‘We have nothing to lose from giving something a go’
Watching a TV programme about art inspired Sally Mackness to pick up a paintbrush. That single moment marked the start of a successful new career
The walls of my house are covered with bright, abstract art I have created. I am an artist, though I am still coming to terms with this. Because only a year ago, I hadn’t picked up a paintbrush since I was a child.
Before this happened, I wasn’t in a good place. Friends would have said that I had a lovely life, and I did. With a supportive husband, three children and a job as a freelance business consultant, I had a lot to be thankful for. But I felt I was going through the motions. I wasn’t depressed, but I was far from fulfilled. We were halfway through redecorating our home. I remember living in this house that was half-finished and feeling that I wasn’t quite finished, either. It was as if I was waiting.
I can vividly recall the moment that what I wanted came into focus. I was ironing on a Saturday night when a programme on the Royal Academy of Arts in London caught my attention. As I listened to the artists talking, I was captivated.
The following morning, on a whim, I went out and bought some paints, a palette knife and canvases, and I just started painting. I began in the afternoon and became so absorbed that I didn’t go to bed. Technically, I didn’t know what I was doing, but my painting felt instinctive. It was as if someone had switched on a light bulb above my head.
I could have kept painting as a hobby, but it very quickly became something bigger. After finishing my existing projects for my clients, I started painting every hour that I could, and I began to upload pictures of my art on to social media for sale.
My paintings are abstract, so people see in them what they want to see. Often they see more than I ever intended. To my great surprise they began to garner a lot of interest online. Within weeks people were placing orders and I was selling my art. Overwhelmed, and incredibly humbled, I threw myself head first into this new world.
It was the school holidays and I found myself in the strange position of juggling my children with a new creative career that I was still getting my head around. I’d often start at 8pm and paint into the night.
The reaction to my paintings has been incredible. As well as gaining huge support from people who have come to exhibitions at home, I’ve had some big commissions from abroad, such as selling to the British Consulate in New York.
Pieces go from around £50, up to £1,500 for a large canvas, and I’ve now launched home décor, such as cushions, as well.
It has been an incredibly surreal year. I have sold over 700 pieces of art, and I have about 25 works in progress at any time. Combining all I’ve learnt about business in my career with something so creative is such a joy. I feel like I am on my own path.
It’s not easy going after something you want, especially when you have a busy home life. I have found it incredibly difficult being away from my family for work and, at times, I have been wracked with self-doubt. But I am proud of it all.
We all get the same shot at life and have nothing to lose from trying something new. Nobody was more surprised than I was to discover a passion for something that had never entered my consciousness before.
It was as if someone had switched on a light bulb above my head