For those that may not be aware, the fish image you see at the top of my blog sidebar symbolises that I am a Christian. This inevitably affects my business principles as well as the rest of my life, so I thought I’d share with you how it makes a difference.

As a Christian, I believe that my creativity is a gift, given and inspired by God, and that using and expressing it delights him as much as I enjoy doing it. I enjoy seeing others discover and develop their own creative gifts, so I teach and host workshops in my studio. I also believe that, as people created in the image of God, our Creator, we all have creativity within us. Those that think they are not ‘artistic’ or ‘can’t draw’ have often been put off art in early life – I’d love to work with you to find a way of expressing that hidden or suppressed creativity.

I aim to offer a quality experience for a fair price: I need to earn an income and cover my costs, but I’m not after making huge profits at your expense. Building my own studio to work and teach in was part of this principle as it keeps my overheads down and allows me to better foster a creative environment. I also keep my group sizes small so that I can get to know you better, as well as being more available to give as much guidance and support as you need during a session than if you were in a larger group. I order materials to demand, so this may mean you have a slightly longer wait than if I carried stock but you only pay for what you need rather than stuff sitting unused or unsold on shelves. And as a thank you for supporting me, I’ll give you a loyalty discount on materials you buy through me.

As a Christian, I believe that we have a responsibility to look after the earth’s resources. As far as is practical, I aim to minimise damage to the environment caused by my business. Recycling bins are available in the studio, and some workshops are even based on upcycling and reusing things that would otherwise be thrown away. I also want to be as ethical as I can be in my business dealings, so I will give honest reviews and feedback, state any conflicts of interest, and I’ve turned off any adverts from unethical sources such as gambling or get-slim/rich-fast sites.

I hope that my spirituality and beliefs are expressed through my own artwork and I will be running workshops in the future to facilitate others to do the same. I am also involved in using art in worship settings at my church and would be happy to share my (currently slight) experience in this.

I’m bound to talk about my faith and beliefs in the context of our conversations with one another during a class, just as I would include any other important part of my life. As you’re not coming to be preached at, I promise I won’t do that! Of course, if you have any questions about God, being a Christian, or becoming a Christian, I’d be more than happy to answer them as best as I can.