Hello, I'm Bonny Snowdon, ex-corporate person and 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 curve balls, waves of self-doubt, and so many lessons learned. And you'll see Ignite my thriving online coloured pencil artist 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 are in the right place. Grab a cuppa and a custard cream. Let's get cracking.
What a year 2023 has been, trips abroad, meeting people in person in my first great British art party and seeing more people get into grips with their coloured pencils and creativity, grabby, mince pie. And your Baileys sit back and reminisce with me as I try to remember all the things we've been up to this year.
Well, I'm sitting here and I'm gonna be talking about what I've done in 2023. And quite honestly, it feels like it's still 2022. I've, I've just set my camera up. I'm in my living room so that you can see my lovely Christmas tree behind me. I've got my, honestly, so professional as ever. I've got my tripod sitting on my sofa.
I'm hoping to goodness that my dogs don't move. 'cause all of my dogs are all on the sofa here. in fact, probably, let me just show you. No, they all are all on the sofa, all on the sofa with me. And I'm hoping to goodness that they don't, they don't move and kind of disrupt my camera, honestly.
So professional. So this is just sitting on the sofa and I, yeah, I thought I'd just sort of revisit a little bit of what went on in 2023. It's been a phenomenal year. It's been an absolutely amazing, amazing year. So many people getting back into creativity, which is awesome. Oh gosh, that's the cat now. The cat's now diving around.
Do apologize. Yeah, so many people have got back into creativity, which is amazing. So many people are now drawing more or painting more, or, you know, whatever it is that they're doing. And I am so, so, so happy that that is happening because it means that more people are calmer, less stressful, you know? 'cause that's what happens when you bring creativity into your life.
It just makes everything so much better. So what have I been doing this year? And I'll try and keep it short and sweet, but you know, me, I'll probably end up rambling on about something. One of the biggest things for me this year has been that I have been traveling again. You know, we've, we've had a, a,
a weird few years and it's meant that travel has been impossible. And I have managed to have a couple of really incredible trips. Both sort of, well, one business and one sort of personal, I guess personal, but still collecting photographs and everything like that for my art. So I happened to be incredibly privileged to get to go to South Africa at the beginning of this year,
which was amazing. And I am so, so, so hoping that I am gonna be able to get there again next year. It's the most beautiful country, lovely people. And I had the most incredible time. Had 10 days out there and it was just absolutely fantastic. The cat's coming back in now and I suspect is going to cause havoc. It was just wonderful.
And we got to see the animals. We got to see elephants close up in one of the sanctuaries, and oh, it was, we got to sleep with the elephants. That was a, that was an experience in itself. We didn't really see very much, but we heard a lot, a lot. And we had just the most amazing time.
It was, it was absolutely brilliant. And then I got to, I got to go to Nashville in October and that was more of a business event. I'm the member of a, or I am a member of a fantastic mastermind for entrepreneurs. And we had a trip to Nashville where I met, it was about 30 other people I think, all doing similar things to me,
but different, different sorts of areas. There were some creative people who have memberships, but there was cybersecurity, there was, you know, preschool, there were all sorts of different people, but all very much on that online space, which was incredible. And getting to meet my mentor, Stu McLaren was honestly one of the biggest, the biggest things because I've been a huge fan of his since 2021.
I bought his membership. I, I, I'm kind of, anything that he does, I'm like, I'm there. I think he is the most incredible person. He's kind, he's generous. He has, he does so much for charity and I think it's his generosity in what he shares about the online space and memberships that really, really, I think re impressed me is a bit of a weird,
it did impress me, but I just felt like I was very much part of the community. And I feel even more like I'm part of his community now. He's asked me to run a couple of, a couple of sessions for him. I've done sort of like a, an interview with him for his up and coming book. And I, I just feel like I'm very,
very much part of his community and that I have got something to bring to the table to help other people. And I, I really like that feeling. I really like that feeling of belonging. And I, I, that is one of the biggest parts of my membership is feeling like you belong, feeling like you're part of something. And I love that.
I love having this community of artists, whether they're, they're, you know, whether they're paid members or whether they're in my free groups. It's so nice to have this community of people who are like-minded. They, they, you know, want to develop their skills, they want to develop their mindsets, and it's absolutely fabulous. Plus people are so willing to share.
And I'm, I'm really, really happy about that. Not only do I have these sort of beginner artists in them, or experienced artists, I've also got artists who do exactly the same as me. You know, they have their own colour pencil platforms and they're teaching people and they're in my community as well. And I think that's an incredibly, I think that's fabulous.
I think it's fabulous to have, you know, not, we're not competitors. We, we, we can collaborate, we can work together. And I think that is an absolutely wonderful thing to do. And it's something that I'm hoping to pick up on a little bit. Maybe in 20 24, 20 25, look at how we can bring some of these colour pencil,
tutors, teachers, you know, whatever mentors and kind of create something either on an online space, which I think will be easier 'cause people all over the world or something that is in person. I think that would be amazing. That leads me to my first in-person event for, gosh, since 2019 or the very beginning of 2020. So sort of three years not done any in-person events.
And we had our first great British art party, which was amazing. We drew, we ate cake, we drank tea, we laughed, we chatted, we met each other for the first time rather than looking at each other on a screen. And it was absolutely brilliant. I ju honestly, it was the best day. It was the best day.
It felt like I was getting married all over again. But I didn't have to marry somebody. I just got to have all of the fun. It was the best day. We had such a, a fantastic time. And we've got our next one in Edinburgh. We've got the most beautiful hotel all booked already for the 8th of March, 2024. So if anybody, you know,
wants to come, there are still a few tickets left. But it, it's more about getting together and meeting people in person, which can be a little bit scary, I think. But funnily enough, all of the feedback that we got back from the last art party, and I think the majority of people did reply, you know, did give us feedback,
which was amazing. 80% of that feedback that came back were people who were traveling on their own. Which leads me to believe that actually there are an awful lot of very, very brave people out there, because traveling on your own can be a little bit scary. But also what's wonderful is that people feel comfortable about traveling on their own because they know that they're going to meet friends,
even if they're people they've never met before. They know they're going to meet a friendly face at the end there. And I think that's absolutely fantastic. I just think it's wonderful. So we had the, the Art Party. I've, I've done quite a few workshops this year. I've done a lot of things for the charity that I support as well on not only the charity that I support on a regular basis,
but other charities too. So just giving is something that I, you know, I help local people. I will always be, I'm always donating to dog rehoming charities and it's something that I just like to do because I can, and that means an awful lot to me that I can't, I do actually have that ability now that I have got, that I can actually help,
you know, other people in charities and all of that kind of stuff. And, and that, that's a really big thing for me because it's not something that I've been able to do before. It's been something I've wanted to do, but it's not been something I've been able to do. So, supporting the charity that I, I support on a,
on a monthly basis, which is IDAS, the Independent Domestic Abuse Services charity. We've, we have had five, I think five scholarships this year that have gone out to the charity. They sort of, you know, identify people who are going to really, really benefit from these scholarships. And basically a scholarship is a box with all of the materials that they could possibly need.
And a year's admission to the, the Ignite membership. You know, art supplies are expensive. They are expensive. We, we, we know they are, especially the ones that are artists quality and people who are in a position where maybe they've lost their house, maybe they're sort of like in a safe house or something like that with their, with their children.
It's, it's, it, you know, that's not a priority, is it? Going out and buying art supplies is not a priority. So me being able to sort of donate that and, and ensure that people have got, you know, the, the, the things there so that they can be creative if they have a mind to, again,
that's a really, really important part of what I do. And I continue to support IDAS and they've had their big Christmas Give and ev every time they have a specific, you know, event going, I will support them and I'm really, really happy to do that. I'm also supporting Henshaw's. So Henshaw's is a, I think they support vision impaired people in nsra,
which is very close to me. So I'm supporting them as well. And donating some pieces for one of their online charities, which online auctions, which is, which is really nice. So I just need to find the, the, the right piece for them. And then I'm popping over next week to have a cup of tea, which would be really,
really nice too. And then we've had the workshops and we've had so many amazing people joining the Ignite membership, which is fantastic. So many people going through my foundations course, getting their certificates, sharing all of their amazing work in my group. It really is absolutely wonderful to see all of these people becoming so creative. And actually, one of the things that I found this year that's very,
very different. So I'm, I kind of, I, I've, I've focused really solely on animals. I've been drawing since 2016, and I've been focused solely on animals really up until the last year and a half, where I've really started to get more interested and excited about drawing humans. And I've been providing more human portraits in, in the membership.
And I'm really excited at the fact that so many people are now becoming really confident and brave in creating their own human portraits. And I'm seeing people with their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and their, you know, their, their, their drawing humans and creating human portraits within their commission business. And that is absolutely fantastic. And one of the things that I've found,
I've mentioned this before, is now that I've started drawing humans, my animal portraits have actually kind of gone up a notch as well. And I'm really, really, I'm positive that that's because with, with skin tones, you've gotta be so careful about getting the values and all of that kind of stuff, right? And, you know, concentrating on that,
focusing on that develops those skills in doing that. And that, of course, can then be transferred onto the animal portraits, which is, you know, amazing. And it really is amazing. I've loved drawing the humans. I've got some coming up for the, for the new year. I've got a couple of tutorials that I've got picked out my mastermind this year as well.
I can't wait to see, I can't wait to see what people do. But every sort of couple of months I run a mastermind project, and this is where I choose an image and then I give it to my students and they just go ahead and they do whatever they're gonna do with it. They don't share it, they don't talk about it. They don't,
I don't give them any instructions. And then we have a session, a mastermind session where everybody uploads their pictures and we go through all of the pictures and we just look at the amazingness of everything they've done. And it's the same picture that everybody draws and every single one of them. And there's usually sort of like a hundred and something that have been submitted.
Every single one of them is just different in a, in a, in a fabulous, unique way. It is just amazing. And this year, not this year, but this time the mastermind photograph that they're using is of a person. And I can't wait to see what these incredible artists are gonna come up up with. You know, it, it,
it abs it fascinates me and it excites me, and it makes me so flipping happy when I look in my group of artists with people who maybe haven't been drawing very long, and then all of a sudden their work starts to just develop and develop and develop. And, you know, there are, I, I, I need to have, I need to shout out.
I need to shout out a couple of people. Amy, Amy Harwood not been drawing a huge amount, I think probably a year, maybe a year, a year and a bit now. Maybe, maybe less than that. Actually. I might be wrong. Oh my goodness. Amy has been creating the most incredible pieces she's working on at the moment,
from a photograph of her own, of her children, and she's been drawing grass. And what's wonderful is that Amy's in my membership, but she's also been having, or she's had in the past, some lessons from another Coloured pencil artist, Helen Carter, wonderful Helen Carter. And if you're listening to this, Helen, I'm sending you all, all, all of my love.
Amy has been having some, I think one-to-one sessions with, with Helen. And, oh, I can't tell you, I can't tell you the, the, the depths, the amazing development that Amy has made with her work. It is amazing. It is amazing. And I also have to shout out to Judy Waki what? Oops. There goes,
the Nelly's got her her poor. Now on, on the, on the, on the, oh, just keep still Nelly, Judy Waki another incredible artist, and Judy is one of the most kind and helpful people I've ever met. She goes out of her way to help people. So people will ask me for help. They'll ask in the group for help.
And they know that if they ask Judy, they are going to get this beautiful mentoring from her. She just helps. It is just within her nature to help. And she's helped so many of the community, you know, with sort of this, hang on a second, this is the naughty cat. She's there look blurred in the background. She's really naughty out the way ju has helped so many people within the community with,
with stuff. And I, that's what community's all about, isn't it? It is all about finding your people, finding your, finding your place within that, that group of people and being able to be you, being able to share what is important to you and not feeling like you can't. And I love that. I love that about my community,
that people can, you know, just be there for others. And that's what it's all about. That, you know, cheerleading, everybody, you know, picking everybody up, you know, helping people if they need a little bit of help. And I absolutely love that. And, and that to me is what 2023 has been all about, has been community.
It's been about people coming together in person, which has been amazing, you know, online, more of us being creative, pushing ourselves, not being scared to push ourselves, but finding people who can support us as well. So, you know, yes, I have the membership and you know, I'm teaching everybody, but it's not just about me at all.
It's about all of those fantastic people within the group who are helping each other. And that that is what has made 2023 so special. And I can see 2024 being even more special with more live events, more amazing tutorial, different kinds of tutorials and more people becoming creative. So with that, I wish you a very happy New Year, whether you have set yourself any New Year's resolutions or not.
All I'd say is just make time for creativity, whether it be drawing, singing, dancing, painting, whatever it is, make time for some creativity in your life because it has the most incredible benefits to everything else that you do.
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 you know, who might like it too. My mission with this podcast is all about sharing mine and my community's 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.
