Why drawing?

At 12 years old (2012) I found myself diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. After 4 years of competitive road cycling, I was catipulted into a seditary lifestyle. With a fraction of the energy I used to have, I watched a timelapse video of a realistic eye drawing on YouTube. I recreated the drawing and although it wasn’t quite as good as the artists, I felt a sense of pride within myself for the first time since I raced. Drawing quickly became my escape and my growing love was clear to see. The improvement I noticed between each drawing gave me the same buzz I once got from winning a cycling race. I vowed that I wouldn’t stop practicing until I could draw as well as my inspirations.

Selling my first drawing…

Three months into my new love affair my classmates were asking me to draw them. 12 year old me must’ve had the entrepreneurial flare from the get go, I said yes BUT only if you give me £5. This was back when £5 could actually get you more than just one icecream, so the deal seemed fair. I did several portraits for my classmates, some paid, some didn’t. This was the moment I learnt the importance of a deposit…

A few months on, I got my first proper commission at 13 years old, by an actual adult. This was SO incredibly exciting to me. I went round to the customers house and took some photos of their dog Woody. The black and white portrait was 12”x16” (A3) in size and I sold it for £40. This entire experience was enough to make me realise that I want to do this forever.

Growing my business…

Since my very first sketch I’ve been uploading my drawing journey to Instagram. I grew a following of 35K in a year. Admittedly, Instagram was much simplier and easier to grow back then! My audience was mostly my age, so my sales didn’t originate in this way. Throughout my school and college years I had a steady stream of commissions and gratefully, I never had to get a part time job. This wouldn’t have been feasible with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome regradless, so for that I was so grateful.

Facebook was the main source of my leads and I was desperate to do this full time. I vividly remember gazing out of classroom windows planning business ideas, and ways of how I could convince my parents to let me leave this place. I clearly didn’t convince well enough as I ended up enduring it all. The majority of my commissions were pets, and although this was never intentional, I certainly wasn’t complaining! Spending many years at home with my dog Maisy, I knew that special bond we have with our pets all too well. She became my bestfriend and would keep me company for all of the hours that I drew. During this time I posted less on Instagram and went down to 15k followerss. I found the balance hard, my business, exams, catching up with classes, and trying to build a social life in my later teenage years.

Going full time…

There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to do this full time, or at least try. I was 18 years old and all of my friends went off to University. My optimism was high at first but I quickly realised that this is going to be much tougher than I realised. The first year was tough, I had an ok stream of work but less than I expected. A year in I felt stupid for ever thinking that I could make it work. I was facing up to the fact that I should probably start looking for jobs and that’s what I did. Upon applying I had a feeling of dread throughout my body. So I told myself I’d give this one last shot, but this time, I give it absolutely EVERYTHING.

The next 3 years went by like a blink. I achieved every goal I ever had with my business. I had taught over 30+ people how to improve their drawing skills with 1:1 sessions and I drew about 300 portraits. I worked incredibly long hours, often 18 hour days with no weekends. It was absolutely everything to me. I sacrificed a lot too, turning down social events and family time. In 2022 I needed a change. I’d proven to myself that I could do it, and it was time to learn balance.

Over the next few years I worked more “normal” hours, I created some of my favourite pieces to date and my skills significantly improved. I’ve been the happiest I’ve ever been, creating bespoke drawings and continuing to share my techniques with my students.

If you can take anything away from this little ramble, let it be that life can throw curveballs, but sometimes you do have the ability to turn it into a positive. I can look back 12 years on and be grateful for the fact that I became ill at 12 years old. Back then, life felt so unfair. I had my fair share of low moments, but I always tried to focus on what I COULD do. Little did I know it would lead me to live a life I never knew was possible. I can safely say I’m grateful for my illness and if I could show little Lucy how it all played out she’d be speechless.