big enough audience of your perfect buyers.
There are things that you need to set in motion to help build your audience and find your buyers. A lot of artists don't focus on this part, go straight to selling and give up when no one buys (because they don't have an audience).
A lack of consistency is also another rookie mistake. Consistency helps to build your business, but artists can sometimes take long breaks either in their art practice or their online visibility and this damages any momentum they have previously created.
Getting overwhelmed by the admin and tech side of running a business. This can be a major roadblock for artists as they might try to set up tech for their website, for example, fail, then throw in the towel.
Seeking out help for overwhelming tasks can be inexpensive, but sometimes the assumption is... I can't afford that, so there's no point.
As with any type of business, artists may feel that if they don't get results fast enough, it's failing... they give up too soon just when a breakthrough is around the corner.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
Everything always works out for me! A daily mantra of mine!
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
I love all things to do with living an abundant, happy, positive life, so my favourites are Jessica Caver Lindholm, Gabby Berstein, and Denise Duffield Thomas.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success means different things to different people. For me, it has meant being able to make a thriving income from my art and online courses. I am finally secure in terms of my finances and the future and never have the money worries of my past. I can provide a great life for my children without struggle. And I can now buy my dream house.
I'm not a big traveller or into fancy clothes, so the call for a comfortable home and secure future is what success means to me. Also, being able to treat my kids and family whenever I want is lovely!
There is only one big lesson I want to share, and that is the mindset. You can have all the strategies for success set up in your art business, but if you don't believe you can be or deserve to be successful, it probably won't happen.
Get yourself onto audible and download The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes or The Game of Life and how to play it by Florence Scovel Shinn, and start getting your mindset in order!