59. What If You've Built the Wrong Creative Career? Beginning Again with Claire Gent

After 13 years of running a successful jewellery business, Claire Gent knew that something no longer felt right, but she wasn't sure what should come next. Picking up an art book in a cafe on a family holiday in Penzance she discovered the work of contemporary painter Alasdair Lindsay https://www.alasdairlindsay.co.uk/; she fell in love with it and it sparked a passion for her to pick up her own paintbrushes. What began as a new creative interest rapidly became an obsession. In 2024, Claire tested a small collection of paintings alongside her jewellery at the annual Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey in Devon https://craftfestival.co.uk/. She sold almost every piece, returned home with just two paintings and her partner immediately suggested they build her a studio. And so began this chapter of Claire's creative career. In our chat Claire talks candidly about losing her love for her jewellery business and the excitement of moving onto painting, how she is carrying the skills from one creative career into another, and learning from the burnout she experienced while supplying multiple galleries. We also discuss: • Recognising when a successful business is no longer making you happy • Testing a new creative direction before committing fully • Beginning again without beginning from nothing • Allowing your own artistic voice to emerge from your influences • Using a part-time job to support the development of your work • Pacing growth and resisting the pressure to accept every opportunity • Why Instagram should support the work rather than become the work • The many hats - and occasional grown-up decisions - involved in running a creative business You can see Claire's gorgeous semi-abstract field-scapes - with a hint of the sea - inspired by her home in Cornwall on her website https://www.clairegent.com/