Friday, March 29, 2024

The art of Michelle Clarke

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A Canterbury farmer who is a self-confessed creative type says it hasn’t been the easiest of roads turning a passion for art into a fully-fledged business but she has done just that and is drawing inspiration from rural life. Cheyenne Nicholson reports.
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CANTERBURY farmer Michelle Clarke has trod a rather wobbly career path and even when she settled on art it very nearly didn’t happen. 

But now she has forged a successful art career that has grown her business, The Art of Michelle Clarke, into a full-time job. Her photographs and artwork grace the pages of magazines and walls all around the country and more recently she has turned her hand to writing and illustrating a children’s book. 

Michelle and husband Stephen Tuck manage on a 224-hectare dairy farm at Hororata where they milk 750 cows.

“We’ve only recently moved to this farm as we found it quite late in the season and it wasn’t in our original plan but with lockdown it came along at just the right time,” she says.

“Because art is a full-time job my time on the farm can be limited but I generally do the calf rearing on the farm each year, which I really enjoy and can fit it in around creating art.”

A keen artist throughout her school years she knew a career in the arts was slightly unrealistic. She dabbled in a few different jobs like riding racehorses, bartending and vet nursing before deciding to study art.

“I honestly thought it would get me to where I wanted to be in life. I loved art and creating so I thought yeah let’s do a fine arts degree.

“My ambitions were promptly stomped on though.”

She flunked all her assignments and exams and nine months in was told by a professor she should drop out because she didn’t stand a chance of passing the end-of-semester exams.

“I was basically told that I was terrible at the one thing I didn’t think I was terrible at. I did not pick up a paintbrush for two years after that and I grew to hate everything about the art world.”

She dropped out toward the end of the first year after lecturers speculated she might have learning difficulties but didn’t offer extra help or guidance.

“I was never diagnosed with anything and I’m not sure their speculations were entirely accurate as I’ve never been the most academic person. 

“I always wanted to be a vet from as early as I could remember but in later years of primary school I started having some learning difficulties show, particularly in maths and science, so the dreams of becoming a vet faded the older I became.”

With the tertiary education system failing her she switched gears and focused on photography and competing her horses in show jumping while maintaining a full-time job as a veterinary administrator at a small animal clinic in Redcliffs. The job was hands-on and she learned a lot under an encouraging boss and was even able to step into nursing roles in small surgeries.

“When I was in high school I made a Facebook page where I’d upload my photography and I just sort of kept doing that on the side. After a while I did get back into painting. I started small and posted my work on my social media. I’d sell the odd thing here and there but it was very much a side hustle for a long time.”

“I’m very much a creative type of person. I don’t like thinking about admin stuff, business or marketing so I never really thought about how I could turn it into a business. I just painted because I love to paint. Then I met my husband Stephen and he’s one of those people who is good at everything. He loves the business side of things and really encouraged me to give it a go.”

Not knowing much about business or marketing and having lost faith in traditional education she decided to teach herself the basics. Everything from setting up a website through to learning how to market herself properly.

“There’s honestly so many resources out there to utilise, a quick Google search and you’re away.” 

She has also learned a lot from Australian business strategist and human performance specialist Kerwin Rae and others who put out information and workshops on small business marketing.

“In a way I’ve learned to love that side of things, I guess because it affects my business and I like to figure out how to apply what I’ve learned to my business and test what works and what doesn’t.”

She puts a lot of her success down to the support and encouragement from Stephen and says that like many businesses, social media plays a huge role in the ongoing viability of her small business.

With more than 7000 followers on Instagram and 13,000 on Facebook she shares many aspects of her life online and treats it as a virtual diary of sorts. Steering clear of the more typical hard sell, she has built a rapport with her followers by keeping things authentic and down to earth. 

From life on the dairy farm with her pet cow Penelope to show jumping events with her horses as well as art projects and commissions – her social media pages showcase not just art but also rural life.

“I think that’s the key to using social media for business. It’s finding a way to connect with your audience and let them get to know you as the person they’re purchasing a product from.

“I basically have to post something every day if not twice a day as well as going on Instagram stories. From a post someone might go to my website and buy a print so it’s been a way to create a passive income.

“If I go dead on social media my whole business slows down, which means there’s always this pressure to post things, even when I’ve had enough of social media.”

In 2019 she branched into new territory by writing a book. A Horse Named Sydney is a children’s book based on the real-life adventures of her horse Sydney, which she has written, illustrated and self-published. Following that book’s success she is working on her next one, A Calf Named Penelope, based on the life and times of her calf, a fan favourite on her social media pages.

“I learned a lot with the Sydney book so I feel more polished coming into this one. 

“Mostly I figured out what worked with illustrations and what doesn’t so I’ve spent time figuring out sizing and drafting things.”

With plans to enhance and expand her creative offerings Michelle says her focus will continue being to create affordable artwork she enjoys creating and keep showing others you don’t need a degree to be successful. 

 “I’m a bit of an advocate for not going to university if you want to make a career out something like art or photography. 

“With any business you have to be willing to put in the time and effort and realise that it won’t become a success or a full-time job overnight. It takes time and commitment.”

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