This is goodbye

Kind of.

Well, my friend. I have some pretty big news.

This will be my last newsletter to you, at least in this form.

I’m now pressing pause on everything in my business - the YouTube channel, the newsletter, Substack, the coaching, new course and product releases, et.c.

Everything except my painting practice.

Because about a month from now, I’m embarking on a new career path. I’m going to study to become an electrician.

I know. 😆

It’s kind of a 180, so let me explain a bit what’s been going on behind the scenes, and why I’ve made this decision.

I started this business back in 2021, because I’d been on sick leave for burnout, had re-discovered painting and wanted to make it my full-time occupation. But as we are all painfully aware of, art sales don’t happen on their own. The moment you make something your business, you also have to think about marketing, accounting, branding, website management, and a gazillion other things.

I’ve run businesses for most of my career, so this was nothing new to me. I got to work starting a YouTube channel, an new Instagram account, this Substack newsletter, and a new website. I also started teaching on Skillshare, which was my first real income source. Slowly but steadily, as my skills and audience grew, and I added new income streams, this business grew from nothing into a sustainable and fulfilling career that I’m incredibly proud of. And have been deeply enjoying, up until recently.

You see, when I started this art business, the internet looked a lot different than it does today. That feels crazy to say, since it’s only been about six years. Sounds like I’m an elder talking about life twenty or thirty years ago. 😂 “Well kids, when I was a wee 38-year-old starting my YouTube channel in the year of our lord 2021...”

But we’ve all noticed it, right? How rapidly things have gone sour online. The enshittification of social media, the advent of generative AI.

The online environment feels a LOT different right now. And I have to be honest - it’s not a good work environment anymore. I’ve had the internet as my primary workplace since around 2012. Up until just a couple years ago, it still felt like it worked for me. I knew how to get around, how to solve problems and reach my goals. I don’t feel that way anymore. Technology, software and online platforms feel more and more intrusive, manipulative and extractive. I feel less and less in control. More and more at the mercy of a handful of Silicon Valley tech cartels.

I’m extremely fortunate to have been able to somewhat stay afloat through these years. Even thrived sometimes. But always with anxiety, stress and panic lurking just around the corner. I’ve lived with this kind of uncertainty all my career, and so I’m used to it. I’ve almost never had a stable income and employment. I have very little savings. But optimism and my entrepreneurial spirit have kept me going.

However, this new internet, AI replacing creatives, the geopolitical situation, the big-tech monopolies, and what some people call “late stage capitalism” have crushed that spirit. My optimism is gone. Running a business doesn’t feel fun anymore. Or freeing, or hopeful. It just feels like survival.

On top of this, I’ve been feeling increasingly isolated, bored, and burnt out working from home, doing everything myself. This lifestyle that so many people dream about, and that was always my end-goal... it might shock you to hear, but it’s kinda overrated. Not saying this to brag or sound unappreciative, just telling you the truth of how I feel having had that for the majority of my working life. Sleeping in every day, never having to leave your house, barely having to interact with people out in the real world... It looses its novelty when it’s your daily default. You take it for granted, kind of the way I imagine billionaires take their economic security for granted.

For years, I’ve secretly longed for co-workers, regular work hours, a steady income + benefits, and feeling needed in the world. I don’t mean needed in vague terms, but needed in a very practical sense. Doing important work out in the real world, away from screens and cubicles.

I’ve especially admired and envied people in the trades. The ones that get to do hard work, with their hands, building things and fixing problems, making society run smoothly.

(Side note: I’m not glorifying this type of work - I know it comes with its own pains and sacrifices. Just like my current job does. Just like all jobs do.)

I’ve been especially curious about electrical work, and have kept it at the back of my mind as a kind of plan B if things were to really go south with my business.

Things haven’t gone south yet - in fact, it’s gone pretty well. But I still felt, at the start of this year, that I just don’t want to do this anymore. I never set out to be a content creator or *shudder* influencer. I wanted to paint. But as I’ve said many times in my videos and newsletters: turning a creative hobby into a business has some very real downsides. And those downsides aren’t worth it to me anymore.

I’m ready for a new chapter of my life. And so back in January, I decided to take the plunge and apply for electrician school. And I was accepted into a 1 1/2-year program starting at the 16th of March.

I’m beyond excited. 😌 Feel like I have a future to look forward to again. Can’t wait to learn this trade, and get out there in the field doing physically satisfying work. And be creative in my spare time, without pressure.

I still deeply love painting, and will continue releasing new collections, doing local exhibitions and selling my work. But I will do so at my own pace, and without the pressures of earning a living off it.

I will still send occasional newsletters to my “art lovers” email list, whenever I have new work coming out. So if you want to stay in touch and see my work, that’s where I’ll be. Sign up for it over here if you haven’t already.

But the art education, coaching, and content producing side of my business ends here. I won’t release new YouTube videos, or courses, or other offerings. Won’t take on new coaching clients. Won’t write any more regular newsletters. Won’t write on Substack anymore. (Because this platform, like all the others, also isn’t what it used to be. As of today, I’m unlocking my archive and removing paid subscriptions. If you’ve recently paid for a subscription there and want your money back, just email me and I’ll refund you.)

My existing courses and digital products on my website will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. And as a parting gift, I’m having a little celebratory course sale from now up until next Friday, the 27th. All art courses are 30% off during this time. No discount code needed, just use this link and the discount will be automatically applied and you’ll see it at checkout.

Finally, I want to say a very heartfelt THANK YOU, for being with me all these years. For watching my videos, subscribing to and replying to my newsletters, supporting me on Substack, buying my courses and products. Couldn’t have done this without you, and I’m so grateful.

It’s been a pleasure and I wish you the very best going forward.

With love and gratitude,

Louise