The Significance of Teaching in My Art Practice. ~. by Lily Swain

My first passion will always be making art but a close second is teaching. After I graduated with a BA in Fine Art, I quickly realized it’s hard to make a consistent living as an artist. 
Teaching feels like a natural extension of my art practice so I pursued an Arts Education degree. Not long after graduating I got married and had a baby. I went on to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom for the next seven years. 
Over this time I continued to make art (short bursts, definitely deadline driven) and taught mixed-media painting and collage workshops. 
These workshops have turned into something really special. I design them to teach new skills but to also nurture our Inherent creativity. So many people come saying they used to love making art but have stopped due to this reason or that. The pressures and obligations of adult life. Making art seems to drop to the bottom of our priority lists. 
There is so much joy in someone who has tapped back into their creativity. Making art for the simple joy of making art. Facilitating these workshops has become a real highlight of my work. 
In September 2022 my youngest son started Junior Kindergarten, making me a full-time artist. Teaching has played a big roll in this transition and sometimes I think I might get more out of my workshops than my students. I feel energized and inspired with my own work and I look forward to more teaching !
Lily Swain’s BIO is here:>
Lily Swain’s website is here:> lilyswain.com