Most artists only dream of making a living from their work. They strive to balance working a full-time job every day, while still creating art that is true to their style, and some already have a family, which makes sneaking in creative time even more difficult.

Clare Haxby has accomplished great things with a lot of hard work, focus, and drive to become that artist others long to be like. She loves her husband and children, sells art worldwide, hosts an active website, and has delegated wisely so she can spend more time in the studio. She has learned so much, and makes wise decisions for her business, which makes Clare Haxby our influential artist to follow!

Creative Transition

As a lifelong creative, it was only eight years ago that Clare made the serious decision to return to her ‘career’ as an artist. She had just moved to Singapore from London with her family, and as her children embarked on the adventure of school, Clare took on her own by taking part in group shows at the Wessex estate along with other creatives. She also set up her very own studio in her home and began exhibiting with a solo show at The Fullerton Hotel.

Since then she has seen dozens of press features, both online and off. Recently, the Interior Design platform Houzz SG interviewed her to coincide with their launch in Singapore, presenting the CEO of Houzz with Clare’s Black and White print.

She’s also been featured in Honeycombers, Travelshopa, Sassy Mama SG, and more. However, her most exciting feature came to her as she just returned to London. Clare’s painting, Magenta meet me at the Gingerlilies, was mentioned in British Vogue’s centenary issue celebrating 100 years of the iconic magazine!

Attributes To Creative Business Success

You can work as hard as you like in the studio, but it’s outside the studio that business happens, and for Clare that means word of mouth plays a huge role in her sales.

“The power of recommendation is really such a great thing for startup businesses like mine. I have had so many clients recommend my work to their friends and colleagues and I have many clients who return to buy more prints for gifts after buying first for themselves. Many people buy my prints of Singapore landmarks, such as ‘Raffles Hotel’ or the ‘Singapore Shophouses’ as leavers gifts and they are now in homes around the globe.”

Besides word of mouth, how can you, as a reader who desires to grow your creative business, get more eyes on your work?

Clare had a studio on Malcolm Road in Singapore and held monthly Artist Open Days, where people could drop in to see her work and studio; it became well known and she had scores of people visit. It was informal and people liked it; it was a friendly and welcoming space. Clare says, “I really wanted the vibe to be open and not like those sometimes unfriendly and intimidating gallery spaces.”

In addition to that, she made her art affordable for fans who might not have otherwise been able to afford a fine art painting, by offering Limited Edition Prints. “I’m passionate about making my art and this is why I launched my collection of Limited Edition Prints; they are my affordable art range. It gives people who would not be able to buy an original piece an opportunity … that is a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand. Often people buy several prints.”

Isn’t that a beautiful concept? One person or one family could buy multiple pieces of your work to display at various places in their home, or to give away, versus having just one piece of your art. Clare appeals to two groups of people: those who love fine art (worth thousands) and can afford it, and those who appreciate limited edition fine art prints (worth hundreds) and need to be a little more economical. We vote it as a savvy business decision!

Clare’s Advice For Creative Business Owners

When asked how it felt to have so many new eyes on her work all the time, she was honest and humble, saying, “It can be a tad daunting putting yourself out there, but as long as you are represented in an authentic way in an interview or feature publicity, it’s a great tool for getting your name and brand reaching new potential customers. It’s vital for any business to have marketing and publicity.

It’s not something that really comes that naturally to me but I have pushed through that discomfort factor as I do want to be a successful artist, and for that you need to produce great original work but also people need to see it and know about it and they are not going to if you are too shy or reticent to promote your work. I tend to have a splurge on the PR and then go back to my more hermit, painting existence. I have someone helping me with marketing my business now, which is invaluable.”

She also adds, “My advice would be to get in touch with magazines and online platforms, send a press release of your recent projects to see if they are interested in using your story. Target your press releases to magazines and platforms that are relevant to your brand and try, where possible, to link it with a calendar event.”

Visit Clare Haxby Art Studio page to find out more about Clare’s work.