Meet Adeline Robinson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adeline Robinson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Adeline, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I’d say I found purpose in my interests pretty early on as a child. Since I can remember, I was always drawn to all things nature, and as a kid growing up in the city, I always would daydream and fantasize of a time where I could run through the woods, finding cool plants and animals. My passion has always been working with wildlife and exotics, and educating others on these amazing animals we share our planet with. There are SO many old, outdated fear-based misconceptions of animals and I’ve always enjoyed helping people overcome those fears and at the same time, pique their interests. People are less likely to want to save animals or conserve wildlife if they are afraid of them. My goal is to use my artwork in a way to help people see the natural beauty of the animals around us, especially those that are in need of our help.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a wildlife artist that specializes in animals that most need representation: Reptiles & Amphibians. When I tell people that I paint and draw snakes, lizards and frogs for a living, some folks scrunch up their nose, ask “Why?” and tell me a fabricated, tall tale they heard from a family member about a snake that chased them, or how they killed some type of reptile in their backyard with a shovel. My goal is to educate, correct those misconceptions and show people the beauty of the wildlife in their backyards and cool creatures from around the world.

I have a background in the exotic animal industry & wildlife education and have combined that with painting and drawing animals to share how beautiful and fascinating they are. I share information about my subjects as well as my art process and travel the country to different conventions & expos to sell my artwork and meet with different conservation organizations. I do run an online shop as well with originals, prints, stickers, tumblers, apparel and more. When I travel, I go searching for creatures for reference images and love sharing my adventures with my followers on social media.

I am super excited to announce that I have recently begun working out of my own art studio full time and have started a Patreon page for people interested in getting a view “behind the curtain” of what I do, as well as new projects, videos, tutorials and step-by-step artwork guides. I’m really excited to create cool, challenging pieces this year and to continue pushing myself as an artist.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Your biggest asset is your mindset. The biggest piece of advice I have for anyone learning a new skill, is to not let your “newness” discourage you from continuing to practice to get better. People tell me all the time about how they used to draw, but weren’t very good, so they stopped. Although some folks might have an aptitude for it more than others, artwork is a learned skill that takes hard work and practice. As you get better, so do your standards and it can be easy to get stuck in a cycle of negativity. Instead of getting frustrated with your progress, it’s good to take a step back and use every opportunity you can as a learning lesson and continue moving forward. Great artists aren’t made by getting frustrated and quitting, or disliking their work. They turn mistakes into a learning opportunity to apply to the next piece.

Take your time, learn & observe. Before I went full time with my business, I had been doing artwork on the side after my day job. I learned as much as I could about artwork, art & business tools, time management, marketing, social media, business management, built up a client base, and got to a point where financially, I knew I could go full time with it. If you are an entrepreneur or aspire to work for yourself, start small and go step by step before you fully rely on your business. I see many folks who go full time too early, or without a plan and end up very overwhelmed and burnt out trying to juggle everything, eventually going back to working full time for someone else. Slow and steady is the way to go to build yourself a good base for your business.

Don’t be complacent. The biggest killer of growth and creativity is comfort. It’s easy to get stuck in a routine. If you want to continue to grow and expand, you need to try new things and push those boundaries. Not all ideas will pan out and that’s okay. It’s part of the process of trying things out, but you won’t grow if you don’t push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

The biggest thing I found that helps when feeling overwhelmed, stressed, out of control and overloaded is to stop, take a deep breath and get outside. I’ll take some time for myself to clear my head, then to get to the root of the problem. I’ll make a list of everything I need to do (or ideas/things in my head in general), and organize it by what’s urgent/most important and what can wait. I’ll then get out my month planner and dedicate certain tasks for certain days, that way I can devote my full attention to them on that specific day and don’t have to worry about all the other problems until it’s “their turn.” Life likes to throw wrenches in our plans and things can be hard as it is, so I try and make things as easy for myself as I can and do my best to keep a clear head. I do listen to a podcast called ‘The Productivity Show’ which has had great tips for making the best use of our time, a healthy mindset, organization, and tips on how to combat those overwhelmed feelings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adelinerobinsonart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adeline_robinson_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdelineRobinsonArt
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCufEOICaa5TQ4A_QzJCaikg
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/adelinerobinsonart

Image Credits

Photo credit:
Chris Bihlmaier
Brent Schulze
Bob Vu