We were lucky to catch up with Sophie Green recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sophie, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think that having a bigger purpose for your work can definitely help to prevent burnout. I always knew that I wanted my artwork to make a difference in some way and I am passionate about trying to use my artwork to raise awareness and money for wildlife and conservation issues. For example, my 2022 collection, Impermanence, was inspired by an expedition I went on to the Arctic, where I witnessed first hand the devastating effects of climate change. I wanted to create a collection of polar-inspired pieces, but soon realised the interconnectedness of life on this planet and the eco-systems all over the world that are affected by the climate crisis. I ended up creating a collection of realistic wildlife pieces, with 30% of the sales going into a project fund, which I created to support conservation projects worldwide.

Whenever I felt creatively burnt out or stressed, I would remind myself of the positive impact that my artwork was having on the natural world and the animals that would be impacted. It definitely helped to ground me.

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 am a contemporary artist, conservationist and environmentalist from the UK. I paint hyper-realistic wildlife portraits, using acrylic on linen canvas, to raise awareness and money for important issues in the wildlife and conservation spheres.

I have always painted since childhood and was only really interested in painting what I found fascinating – the natural world. In fact, I was so disinterested in learning about other styles, mediums and subjects, that I was never particularly successful at art in school and would usually get in trouble for chatting to friends. After school, I went into working in the film and television industries for a number of years and would paint on the side as a hobby. Eventually, I became a primary school teacher, where I realised pretty quickly that I had no spare time anymore to do what I loved. It was this that spurred me on to finally become a professional artist.

Since becoming an artist, I have set out to use my art to connect people with nature. The realistic style of my paintings allows people to feel like they’re face-to-face with animals that they may never see in real life. My hope is that by allowing people to feel truly connected with nature, they will feel inspired to make a difference and help to conserve the natural world.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

As a conservationist, as well as an artist, my view on NFTs is slightly different to most artists. On the one hand, I think that ever-changing and evolving mediums and practises is great and as humans, we are all very adaptable and can take advantage of these sorts of things whilst the wave is rising.

On the other hand, crypto-currency and blockchain technology is notoriously bad for the environment. Of course, there are ways around this – by off-setting your carbon emissions, for example. It would probably take at least 3 trees to make up for the damage done by one NFT. There are also some currencies that use less energy, such as Tezos.

I had a chat with an expert on blockchain technology last year, to discuss whether or not it’s actually possible to create NFTs in a sustainable way, or if the topic has been slightly greenwashed. From what I was told, it seems that unless you are selling your NFTs for millions and are therefore able to give back to the environment in a big way, creating NFTs is unnecessary and damaging (as well as contributing to an industry which has a long way to go in terms of sustainability).

That said, I’m sure that it won’t be long before there is an environmentally-friendly way of creating and selling NFTs. Whether or not the NFT concept is a flash in the pan, is another question!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started out on social media pretty late in the game, so it was always a no-brainer to have a social media page for my art. As creatives, we have access to the whole world on a platform which is completely free. Social media has been hugely beneficial to my career. Most of my collectors find me on social media and my agent and publisher both found me through Instagram. Building an online presence, for me, was definitely a slow-burner, but I believe that it helped me in the long run to develop more of a community and really connect with my followers.

Like most, I started out taking photos and videos on my phone and posting them on Instagram sporadically. It was difficult for the small handful of followers that I had to feel connected with my journey when I was posting blurry photos of artwork every other week. I started to pay attention to the pages that I personally felt most connected to and look at what they were doing to get people interested; high quality photos and videos, consistency, posting at the same time every day, showing you ‘behind the scenes’ shots and engaging with people. I started to implement some of these things and realised that I actually really enjoyed engaging with my followers; replying to comments and messages, listening to what people liked and didn’t like. Now, when I create content, I have my followers in mind and put together photos and videos using my camera, that I think will be interesting, relaxing or helpful to my followers. I believe that has been the game-changer for me – realising that it’s called ‘social’ media for a reason and that really it’s just a platform to meet people and create a community of like-minded individuals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sophiegreenfineart.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sophiegreenfineart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sophiegreenfineart
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/sophiegreenart