Artist Mentoring

Photo: Eglė Duleckytė

Artist Mentoring & Individual Support

I believe that artists can help each other and learn from their own experiences, which is why I am now offering mentoring sessions to suit individual needs. I have over fifteen years experience working with individuals in a variety of settings, most specifically visual arts,
not-for-profit organisations and cultural associations. After a succession of resets in my own life, including re-establishing myself in a new country, and the trauma of a gas explosion destroying my house in 2020, I truly believe that we should not feel alone on the creative path, and success is not a 'one-size-fits-all'.

As a freelance artist it is often necessary to wear multiple 'hats' - whether through a part time job, teaching or facilitating workshops, selling prints, licensing artwork, or working in the cultural sector, the options are many and the work conditions are mostly precarious.

Through focussing and expanding upon an individually tailored skillset it is possible to build a unique support structure that feeds back into a feeling of alignment within any art practice.

I am available to work one-on-one IRL or online with visual artists of any medium from anywhere in the world who are looking for mentorship for their own creative practices, tailored to the specific requirements of each artist.

Mentorship can cover a range of subjects from;

Taking your studio work to the next level with a personal critique
Prepare and get feedback on a portfolio or upcoming exhibition
Setting and achieving professional goals
Make a strong start back into working after a break or career change
Setting up and running small creative organisations or groups
Empowering you to learn how to create your own website from scratch
Signposting - connecting you to resources to help you along the journey
Setting up a creative business or creative working group
Starting a community or project
Learning to teach your skills to others through facilitating workshops
Diversifying your income through what you are already good at
Starting out as an artist or creative - at any stage of your life

About Nina

I have 10 years experience working as a freelance multidisciplinary artist in the UK and Portugal, with a BA in Textile Art from Winchester College of Art, UK and a Masters level course in Curating and Commissioning Contemporary Public Art from the University of Gothenburg.
As co-founding director of a non-profit arts cafe and events venue in the UK I also have over 9 years experience building communities and developing structures to maintain such projects. I work as artistic coordinator of Art & Craft Refúgio - a project situated within Largo Residências, integrating migrants and refugees through the practice of art & crafts.
In 2022 I founded Collage Working Club, a growing platform for artists working in the medium of paper to share technique and knowledge. As a regular visiting artist at International Schools across the greater Lisbon area I have over seven years experience with International Baccalaureate students and practices, as well as workshop experience across cultural venues, artist run spaces and universities internationally. See also - Artist Bio

Photo: Vitorino Coragem

How we can work together

We can set the timings of the session to work around your schedule. I recommend at least one hour session a month, but one-off sessions are also possible. Sessions charged per hour, and presential sessions will incure any travel expenses on my part.
Contact me for more information by sending an email to [email protected] or filling in the form:

Testimonials

- Nina really helps to push your art practice forward, in a personal and professional way. She is very experienced in both the artistic and business side of the art practice and understands your individual constraints and needs. She gives wonderful advice, is down to earth and super friendly! ~FS~

~ Nina has been my lighthouse these last few months! She has been the support that I've needed in my first year as an artist / mother. We meet bi-weekly, set goals and she provides the guidance I need to meet those goals. She is wise and experienced beyond her years. One of my goals will be checked off the list this upcoming weekend at my art show. ~RC ~

- Nina’s mentoring sessions are a great support in navigating the complex terrain of developing an art practice. She gives encouraging and insightful art critique and lots of practical advice about materials, techniques, projects and using social media, all the things needed to keep a practice together. ~AC ~

“Nina has been brilliant, helping me channel my ideas, set myself goals, and produce and experiment more. In our discussions we’ve struck up a fruitful way of taking ideas and methods, and figuring how I might develop them in the future. What Nina does very cleverly and discretely is to leave me at the end of a session knowing just what I want to do next (and which is generally not quite what I had intended before). She’s not a teacher, nor a sounding board: it’s more like having a separate brain alongside your own.” ~G~

"Nina's mentorship has been instrumental in helping me tap into my creative instincts and explore new avenues in art. Her encouragement and support have not only enriched my artistic journey but also inspired me to showcase my work in exhibitions, pushing me to continuously grow and evolve as an artist." ~KH~

“Over every mountain, there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley." - Theodore Roethke