Claire always loved drawing. She would spend hours coloring and drawing as a kid.

But she never imagined she would one day be a top teacher on Skillshare and hosting her own art retreat in Spain.  

“Over time, what started as a fun hobby slowly grew into a real passion.”

By trying new things, being consistent, and letting go of perfectionism Claire of Claire Makes Things has been able to transform her love of drawing into a successful career that continues to grow.

Read More: Participating in My First Instagram Art Challenge and How it Helped Me

Claire always knew she wanted to do something creative.

In college, she decided to study fashion design. But she soon realized it wasn’t exactly the right fit for her.

“During my studies, I realized that what I truly loved most was the creative process itself: finding inspiration, developing ideas, and bringing them to life through drawing.”

She decided to make the switch to graphic design and illustration and never looked back.

By taking classes on Skillshare, an online learning platform for creative interests, Claire continued to grow her skillset.

“Watching other artists share their processes has been incredibly inspiring and made me feel more comfortable sharing my own creations too.”

Claire is now a top teacher on Skillshare known for her vintage style inspired by cartoons like Dexter’s Laboratory and Fairly Odd Parents which were heavily influenced by the 50’s and 60’s.

(I’ve actually taken several of Claire’s classes on Skillshare and absolutely love them!)

Read More: Nicole’s Inspiring Story on Chasing Her Passion and Changing Her Career to Pursue Art

Claire didn’t set out to be a top teacher on Skillshare. She started as a student, but when Skillshare asked students if they were interested in becoming teachers, Claire hestitantly decided to take the opportunity.

She already knew she loved teaching, having taught in person drawing workshops.

“For a long time, I never imagined I could teach online. The technical side of it, filming, editing, speaking in front of a camera — completely intimidated me. I’ve always loved teaching, though.”

Even though Claire was intimidated by the technical side of online teaching, she persevered. She made mistakes, but she found her way through it. And need I repeat, now she’s a top teacher on Skillshare! Talk about a glow up!

“It was a huge learning curve. It took me a few years to really feel comfortable on camera and confident in my teaching style, but now it’s honestly one of my favorite things to do. Everything feels intimidating when you don’t know how to do it yet. Making courses felt huge and complicated until I understood the process and got comfortable with making mistakes occasionally. Once you learn the steps, it stops feeling impossible and starts feeling doable.”

But Claire didn’t stop at becoming a top teacher or hosting in person workshops. She’s also hosted her first ever art retreat in Spain!

Claire’s been able to achieve these huge milestones by being consistent.

“Consistency has played a huge role; showing up regularly, practising, and sharing work over time has helped me achieve these goals.”

*If you want to gain more creative confidence in just one week, subscribe to my newsletter to receive your FREE copy of the 7-Day Confidence Building Workbook*

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Read More: Why I Started Drawing Again at 29 and How it’s Going

Showing up consistently can be difficult especially when it comes to showing your art to others.

Claire initially struggled with her own creative confidence, like many creatives.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that confidence comes from doing — not from waiting until you feel ready.”

Building your creative confidence also comes from pushing back on perfectionism. Claire has discovered that true confidence comes from moving forward even if you don’t think your work is “perfect” or “ready”.

By reading looks like Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, Claire was able to work on her mindset around perfectionism.

“I have to remind myself of this every day: things don’t need to be perfect; they just need to be done. This mindset has been huge for my growth as both an illustrator and a teacher. Real progress only happens when you move forward, even if things feel uncertain.

Perfectionism is something a lot of creatives struggle with. I know I’ve been held back more by not doing things — thinking ‘it won’t be perfect, so why bother?’ — than by actually doing them and making small mistakes.”

In fact, Claire now believes imperfections add to the authenticity of your work.

“Most imperfections can be fixed, or they’re simply not as important as we think. Besides, they add authenticity and character to your work. Letting go of perfection has made it so much easier to create, experiment, and develop my style.”

Once you release perfectionism and see the beauty in the imperfections, it gets easier to consistently practice your creative outlet. You let go of the pressure of creating and simply enjoy the act of creating.

“Give yourself permission to pause, explore, and just enjoy making things. Using your hands to create, even in small ways, is one of the best ways to spark creativity and joy.”

Claire also wants aspiring artists to know you don’t need to set aside hours at a time or work on a massive masterpiece to grow your skills and confidence.

“Keep it small; both physically and mentally. You don’t need a huge canvas to call yourself a painter; a tiny sketchbook works perfectly. You don’t need to draw every day if you don’t have time. Even just 15 minutes a week of drawing counts. Not every piece has to be original or your best idea either.”

By consistently carving out even 15 minutes a day to work on drawing, painting, or whatever your creative pursuit is, you’ll see improvements in your work.

“Keep it simple and stick with one thing. It’s better to do one thing consistently than to try to do everything at once, especially in a world where you can create everything. Personally, it’s given me a lot of confidence to look back and see how much I’ve accomplished by focusing on a single pursuit. Perseverance really pays off!”

Read More: Continuing to Grow – Becoming an Illustrator and a Business Owner with Molly Marie Pea

While Claire has achieved a lot in her career, she has plans to continue to grow by hosting more workshops in Madrid and art retreats Spain and creating more courses like her Mediterranean themed course.

“It’s a way to share culture and immerse students in a fun, hands-on project. I have more class ideas than I could ever create, but I try to get as many out there as possible because I love teaching.”

Claire believes in the power of creativity and through her illustrations and her teaching, she wants to continue to inspire others to create.

“When I make custom pieces — whether it’s hand-painted murals, greeting cards, or other commissions — I see how it sparks creativity in the customers or audience as well. It excites them to create too. I love helping spread the message of how important creativity is for humans. Especially in a world where AI is taking over so many creative tasks and can create finished results in seconds, we should remember that creativity will always be part of us.”

At the end of the day, it’s all about making art that makes others smile and inspiring them to create their own joyful art.

“I love creating something that makes people happy. We all want to feel purposeful, and making work that exists purely to communicate something or to bring joy is incredibly rewarding.”

If Claire’s story inspired you to create, check out one of her classes on Skillshare and start creating! And don’t forget to share your art with others, you never know how it will inspire them.

Read More: Embracing What Comes Your Way with Illustrator Louise Pretzel

If Claire hadn’t been open to the opportunity of online teaching, she never would’ve become a top Skillshare teacher.

Claire loves drawing, but she also loves teaching. Now she’s able to teach illustration to others through Skillshare and her in-person workshops and retreats. 

By consistently working towards her goals, Claire has been able to reach huge milestones in her illustration career. 

*If you want to gain more creative confidence in just one week, subscribe to my newsletter to receive your FREE copy of the 7-Day Confidence Building Workbook*

Instead of being distracted by all the creative choices, pick one or two to focus on and watch as your skills improve!

Like Claire said, it’s better to finish something and share it, than never share it all for fear it’s not “perfect”. This is no easy task to release perfectionism, but it’s worth it to do the work.

You don’t need to get a whole new degree to pursue an art business. By using accessible resources like Skillshare, you can improve your art skills and set up your own art business. 

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Claire was initially nervous to teach online art classes, but now she’s a top teacher on Skillshare! Like Claire said, confidence comes from doing, not waiting.

You don’t have to create a giant masterpiece to be an artist. Just a 15 minute doodle makes you an artist and will still improve your skills. 

In our fast paced AI world, it’s easy to forget that humans are born to create. And nothing will ever be as magical as a human creation.

Make art that makes you smile. Chances are it will make someone else smile and maybe even inspire them to create their own art to make people smile. 

If Claire’s story inspired you to create, check out one of her classes on Skillshare  and start creating! And don’t forget to share your art with others, you never know how it will inspire them.