Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zoe Fitchet. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Zoe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’ve been a full time artist for the last four years, creating works in either coloured pencil or acrylic. Prior to this I worked in the interior design industry as an in-house artist and managed the team of creative designers. Stepping away from an employed role to the unknown territory of the small business world was definitely a daunting prospect; however I had gradually started to build a client base alongside my job and felt the time was right to at least try it out.

I was fortunate enough to gain enough attention through social media and recommendations from clients, and so began to build on the foundations I’d laid, creating predominantly pet portraits. Here and there, I started to introduce wildlife subjects and made a steady transition towards becoming a wildlife artist. Through all of my wildlife work, I have pointed towards conservation and support charities and projects with each piece.

As my family grew, my available creative time was reduced, but with the flexibility of working for myself I have been able to maintain a constant income through my work. Earning a ‘full-time’ living from my work has definitely fluctuated from month to month, but it’s always an enjoyable journey and with each year that goes by, the trials, successes and failures teach me so much.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up in the South of England and spent my childhood exploring the countryside, giving me a deep appreciation for the natural world. From a really early age I was always obsessed with drawing animals and had a fascination for creating artwork that looked realistic. The details, the skill involved and the results giving the impression the drawing could come alive, were huge motivations for me, and I continued to practice daily to improve my ability.

I began selling art in my teens, and have worked as an artist in various capacities for my entire adult career. As I ventured into taking my own artwork full time, I started to focus solely on wildlife and began supporting conservation.
For me, creating wildlife art in a realistic style allows the viewer to get a real glimpse of the beauty of each species; taking in the details, their expressions and connecting with them in a way they may not be able to with the animal in the wild. I love to work with a neutral palette and will often select subjects with more muted tones, creating pieces that are light and contemporary. Over the last few years I have developed a style recognised for it’s simplicity as well as it’s detail.

A recent project I’ve worked on, the DIMINISHING collection, highlights 100 species that are anywhere from near threatened to critically endangered. To complete such a large body of work, I created a miniature drawing of each species measuring only 1.5” x 1.75”. The project as a whole allowed me to share so much information about these threatened species and I continue to support each species with a donation from every sale.

My biggest inspiration is definitely the desire to help and support wildlife in their natural habitat, which is why I focus so much of my work around wildlife conservation. Wildlife art can help to bridge the gap between the work going on in the field, with those who love the species and want to find a way to help. I work directly with charities who support and carry out the research and field work, and so every single donation from my originals or prints goes straight towards the conservation efforts.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a full time artist comes with a number of different roles, from the admin to the marketing, the social media content to the accounts and then of course the artwork itself. The good definitely outweighs the bad, but that doesn’t mean it comes without it’s challenges. I’ve found throughout my journey as a full time wildlife conservation artist, I have had many failures and unexpected problems to overcome. Most of which come down to taking risks, such a changing my subject matter or experimenting with style and scale.

When I first started out I would fill my diary with pet portraits, which allowed a steady flow of income. These pieces were easy to share and each one would bring in more interest and bookings. However, when I started introducing more and more wildlife art, figuring out my style and composition, it was much harder to extend my reach to interested buyers. Commissioning a piece of artwork is so different to choosing to own an original, as the concept and inspiration comes from the artist rather than the client. Slowly but surely I built a client base who were interested in my wildlife artwork and began selling originals and prints of my own work, but it definitely felt like an uphill battle!

There have been so many times that I’ve considered going back to square one and doing what is easy, but my desire to create artwork of the wildlife I love is so strong, I simply couldn’t go back, no matter how challenging it becomes.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFTs are an interesting subject in the art world, and especially with wildlife artists who are conscious of the environmental impact they can have. Initially I found NFTs to be a bit of a challenge to understand, with the new language, currency and concepts. However after a little research, what they were became a bit clearer and I discovered there were slightly more energy efficient ways of minting and processing them.

I was approached by an artist in the states who had gathered several others interested in selling NFTs with a direct link to conservation; using the the most eco friendly platform and donating a portion of sales to charities.

The technology and purchasing of NFTs has become even more straightforward, with the ability to buy with a card payment and avoiding cryptocurrency altogether.

In terms of value, it’s a little harder to gauge how much can be earned from selling NFTs as there are so many variables. And I often find they are an easy subject for scammers to try and con artists, which unfortunately is becoming a huge problem.

But all in all, I think it’s good to have options when it comes to art, and although the digital world may still seem peculiar, it is definitely something worth exploring.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.zoefitchet.co.uk
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/zoefitchetart
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/zoefitchet.art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-fitchet-b71b0221b
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/zoefitchetart
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@zoefitchetart3480
• Yelp: https://www.yell.com/biz/zoe-fitchet-art