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Bonny Snowdon 00:06
Hello, I'm Bonny Snowdon, ex-corporate person, a mother turned successful artist entrepreneur. It wasn't that long ago though that I lacked the confidence, vision and support network to focus on growing my dream business. Fast forward past many life curveballs, waves of self-doubt and so many lessons learned and you'll see Ignite, my thriving online colour pencil artists community, a community that changes members' lives for the better and gives me freedom to live abundantly whilst doing what I love and spending quality time with my beloved family and dogs, all whilst creating my best artwork with coloured pencils, and mentoring others to do the same. But this life wasn't always how it was for me, it used to only exist in my imagination. I've created the It's a Bonny Old Life podcast to help increase people's confidence, share mine and my community'S experience and hope through fascinating personal stories, champion the other amazing humans in my personal, professional and membership community, and create another channel through which I can support others to realize their dreams. If you're a passionate coloured pencil artist, or an aspiring one who's looking to create their best work, and a joyful life you love, you're in the right place. Grab a cuppa and a custard cream, let's get cracking. My next guest is a fabulous artist. I've known her for quite a few years, we've met up. She's absolutely brilliant. Her work is awesome, very recognizable, and we share the same birthday. So, I absolutely love this chat. Very, very, very delighted to be introducing the gorgeous Maddy from Fito Art.
Maddy 01:42
Hello.
Bonny Snowdon 01:42
Hi.
Maddy 01:43
Long time.
Bonny Snowdon 01:48
I know. We're both sitting here. We haven't got washed hair.
Maddy 01:48
You don’t have to tell everybody.
Bonny Snowdon 01:57
Well, we haven't got any water. We have no water again.
Maddy 02:01
That is a very good excuse actually, why your hair looks a mess. I'm sorry. Water shortages.
Bonny Snowdon 02:08
We haven't got any they've had two massive leaks where we are. One last week and then one today. No water.
Maddy 02:16
Oh, wow. Seriously you have no water?
Bonny Snowdon 02:18
No water. No.
Maddy 02:20
I thought you were joking.
Bonny Snowdon 02:24
No, not joking. Normally I would look really beautiful and had all my hair coughed. Of course, I would. So, nice to see you, Maddy. How are you?
Maddy 02:40
Nice. I’m recovering from long COVID which physically and mentally has been quite a setup really. Because it's just a mess. You feel absolutely awful. It's an inflammation all over your body. That's why you get the headaches, the tiredness. But there's this a lot of people suffering with that. Just one of them.
Bonny Snowdon 03:05
People think that's no good. Is it? But you’re still managing to work because I know you don't work? Well, I'll let you do a bit of an introduction. But I know you don't work full time as an artist. Do you work for British Rail?
Maddy 03:21
I work for the railway. That's a full-time job, which it's a long way to drive about three hours commute a day. At the moment, I'm not at work because I'm not really fit for work. I'm at home at the moment, but hopefully for not too much longer I'll be going back. But I've got plenty of time for drawing right now. Which is great.
Bonny Snowdon 03:47
That is good. So, is always a silver lining.
Maddy 03:51
It definitely is. It is allowing me to do little projects that I want to do. As you know, I absolutely love Greyhounds. I don’t have one of my own. But I do love to draw these dogs. I was actually counting how many dogs I've drawn since I started. It was 168. 50% are sigh towns and of firm 48 were Greyhounds. So, just shows.
Bonny Snowdon 03:51
You've got a proper niche going there.
Maddy 03:52
Yeah, definitely. Because the first dog that I drew which I didn't even know what bread it was, happened to be a Greyhound. That's how people with Greyhound started following me on social media.
Bonny Snowdon 04:40
I got one.
Maddy 04:44
That is one of my cards as your birthday card.
Bonny Snowdon 04:50
Yeah.
Maddy 04:51
That’s nice to see you still kept it.
Bonny Snowdon 04:53
Yeah. You do a lot for the Spanish.
Maddy 04:57
Galgos?
Maddy 04:58
Yes, which is very similar to a Greyhound. But you say they call them Spanish Greyhounds, but they are called Galgos. In Spain, unfortunately is one of the countries where they get treated really badly and they suffer a lot of abuse because they're used by the hunters for hair hunting. When the season finishes in Spain, you'll find that a lot of the Greyhounds that are no longer good to their owners are being well abandoned, short, hand thrown over a cliff and the rescue centres in Spain are overwhelmed with Greyhounds, especially around February time. I don't know if it's because of my first dog that I drew was a Greyhound, I just felt a connection with them and I didn't know where it was taking me. I had no idea what Greyhounds go through, that racing or in Spain or other countries where they use for hunting. But it all seem to connect, and I really love doing projects to help them. I've got a few good photographers that have allowed me to draw some of their dogs, and one of them is Petra Postma. She's a very good animal photographer. I've drawn one of her photos. When I do prints 25% will be going to helping rescue centres in Spain. So, that's what I've done in my own time. I'm just drawing, even if I don't have a commission I have to draw.
Bonny Snowdon 04:58
Yes.
Bonny Snowdon 06:03
It just becomes part of you, doesn't it?
Maddy 06:44
It does, you get with drawing some terms as I call them. If you send a few days you say, I need my pencils.
Bonny Snowdon 06:59
Definitely. You've got your own studio now set up at home. Haven't you? Remember when you were doing that?
Maddy 07:04
Yes. I have to pinch myself because I bought a house with a friend and sadly, she passed away a few years ago. It's been three years now. We used to have to share the smallest room in the house. So, I have my little desk on one corner, we were right next to each other. It wasn't the best atmosphere to be drawing. But now I have this whole room. It just looks beautiful. I've got a massive long desk that goes from wall to wall. I can do everything here. So, it's my little haven.
Bonny Snowdon 07:42
Amazing. Obviously, you're off at the minute but you work for the railway. So, you work in London?
Maddy 07:51
I do and I live in Essex. So, I drive. I have to drive through London, which is not the best with all the traffic.
Bonny Snowdon 08:03
You can't get the train?
Maddy 08:04
No, to the station is about an hour's walk. Unfortunately, I'm not that fit to be doing that every day, but probably would become really fit if I did that every day.
Bonny Snowdon 08:20
What do you do at the railway then?
Maddy 08:24
I deal with customer face to face. It can be quite challenging actually. It’s totally different to the interaction that I have with my own customers when I do portrait. It starts when you don't get in your main job when there are delays or there's problems, everybody comes to you and shouts at you. Like if it was like I did it. But drawing is what really lifts my spirits because you just get the most beautiful comments from people and people appreciate it because you're drawing the babies, you're drawing the family basically. It's just so rewarding mentally to get all these lovely compliments from people I never expected it to be honest. I've even had flowers sent to me once which made me cry because I'm doing something that I love. She was so in love with the portrait. She sent me a bunch of flowers and some chocolates. You feel very much appreciated doing portraits. I have never ever had a horrible person basically.
Bonny Snowdon 09:48
I think when it comes to things like what we do with the portraits and everything I think you always create your client, don't you? The work you're doing, the pricing that you're asking for you don't get nasty people.
Maddy 10:10
No, never ever. I've never encountered anyone being horrible to me drawing a portrait. Is just the total opposite, which lifts you up. Especially if your main job is a job where you're not so much appreciated. You are just treated as somebody to answer questions without feelings. But with a portrait you just get different people. Amala said, dog people are the best people anyway. A person that loves dogs, I will just feel more connection with them.
Bonny Snowdon 10:50
Definitely. We've just been this morning to meet our new puppy.
Maddy 10:54
But you got another one.
Bonny Snowdon 10:58
Nearly four weeks old, so we've been to meet her this morning. She did a bit of a widdle on me.
Maddy 11:03
Oh, lovely.
Bonny Snowdon 11:07
I come home and the dogs are going absolutely mad. Nellie is like, oh, what's this and she's getting really excited. Slipper who's she's soaking over, took one smell at me. and it was almost like she flicked her head and walked up. She was so dramatic. I was like what’s going on, she was like, you're not bringing another puppy into the house.
Maddy 11:30
She was like, I don't like that new perfume of yours. I'm going away.
Bonny Snowdon 11:37
Yeah, so this one's a lot smaller.
Bonny Snowdon 11:39
You got that. I was thinking what did she get in this time?
Bonny Snowdon 11:44
Well, I saw a wolf hound puppy. Anyway, no. So, we've gone smaller. I said, we need to start going smaller. I don’t need any more big dogs on my bed. I’m sleeping into the corner as it is.
Maddy 11:58
So, you're having four dogs, then?
Bonny Snowdon 12:01
Yeah, well, it won't feel like four dogs. They'll probably feel like 10 dogs.
Maddy 12:10
There's me I don't have a dog because of work. So, I always have to keep my mom's dog.
Bonny Snowdon 12:15
Oh, yes. Have you got plans to go some more full time with your drawing? Or?
Maddy 12:24
Well, I would love the opportunity to be able to go part time at work to give me more time for my drawings. Because I feel when I'm full time, I'm working five, six days a week. I'm out of the house for 10 hours a day. Believe me, I still come home and draw what I can. It might be one hour or two hours. But it's very tiring to do that all the time. I did it first religiously when I started drawing because I just wanted to improve and I wanted to learn and the only way to do it was just to practice. Now obviously, I feel a lot more confident at drawing, I still got a lot to learn. I think others feel that you always have more to learn. I think I might have a bit of OCD with coloured pencils. I just want to get better and better. But my dream was probably be to try and go part time at work and spend more time doing this. But being at work full time. I'm never going to have the time to do this. It's like a catch 22. You still need to pay your bills and your mortgage, unfortunately. But I might have the opportunity. I just need to work even harder. Promoting myself so I can get going.
Bonny Snowdon 13:52
I think that's the thing, isn't it? It's about that promotion side of stuff. It really does take up quite a lot of time.
Maddy 14:01
Yeah. You used to work full time somewhere. Then you just made the decision to say, that's it, I'm going to go full time. I really admire you for that. Well, look at where you are now, if you've never taken that risk, then you wouldn't be doing what you're doing.
Bonny Snowdon 14:18
I know. Actually, to be fair, I was married at that point. I did have a discussion with Dave back then and then said, this is what I want to do. He was like, well, we'll see how it goes. Six months and he buggered off. But actually, I don't think I'd be here now if we were still together. I definitely wouldn't be where I am now if we'd been still together because I don't have anybody to be accountable to. If I want to work till four o'clock in the morning drawing, I can work till four o'clock in the morning. Then when I go to bed, I'm not waking somebody up and all of that kind of thing. So, actually, it was good that he left. It was definitely good for me as a person. But it was definitely a big leap of faith. With me, I decided that that's what I was going to do. There wasn't any voice in my head that was saying you can't do this, and it's not going to work. It was just, we're going to do this and it's going to work for you.
Maddy 15:42
Basically, you believed in yourself?
Bonny Snowdon 15:44
Yeah, definitely.
Maddy 15:45
You could do it.
Maddy 15:46
For me, I think, not only learning to draw, it's been learning to believe in myself, because I have no faith in myself, at all. Not an ounce. Since childhood, there's important male figures in my life, telling me that I'm going to be good at anything. That gets engraved in you and you don't have that self-confidence to do things. So, drawing for me came out of being in a dark moment where my boyfriend at the time cheated on me and got somebody else pregnant, et cetera. Which wasn't very nice. That's what made me think like, there's got to be more to life than this, going to work, coming home, feeling down. I started doing watercolours, I did acrylics, not for long, but I was just trying to find what I liked. Without knowing how to use it, my first box of pencils was favourite Castel. So, I went for the full set, and some paper, and I have that there sitting for about three months and I kept looking at it almost every day, and thinking, how am I going to do these? Where do I start? What do I do? From the first drawing I’m getting such an amazing response, even when I look back at the first drawings, which now I think is like, oh, my God, that would rubbish. To now it's actually the people, my followers, my customers that have helped me believe in myself 100%.
Bonny Snowdon 15:47
Yeah.
Bonny Snowdon 17:28
That's amazing. There’re so many people out there who have exactly the same, this lack of self-belief. I took a coaching course not me, personally, I was in it. I was saying, I wish that I could just give somebody my glasses and tell them to put them on, and they could see everything that I see and everything that everybody else sees. Because we're so self-critical about our work. When we look at it and pick out all of the stuff that's rubbish. We just totally and utterly ignore all of the amazing stuff. Your work is so recognizable now.
Maddy 18:14
Do you think so?
Bonny Snowdon 18:17
Absolutely. It's so recognizable. You've got quite a big following now as well.
Maddy 18:23
Yeah, it was pretty skilful the last two years since COVID. I thought, what's going on here? Nobody wants to follow me. But it's growing. I think Facebook is a hell of a lot more interactive than Instagram. I think Instagram. They've done something with the algorithms. Now it's all have to be a reel. If you put a reel, you're not going to really see the drawing, you just want a photo that you can look at properly. But it's slow, but still growing. I can't complain.
Bonny Snowdon 18:58
It's brilliant and I think the mindset thing. Have you slowly got to the point where you're recognizing, how good your work is? Your mindset is getting better and better.
Maddy 19:13
I will always be critical of it, I was always like, oh my God, I've done like what I've done and try and improve on the next one. Then lately, sometimes I'll be drawing for a few days and the portrait is not quite ready, but I'll go away and come back and I'm like, God, did I do that? How did that happen? It's almost like going out for a long drive and you don't realize what roads you've gone through to get to your destination. I feel like drawing with coloured pencils is the same. It feels so natural now. Even though each drawing for me it's a new challenge. Each dog is not the same as the last dog so you will have more challenging things. But it's just like second nature now. I just find that really relaxing. That was the main reason why I started drawing because I was so stressed out and so upset. But really, I should thank that ex-boyfriend, it’s because of him I started drawing.
Bonny Snowdon 20:16
I 100% believe that things like that and meant to be. I'm the same, you get into that flow. I've almost woken up like oh, I haven't done that. Even remember drawing it because you get into that wonderful state of just mindful flow where everything is just there and it just happens. This is what I really love about colour pencils. I don't know whether you're similar to me, because you've just used coloured pencils. Do you use pastels or anything?
Maddy 20:51
I've got some pastels because my friend kept telling me that I should try them. I hate them. I find them scary. They are so messy. But I have used them for backgrounds. I couldn't imagine doing a full background in colour pencils. You'll be there until like Christmas. So, I use the pastels for the background only. I've done one drawing of leopard with pastels. I found it extremely difficult. But then I suppose somebody that only uses pastels will find colour pencils difficult.
Bonny Snowdon 21:26
Yeah, because colour pencils is a slow medium. That's what I love about it. It is slow. Even though people say oh, you're really speedy, I'm like, not really, it's a slow medium. That's what's lovely about it. Because it's mindful, you can get into the flow, you're there. You've got a piece on your drawing board for like a week or two weeks or three weeks or whatever. One thing, I'm not going to say irritated. But I get really crossed bound. When people just say, oh, just do just use pastels. It's much quicker.
Maddy 22:09
Everybody tells me that. My friend tells me that.
Bonny Snowdon 22:12
That's not the point. I'm not doing something because I want it to be quick. Im doing something because I love the process of doing it. That's what makes it fantastic about it.
Maddy 22:24
You started with pastel mat as well, which is designed for pastels.
Bonny Snowdon 22:28
Yes, well, do you still use pastel mat
Maddy 22:32
I still use it. I don't use anything else.
Bonny Snowdon 22:36
That conversation we had.
Maddy 22:38
Yes. When I was drawing this course and then I asked you, which colour of pastel mat should I use? You recommended, anthracite.
Bonny Snowdon 22:45
Anthracite? I have no idea why I would have recommended that at all.
Maddy 22:51
I really thought, well, she doesn't like me very much. Is the most difficult colour paper to draw on with pencils.
Bonny Snowdon 23:05
You were doing the white horse, wasn’t it?
Maddy 23:07
It was kind of orangey. It was a light-coloured horse. I think you helped me. I think you actually did help me to overcome that fear of drawing on pastel mat. So, if I could draw that horse on that colour paper, I can then do anything.
Bonny Snowdon 23:32
I think I probably meant to say don't use anthracite. Because when I was looking back, I was thinking why on earth did I recommend that? Very strange. But it is the most fantastic surface, isn't it?
Maddy 23:47
It is. Especially with me I'm a bit clumsy. So, I know that that's not going to crease.
Bonny Snowdon 23:54
But the other thing as well is, I've been doing a piece this morning on smooth paper. Oh my god, it's horrible. Let me see.
Maddy 24:06
Which type? Because you've used Fabiano as well, haven't you? Well, that's really nice actually. Why are you saying?
Bonny Snowdon 24:13
I've done it as one of my quick challenges, the three challenges that I put out. So, it's a little yellow rose, which I think it's actually worked out quite nicely. But I've done it on the back of Clairefontaine paint on. I don’t know if you've ever used that. It’s quite smooth. You can get about one and a half layers on it.
Maddy 24:36
So, you basically got to get them right.
Bonny Snowdon 24:39
Which is like really hard. I pressure here and my hands are shaking. You know what? I think once you've tried pastel mat it's very hard to use other papers.
Maddy 24:57
I started with Strathmore [Inaudible] which is very thin as well. I started with that one. Then I tried the pastel mat. That's the only one that I use now. I just like it so much.
Bonny Snowdon 25:13
It's a really lovely surface. It's definitely my favourite surface. I know people have a love hate relationship with it. But I think it's awesome.
Maddy 25:23
It is, and I just wanted to tell you, because we were talking about building your self-confidence and you were saying, you wish that people could look through your glasses and see what you're seeing when they start doubting themselves and think, I'm never going to be any good at these. What's the point in trying? I did, and it was a massive challenge for me as somebody that hasn't got a lot of self-confidence. But I have a lot more now obviously, but started with no, I can't do this. No, I can't do that, I was scared of everything. I would have never done this what I'm doing now. So, I have made a tutorial video.
Bonny Snowdon 26:10
I glad you are going to start doing this.
Maddy 26:16
It was somebody that contacted me on Instagram. He's very, very big to do with Greyhounds and Galgos. His name's Gerry Lopez, he made a documentary film about the Spanish Galgo called Yo Galgo. Is available on Amazon on prime. He's just a absolutely wonderful person that has done so many projects to help dogs and take care of the plant, planet environmental issues. He's just an amazing person. So, I drew his two Spanish Greyhounds. I basically spent a fortune on equipment, I had to get a camera, I had to get every lighting, I had to get everything that I didn't have. I did it totally from start to finish. It is not me telling people, uses pencil because it's made of oil or because it's made of wax. It was nothing like that. It was just a very down to earth tutorial about my own personal experience and how I started. That's what he liked about it. Because I started as self-taught and I'm drawing now, without having gone to classes or anything. Just people would want to see that. Especially the people that are not so sure that they can do it. He has a lot of hours of recording. So, at the moment he's editing it, and hopefully it'll be out on his social media and mine.
Bonny Snowdon 27:54
Oh, wow, awesome.
Maddy 27:55
He was very nerve wracking. there were loads of beeps. Like some retakes, but I'm glad I did it and it was definitely a good exercise to become a bit more confident with yourself. I wouldn't say now I'm going to do tutorials. I want to but they will be pretty down to earth. I wouldn't sound like a teacher trying to teach anyone I'll just be just myself.
Bonny Snowdon 28:27
Exactly. Have you listened to any of my tutorials?
Maddy 28:30
Yes, I used to. When I first started drawing, and I used to come home from work I would put YouTube on you would be my night time television. What's she doing? What colour. What's this? I absolutely loved it. You were my inspiration. You still are.
Bonny Snowdon 28:49
With my tutorials I bring a lot of the mindset stuff into my tutorial. I'll talk about when we start a piece and you'll be sitting there thinking I don't know where to start and you probably sit there and then go and have a cup of tea and then do something else and then do something else. So, I do talk about the mindset kind of things as well as this is what we're doing and this is why we're doing it and everything. But I really enjoy doing the recording side of stuff.
Maddy 29:22
You are natural.
Bonny Snowdon 29:24
But it does take a long time.
Maddy 29:27
Yeah. I think you're quite natural at chatting anyway. I think you can chat about anything when I listen to you
Bonny Snowdon 29:38
Oh yeah, give me a subject, I'll just chat on it whether I know about it or not.
Maddy 29:43
But my self-confidence really stopped me from doing that at the beginning because I saying, I'm going to get my words muddled up. I'm going to get these wrong. I'm going to forget to say these. I'm going to say the wrong thing.
Bonny Snowdon 29:54
Isn't it funny that when you listen to people who do it, so if you're listening to me and I get my words muddled up? When you're sitting listening to it, are you judging me? Are you thinking, she's should have edited that out? That was rubbish.
Maddy 30:08
Actually, no.
Bonny Snowdon 30:09
Don't. Always if somebody's listening to what you're putting out there, I'd say 99% of the people are going to be egging you on. Going to be like, oh, my goodness, this is going to be fantastic. They don't even notice any of those little bloops. Actually, the little things that maybe you're thinking, oh, my God, or why did I say that? Or why did I say that word or I got completely it wrong. I keep getting erasers and sharpeners mixed up. But do people care, no, they really don't. Actually, it makes you a bit more normal.
Maddy 30:45
Exactly. It makes you more human and it makes you more like them as well. Just down to earth rather than having someone that talks like a university teacher. I think people don't like that. You don't look at drawing as a career do you, when you first start
Bonny Snowdon 31:09
No.
Maddy 31:09
In a way you don't. I would say the majority of artists started just because it's something that they love doing. It's a new hobby or a new pastime. That's why it's been used for therapy. People with depression and stuff and it just helps you get out of your own shell. It's just an amazing feeling to be able to do this.
Bonny Snowdon 31:10
It really is. And to see people's faces when you create their animals. Is just wonderful.
Maddy 31:47
Its priceless. Absolutely. I can't get enough of it. I'm hooked. I'm not stopping.
Bonny Snowdon 31:59
Are you going to do more? The videos and everything in tutorials? Did you enjoy the process, or?
Bonny Snowdon 32:06
A Greyhound.
Maddy 32:06
It was very nerve wracking. Because I wanted it to be perfect, but it was a good experience. I think I feel a lot looser; I think you know what I mean, less stressed when doing the next one. I do want to do them. But as you say it's time as well. So, I have to decorate my house and stuff. I've got a massive wall, which is like four and a half meters high. Have a guess what I'm going to paint on it.
Maddy 32:44
Yes.
Bonny Snowdon 32:47
How amazing.
Maddy 32:49
Yeah, I thought it needed something. I don’t want to fill it out with paintings or another mirror, so let me just be creative with these. For that I am actually going to do not so much, I'm going to record the whole process of how I use the projector. Because I've been given one online to do this project with. Just to record the whole process. How I'm setting up the projector, the sign that come up with. I think it's going to look really cute. It's going to be like a Greyhound in like a Banksy style. So, that will come up. I'm about to do it this week. So, hopefully I can put a video up in a few weeks after I edit it.
Bonny Snowdon 33:37
How exciting. I'll look forward to seeing that.
Maddy 33:41
Yeah, me too. Once I finish it.
Bonny Snowdon 33:45
I've just taken all of my paint. I've got lots of pieces of art in my living room, and I've just had it decorated. I've now got wallpaper in there. I can't now put any pictures up because they just won't go. I think I'm going to get a big mirror; I think. So, I'm going to have to really rethink my studio side just to where everything's going to go. I've got quite a lot of wall space. So, I might just cover one wall with all of the art that I had in there. I like buying art. I've got loads of stuff that I've got sat in drawers.
Maddy 34:21
You need to frame the mice.
Bonny Snowdon 34:25
Yes. They're just sitting in my drawers. As are all of my pieces and prints and stuff.
Maddy 34:35
You could hang some in my house. I've got lots of walls. Honestly, on the landing they are four and a half meters high. It’s just amazing. You could just cover it up with hundreds of things if you wanted to.
Bonny Snowdon 34:51
In my studio I've got three windows
Maddy 34:56
That's amazing though for the light.
Bonny Snowdon 34:57
Its lovely. I've got wall space. It's quite a big room in here. But I've got a big wall up there. So, I think I'm probably going to put them all up there, I think. But now I can't, they don't really fit in the living room anymore. Its full birds.
Maddy 35:22
They keep growing if you are still buying then.
Bonny Snowdon 35:24
I don't know. The same in my kitchen. I don't have a huge amount of wall space in my kitchen, either, because there's like a little tiny wall and then there's cupboards, and then there's something else and they're all like little small areas.
Maddy 35:38
You just need to build like an extension. With not so many windows so you put more in there.
Bonny Snowdon 35:48
Well, hopefully I’m having a recording studio built down in the bottom of the garden.
Maddy 35:57
Oh, lovely.
Bonny Snowdon 35:59
So that's hopefully going to happen October time. Because we had a massive shed there. Oh, my God, it was the most awful thing. When Dave was here. He bought the shed. It was huge. I'm not kidding. You could see it from the moon. It was just the biggest thing. The neighbours have always complained about it. It was awful. I don't know where he got it. But you've got this plaque. They put it on the front that said rora. So, it's called rora. I have no idea what it meant. Awfully I said to the children, I said, we need to take that plaque. We need to put it on his grave. No disrespect. We go up to see him all of the time. But it was just this big running joke that he had this looming shed called rora.
Maddy 36:51
Who actually gives a shade a name?
Bonny Snowdon 36:52
He names a shade. It was full to the brim of just stuff.
Maddy 37:01
Man stuff.
Bonny Snowdon 37:03
Then the door broke. Then he took stuff away when he left and then left with this. It was such an eyesore. It was awful. So, we had all of that removed. So, now the bottom of the garden, we've got this big cement space. Really it does need something. I was thinking about to get a little summer house or something there. I thought you know what I could do with a space that is going to be away from the house. That is quiet.
Maddy 37:29
Folk free, car free, children free.
Bonny Snowdon 37:33
Yeah. So, hopefully, that's going to happen in October. It might turn into something different; I don't know. But we'll see. Because I tried to make this room in here soundproof but it didn't work. I've got my son.
Maddy 37:50
Yeah, I saw those things that you put on the ceiling. But that didn’t work.
Bonny Snowdon 37:53
Absolutely. As opposed to, I was hoping it was soundproof but it doesn't sound proof. It just muffles and it helps with your sound quality. I’ve been hearing banging around.
Maddy 38:08
I could see COVID really hasn't affected you businesswise. Because you used to do classes in different places. You used to travel and you even been to America to do teaching classes, didn’t you?
Bonny Snowdon 38:23
Yes, I did. The last one I did I think it was March 2020. It was literally just as things were starting to get-
Maddy 38:37
Lock down.
Bonny Snowdon 38:38
Literally just before the lockdown. People were talking about it. Then we had lock down. Actually, I know that it's affected a huge amount of people. Actually, it's affected my mum and dad, quite profoundly my dad in particular. But it didn't really affect me. I quite enjoyed it because I had the children at home.
Maddy 39:01
You were at home and you have more time to work. More people at home, so more people decided to, let me do this stuff online. Which has been great.
Bonny Snowdon 39:11
I did some free stuff online as well. So, it didn't really affect me. I've just started to do in person stuff.
Maddy 39:19
The cat size.
Bonny Snowdon 39:24
That's huge.
Maddy 39:26
Yeah, I've got the measurements wrong.
Bonny Snowdon 39:29
That was about this big.
Maddy 39:31
I think you probably told me, do it bigger than anybody else.
Bonny Snowdon 39:35
It'd be fine. So, now I'm doing everything online now which actually I find much easier because it means I don't have to go and find a venue. It means I don't have to leave the dogs. It means that I can do it cheaper because I obviously don't have to pay for a venue or travel or anything like that. It also means that people from all over the world can join, which is great. I'm doing one day workshops now and some retreats. I'm hoping to do another retreat next year, but in France, which have been really nice. I've had more invites to go over to the states and everything. I think at the moment, there's still restrictions. Everything's not back to normal.
Maddy 40:27
They don't make it easy, basically.
Bonny Snowdon 40:28
Well, they don’t. What I don’t want to happen is I don't want to book something, and then have to cancel it all again. That’s what I had to do. I had to cancel the whole of the US trip. It had to happen, but it was a shame. I'm just happy being at home really, doing what I'm doing.
Maddy 40:50
Sounds perfect.
Bonny Snowdon 40:52
It's really nice.
Maddy 40:55
Staying with kids and dogs and drawing this, beats going anywhere else for work. Traveling and traffic, dealing with people, strangers. Definitely no.
Bonny Snowdon 41:10
Your commute three hours. That's a long old day.
Maddy 41:17
It definitely is. I've done it for a long time. I think maybe since I found drawing, I’m more like, I wish I could be home drawing more.
Bonny Snowdon 41:29
What do you listen to in the car when you're traveling? Do you listen to podcasts and stuff? Or just music? Or?
Maddy 41:35
I've listened to a couple of your podcasts in the car. Because I was probably listening to her, I've got go to work. So, I thought let me put it in the car. I've listened to a few in the car. But if not, My soul radio station or soul radio, all kinds of funky soul music. Lifts my spirits on my way to work.
Bonny Snowdon 42:06
I remember when I used to work in New York. It was probably a two-hour commute maybe a little bit longer every day. Then I had to get the bus in as well. So, I travelled to New York, then I get on the park and ride, then I get into work, then obviously, come back here. Oh, my goodness, I did that for such a long time.
Maddy 42:25
It gets to you at the end. I really can work on that forever. Especially when they found a much better hobby to do.
Bonny Snowdon 42:34
Yes, absolutely. The drawing, it's funny, I was just doing a bit of a recording before we came on here and talking about how things have changed for me, because honestly, it started off as like a one-man band, and then where I am now. I've got one person on payroll and thinking of recruiting somebody else. Then I've got part time consultants that work with me as well.
Maddy 43:04
This is amazing because people will know that they're seeing you and they think you do everything.
Bonny Snowdon 43:14
I do more now that I've got a team of people than I think I've ever done. I'm always in some kind of meeting or doing some kind of video or doing some kind of text for something.
Maddy 43:27
Once it's like you that you're doing it full time and you do it for a living as well. Well, you make a living out of it, you're able to live of it. Yeah. But if you're starting out, it's going to be difficult. I thought about it because I like to reply to every single message I get. But I can understand that once you get more followers, more comments and more interaction, and then you're busy trying to do your commission's or your tutorials, is like who has the time to reply individually to everybody?
Bonny Snowdon 44:03
It does get really hot.
Maddy 44:04
Its very time consuming.
Bonny Snowdon 44:07
Yeah, I do miss people's comments. I know I do. What I tend to do is I'll spend probably about half an hour in bed on a morning, just going through my social media, just acknowledging and if anybody's asked a question replying to that. But you can't get them all because notifications on Facebook, half the time you don't get the notifications. I do feel bad because I'm that person, same as you I want to reply to everybody and say thank you for your lovely whatever. That's something it's a bit of a problem. Not a problem, but that's what makes me feel, this is what I should be doing. I need to be answering everybody but I can't answer everybody. That's then when there's this little bit of a pause, do you not I mean? I need to do that. Yeah, that can be a bit not stressful, but you can feel a bit worried about it.
Maddy 45:06
Yeah, but also it just takes forever to just reply to everybody. If I got a post and I've shared it on a few groups like Greyhound groups. There's like I don’t know how many messages but a lot. I could spend a good three hours, four hours replying to everybody. I've only got 5,000 followers on Facebook.
Bonny Snowdon 45:33
It's crazy. I don't share my work into groups anymore. I share them into my own group. I do everything via email, mostly now.
Maddy 45:49
Obviously, if you're trying to get more work you need followers and get your work out there more. So, I'm always sharing in groups. Then again, the response that I get it just gives you that boost.
Bonny Snowdon 46:07
Absolutely. It never gets old, does it?
Maddy 46:10
No. Never, ever.
Bonny Snowdon 46:14
It's really nice. Oh, gosh, I could sit here talking to you forever. So, we share a birthday.
Maddy 46:23
We absolutely do. I was like, oh my God, I've never met anybody with the same day as me.
Bonny Snowdon 46:31
I think you're a bit younger than me, aren't you? By a year?
Maddy 46:35
Yeah, definitely. I am. You've got that one right. No, I'm actually older than you.
Bonny Snowdon 46:45
Are you?
Maddy 46:46
Yeah, I was born in 1968.
Bonny Snowdon 46:51
Yeah, you're two years older than me then. I'm just a little baby. But it was nice because we met a couple of years ago. Is it two years ago, three years ago? I was doing some photography for somebody.
Maddy 47:04
Yes, he was photographing the horse and then you were like, can I please come and watch you photograph a horse?
Bonny Snowdon 47:09
I then had a really lovely lunch afterwards. I remember we were going our separate ways. I was following you I was thinking, what’s she doing and you'd stopped your car. You were literally hanging out of the window with the dog, giving him your card.
Maddy 47:10
I was speaking to the Greyhounds.
Bonny Snowdon 47:15
When I'm talking to people about getting customers on social media and marketing I was like, so Maddy said she's got a card everywhere she goes. If she can stop and talk to somebody with the dog, she's going to give them a card and I tell them that story. It is brilliant. I love it. Literally hanging out on the window.
Maddy 47:52
I think the guy looked at me a bit strange at first and said, what does she wants. I think people get a bit suspicious when you go oh my god, I love your dogs. Oh my god, I draw dogs. Oh my god here's my card.
Bonny Snowdon 48:08
Absolutely brilliant. Well, it's been really nice to talk to you, so nice to catch up.
Maddy 48:15
Likewise.
Bonny Snowdon 48:16
Yeah, really good and I'm glad things are going well and I hope everything gets better and you get back well. Don’t go back to work it sounds like you're actually having time to do stuff but recuperating.
Maddy 48:28
Yeah, exactly. Camera listening. That's what I call it. Getting better but still enjoying the time that I've had. But you know what COVID has also given me brain fog. Believe me when I've been drawing a brindle unlike it was lacking posy parcel. It is so difficult. The thing is once you draw brindle the next customer wants to brindle and the next one wants a bindle. I’m not drawing five brindles in a row and I'm like, please give me a break. I want a blank dog. So, I've got a blank Greyhound right now. So, I'm relieved.
Bonny Snowdon 49:07
It's been so lovely to chat to Maddy. I'm really glad you agreed to talk to me and we must catch up again. We must catch up soon.
Maddy 49:16
Sounds good. I'd love to come and visit you one day. It will be really nice to come up.
Bonny Snowdon 49:22
Always welcome to come and have a cup of tea. We'll go to the spa together. That'd be nice.
Maddy 49:28
Oh my God. That's a date.
Bonny Snowdon 49:30
We will spend the day there. It'd be lovely. We'll go swimming in the pond with the ducks.
Maddy 49:39
I don’t know about that.
Bonny Snowdon 49:44
I'll swim in the pond. You can watch.
Maddy 49:45
Okay, Bonny. Lovely talking to you as well.
Bonny Snowdon 49:51
You too. Really nice catching up. I'll see you very soon.
Maddy 49:56
Thank you. Take care. Bye.
Bonny Snowdon 50:00
Bye. I really hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of my It's a Bonny Old Life podcast. If you did, I'd be so grateful to you for emailing me or texting a link to the show, or sharing it on social media with those who might like it too. My mission with this podcast is all about sharing mine and my communities experience and hope by telling your fascinating personal stories, championing the other amazing humans in my personal, professional and membership community, and to create another channel through which I can support you to realize your coloured pencil and life dreams. If you haven't done so yet. Please help me on my mission to spread positivity and joy throughout the coloured pencil world by following me on my socials at Bonny Snowdon Academy, or by getting on my list at bonnysnowdonacademy.com, and remember, I truly believe if I can live the life of my dreams doing what I love, then you can too. We just need to keep championing and supporting each other along the way in order to make it happen. Till next time.
