New Artist - 2016__

my freelance work had dried

to a trickle I reinvented myself

again. I created ColourMeArt.

As a mum of three by this stage

• a mum who could draw, loved
  colour, texture and nature – I
  decided to put my own name
  on a brand. ColourMeArt is
  a range of products for kids
  (and adults now) to colour in:

colouring posters, cards, books,

bookmarks. I hand-draw all

artwork and it’s produced and

printed in Australia where the

range is on sale in over 250

shops. It’s been incredibly hard

work and I often wonder whether

I should go and get a ‘proper’

job but the satisfaction of seeing

my own drawings come together

in a packaged product form sold

all over Australia is great. I do all

my own marketing so I bomb up

and down the country selling my

range – a very old fashioned way

of doing it but it gives me a great

excuse to see some wonderful

places and meet my customers.

I’ve managed to add one more

creative job to the mix: The Art

Studio. I work in an enormous

studio space in a warehouse

in Sydney. I fell in love with the

lovely, light building and took

on the lease, divided it into

smaller spaces and now share

with 10 other creatives. We have

a website and Facebook page

and I also teach in one half of the

studio. I love working alongside

artists again. We are all different

• there’s a milliner, a pattern
  cutter, four painters, a concrete
  poet, a photographer, a writer
  and a mural artist. It’s inspiring
  and interesting and we support
  and encourage each other.

MORE INFORMATION

Owww.helenashleydesigns.com

Owww.colourmeart.com

Owww.theartroomstudio.com.au

Above: ”I still design for

Helen Ashley Designs.

I was commissioned to

do a series of paintings

last year that have been

turned into placemats

and coasters.”

smuggle my initials into every
design I did for them!
I also taught at the University
of Technology Sydney, but was
quickly depressed by the way
textile design was becoming
computerised – the students
had no interest in learning how
to draw or mix paint!
About five years ago when

Helen‘s advice for anyone thinking of making a career of it...

OThink sideways – keep an eye out for an opportunity or tangent.

Re-evaluate constantly what you are doing so you don’t get

stuck in a creative rut.

ODon’t design ‘down’ to the masses – give every job, no matter

how small, your best work.

OA design is only as good as the printing so if you can have any

input into the colour or strike-offs, it’s worth it.

ODon’t be a job snob or bite the hand that feeds you. Your old

office junior might be your boss in a year or two.

OTake a look around you and smell the roses! You’re so lucky

to be creative.

Making art your career