Paula Silbert Arts Consultancy

08/06/2026

Let's take a deep breath and look at this together. Honestly. Without compromise.

What is truly holding you back from achieving your deepest visual arts dream?

Is it a quiet, lingering fear of failure?

Is it a frustrating lack of direction that leaves you spinning your wheels in the studio and quietly (or loudly) self-judgemental after you’ve been with other artists?

Or is it simply that no one has ever sat down and shown you the actual business mechanics of building a successful, organic art career?

Please, don't judge yourself for whatever that barrier is. The art world can feel incredibly opaque, and it is easy to find yourself immersed in doubt.

But whatever that block is for you, I want us to dismantle it together.

My online course, The Art of 1,000 Days, walks you through a deeply powerful, introspective process. We don't just skim the surface.

We uncover exactly what has been quietly holding you back, clear away the fog, and replace it with absolute, unshakeable clarity and next positive actions.

You have brilliant stories to tell through your work, and you deserve to move forward without old barriers and biases weighing you down.

Let's break through those creative blocks and get your practice back on target. Join me and others on my online course The Art of a 1000 Days at www.paulasilbert.com/art-of-1000-days

Because you and your art are worth it ®

Photo: Unsplash

05/06/2026

Let’s clear up a very common, profoundly frustrating misconception right now: 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝟒𝟎 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩.

𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥.

Whether you are carving out two quiet hours on a Sunday evening after the house has gone to sleep,or working late into the night around a demanding day job and family life—if your creative practice is essential to your soul, you are an artist. Period.

And here is the truth: you deserve a clear, unique strategy for your career just as much as someone with full-time gallery representation and a big reputation.

In fact, when time is your most precious commodity, a plan becomes even more critical so you never waste a moment wondering what to do next.

My online course, The Art of 1,000 Days, was built exactly with you in mind. It is designed to fit into your life as it is right now, helping you turn sporadic, fractured studio time into a focused, powerful, and deeply intentional practice.

Your visual arts calling doesn't need to wait for ‘someday’.

It’s time to honour the commitment you’ve made to your creative talent. Get my online course now at www.paulasilbert.com/art-of-1000-days and let’s map out your next chapter together.

Because you and your art are worth it ®

02/06/2026

Hi there, I'm Paula Silbert, and for decades I've been successfully mentoring and guiding visual artists to turn their creative dreams into reality.

Have a mentor.

I have two, and I recommend it to visual artists of all stages.

I often ask artists, if money and time weren't issues, what would you be doing with your practice?

Then we make plans to achieve that. Without blowing the budget bit by bit.

Being an artist is not something that can be achieved without supporters.

So, support each other. Be each other's mentors.

Because you and your art are worth it ®

01/06/2026

I'm very excited to be returning to Victoria Park Centre for the Arts to deliver a short professional development workshop for their visual artists and makers, and guests. Thank you VPCA, Jeremy Blank, the Board and VPCA members and volunteers.

Can't wait to support you and hear about your projects and dreams! ✨

Secure your place here: https://events.humanitix.com/absolute-essentials-for-visual-artists

We are delighted to announce that our good friend and collaborator Paula Silbert, of Paula Silbert Arts Consultancy (www.paulasilbert.com) will be hosting a one-off event at our VPCA Art Studio for our members and followers.

Happening Sunday June 28, 1.30pm-3.00pm | Tickets are limited ($10/$15):
https://events.humanitix.com/absolute-essentials-for-visual-artists

Paula will be delivering a short professional development workshop with a booklet for each artist to keep and refer to long after your time together.

It is suitable for visual artists and makers of all ages and stages.

The workshop will cover:
/ Suggestions to achieve new and heartfelt creative aims and visions
/ Being visible - how and where to be seen
/ Exhibition planning - openings and closings
/ Selling
/ Where good, current, proven advice can be found

This presentation is a public thank you to VPCA, Jeremy, the Board and VPCA members - all proceeds from ticket sales will go towards supporting the Arts Centre.



(Photograph by Cate Rose)

29/05/2026

‘In the gorges – you feel like you’re walking in history. Looking up at these epic rock formations. Thinking about the scale of time and existence’
Sarah Eve spent three deeply immersive days located in that monumental landscape. Karajini - a pivotal moment.
She knew she would return.
Painting ‘Karajini Original’ she acknowledged ‘I haven’t been able to part with it. There have been interested buyers during open studios, but I always decline because this piece marks the very beginning of my practice’.
Early mark-making, the exploration of colour, the evolution of her style and interpretation of the landscape.
A deep respect for those rock formations is now absolute, a profound, personal experience with feelings of awe and reverence.
‘They were the first sculptures, the first creation watching everything come and go’.
She talks of energy, movement and history across cultures; of rocks being places of gatherings and ceremonies shaping our human experience.
In 2024, Sarah returned to ‘Karajini National Park. Dramatic, deep gorges, ancient rock formations, and crystal-clear swimming holes.
In the Kimberley region in the far north-east of WA reside other monumental landscapes with unforgettable vistas - Cathedral Gorge in the Bungle Bungles (Purnululu National Park).
‘I love the texture of the rocks and spent hours trying to get the crack in the rock just so. A special place on earth - you can feel it. Even the name is epic…’
And then there was capturing water in paintings. ‘I do love a challenge so embraced this during a residency in Gracetown (on the WA coast at Cowaramup Bay). A hidden sanctuary with a waterfall near the Cape-to-Cape track.
Sarah’s current exhibition ‘Ancient and Ephemeral’ at Victoria Park Arts Centre (to 2 June) was achieved through a disciplined timetable beyond her day job - Head of Practical Arts (covering Media Design and Visual Arts) at Iona Presentation College Senior School. ‘I come home from work and do another 2-3 hours…’.
She is one of only 12 teachers across Australia to win the National Excellence in Teaching Award, recognizing outstanding innovation and impact in arts education.
Photos by Churchill Imaging and the artist.

28/05/2026

What happens after you finish mapping out your 1,000-day vision?

I can assure you, I don't just send you packed with information and leave you to walk back into an isolated studio all by yourself. Creating can be solitary enough as it is.

Instead, the moment you complete your workbook, you receive a very special, exclusive invitation to step up into The Artist Attic.

This is our magnificent, private community under my leadership. It is a safe harbour where you bring your completed 1,000-day vision and share it with a warm, supportive family of like-minded visual artists—painters, sculptors, ceramicists, and makers who completely understand your world.

There is an extraordinary power that comes when you speak your creative desires aloud to people who genuinely want you to succeed. It adds genuine incentive to your path, boosts your accountability, and transforms your dreams into solid, positive actions.

You do not have to do this entirely on your own.

Let's find your community and give your arts practice the support it truly deserves.
Join me and others on my online course The Art of a 1000 Days and become part of The Artist Attic Community.. Register at www.paulasilbert.com/art-of-1000-days

Because you and your art are worth it ®

26/05/2026

There is a very specific, quiet kind of exhaustion that comes from working in a vacuum.

You enter the studio, switch on the lights, look at your paint brushes and tools, and find yourself asking those heavy, uncomfortable questions:

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧?
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙢 𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨?

Please know that if you are feeling this way, you are not alone. Without a clear ‘north star' to guide you, even the most passionate art practice can begin to feel less like a meaningful calling and more like an administrative burden.

It’s a common trap, and it doesn't care how experienced you are. Established artists, sculptors, and part-time makers fall into this space when they don't periodically stop to check in with their deeper creative vision.

The truth is, you don’t need more hours in the day. You don't need a larger studio space, and you don't need more expensive supplies.

What you need is absolute, unshakeable clarity about where your current hours are leading you.

Let’s lift that fog and find your direction again.

Inside my online course, The Art of 1,000 Days, you will build a personalised, enduring companion workbook. It becomes your strategic compass—an invaluable tool that sits on your desk and keeps you comfortably and confidently aligned with your goals, even on the days when the studio feels still.

Let's clear the path forward. Join me and others on my online course The Art of a 1000 Days. Register at www.paulasilbert.com/art-of-1000-days

Because you and your art are worth it ®

22/05/2026

We use locks to avoid theft of our car and home. Yet burglaries continue to happen and devastate the victim.
Online theft of art & images is the same. Devastating.
Have you installed ‘locks’ on your social media and websites?
Nothing is foolproof. But not adding deterrents is insane.
(And being negative about not doing this and being a tech poseur is unhelpful).
Arts Law Centre Australia, the Australian Copyright Council of Australia (or your country’s equivalent) & Gemini (or your preferred AI) all give ways to try to prevent traditional scraping/social media theft and advise you about shielding your art from unauthorized AI model training.
Foolproof? Not 100% - but you’re still locking your home, car, and bike, aren’t you…
Here’s what you can currently do to interrupt online scammers.
Only upload web-optimized, low-resolution versions (e.g. 72 dpi or under 1MB) images.
This allows the image to be viewed beautifully on computer screens & phones but unsuitable for unauthorized high-quality printing. It becomes pixelated and blurry when a scammer tries to blow the image up to a 20 by 30 canvas.
Add a visible watermark to your images before uploading them. AI can’t upscale the little details.
Disable right-click.
Add invisible metadata (digital fingerprinting) so the file remains traceable.
Tell users that a high-quality version is available to buy, and where they can procure it.
Put the © notice with your name & year of creation next to your work and all images.
Give people the possibility to contact you — for example, by showing your email address or having a contact page. It’s easier for someone to ask for your permission to use your work.
Consider uploading close-ups, cropped details, or short video snippets of the work rather than one complete, easily skimmable image.
Use the camera icon in Google Images or investigate platforms like TinEye. This will find matches or look-alikes across the web.
Setup automated alerts (like Google Alerts and its ilk) for your artist name or the titles of your works.
Only give your files to your trusted gallery director, your licenced partners and your professional printer
More to come…

19/05/2026

Take a quiet moment for yourself today.

Relax…please.
Imagine yourself exactly 1,000 days from now.
Look at your studio practice. Your exhibition calendar.

Consider your confidence as a visual artist and take a look at the way you speak about your work.

1,000 days from now - are you thriving, focused, and deeply connected to your creative beliefs and actions?

Are you where you wanted to be?

If you hesitated—or if the honest answer is ‘no’—please don't feel discouraged or depressed. Just let your answer be a prompt.

Time will pass regardless, and the most expensive thing you can do for your creative soul is to stay stuck in the ‘someday cycle’.

Please don’t wander aimlessly through your art career. No-one (and I mean no-one) wins…

My online course, The Art of 1,000 Days, is a game-changer designed to support you while you define your artistic vision, map out your strategic aims, and know exactly what positive actions to take next. It is an invaluable companion for your creative journey.

Stop putting yourself after everyone and everything else. Please start building.

Your 1,000 days are waiting for you, and the best time to start is right now.

Join me and others on my online course The Art of a 1000 Days. Register at www.paulasilbert.com/art-of-1000-days

Because you and your art are worth it ®

Photos: Yale Cohen Mario La Pergola Taylor Heery

16/05/2026

"Creativity is a habit."

It is one of the most famous quotes in the arts, but I find that many artists misinterpret it. They treat it like a demand—a pressure to produce something profound every single day. If they aren’t painting a masterpiece, sculpting the perfect form, or having a lightbulb moment on Tuesday, they feel they’ve failed.
But let’s reframe this together.

Staying consistent when you don’t feel creative isn’t about forcing genius. It is the ultimate test of your commitment to your artistic calling. I see so many talented makers who get trapped in the sporadic cycle. They wait for the Muse to strike, and when she doesn't, they walk away from the studio, waiting for a better day.

The professional artist knows something the amateur doesn't: The work happens regardless of how you feel.

You see, massive results in your career are rarely the product of a single, lightning-bolt moment of inspiration. They are almost always the cumulative result of small, quiet, intentional steps taken day after day. It’s the consistency of showing up to the studio—even when you’re tired, even when you’re doubting yourself, even when the project feels tedious.

If you are currently feeling that slump, or if you’ve been drifting away from your studio rhythm, I want you to give yourself permission to lower the bar. Don't worry about the final exhibition. Don't worry about the critics. Just focus on the next small step.

It might be mixing a single colour. It might be sketching for ten minutes. It might be finally writing that paragraph for your artist statement. These small, daily investments are the building blocks of a sustainable, long-term creative life.

So, let’s reset our focus for the month ahead.

My question to you is this: What is the one, achievable goal you are committing to for the next 30 days?

It doesn't have to be earth-shattering. It just has to be consistent.

Tell me in the comments below—I’d love to gently help you hold yourself accountable.

Let’s get to work. Because you and your art are worth it ®

Photo from Hayley Murray on Unsplash