From Artist to CEO: The story of 'Alicia Blu Art' by Alicia Watton (BA Geography, 2019)

Our latest start-up blog features Geography graduate Alicia Watton who has turned her art passion into a business.

Alicia: Alicia Blu Art is a contemporary art business that sells authentic artwork created by myself via my website and social media platforms. I currently specialise in figurative art and offer original artworks, limited edition prints and commissions. 

The vision for my work is to be bold, emotive and inclusive, whist ensuring artistic authenticity, exceptional quality and environmental sensitivity at each stage of the creative process.

I have always had a huge passion for art and could never seem to visualise myself going into a typical, corporate job after graduating from university. I’ve always loved being creative and I became more and more eager to explore the idea of being a full-time artist and building my own brand, even though art was not the conventional career path from my Geography degree. 

During my second year, I set up a garden studio and began painting during my free time, and then throughout my final year, I began tailoring my course towards my artistic interests. I composed research into the feminist geographies around life drawing classes to understand how the spatial setting and our social background can influence how we view women and ultimately risk objectifying their bodies.

Upon completing university, I wanted to delve into this issue further so I began creating art of nude women to help promote female empowerment and body diversity. I also became increasingly frustrated that art galleries charge 40-50% commission so I wanted to cut out the middle man involved in gallery sales. Instead, social media became the most attractive space to sell my art as it allows my artwork to become physically and financially accessible to a wider audience. Ironically, social media is the ideal platform to display my body-positive pieces as it is recognised for critiquing, commoditising, objectifying, and idealising women’s bodies. 

When my artistic voice and style started to effortlessly and wholeheartedly come into fruition, I knew that I had to establish Alicia Blu Art and transform my ideas and passion into a business. 

I participated in university Freelance sessions and the 101 Tech Entrepreneurship start-up course prior to establishing Alicia Blu Art. This helped me to develop my idea and understand the fundamental elements associated with running a business. I had no previous experience or knowledge around business development and so these sessions really built my confidence and pushed me to go for it. I’m also really thankful to have received funding as it enabled me to set up the foundations of my business without the financial worry.

I love being able to pursue my passion on my own terms every single day! Having my own business enables me to be my own boss and have total control over the decision-making and creative process while working flexible hours.

While it may be challenging to have to take on all of the different roles in the business, I enjoy learning new skills and putting them into action. Nonetheless, one of the most rewarding aspects is when customers send me positive feedback and photographs of my artwork in their homes.

Difficult aspects to overcome include the element of risk and uncertainty involved week on week in the beginning stages, in addition to doubting the success of your own creative ideas. I’ve learnt to appreciate and celebrate the wins but also anticipate challenges and setbacks that crop up. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep motivated when working alone but I always remind myself of the bigger picture and my aspirations for the business to keep me going! 

The one thing I wish I would’ve known before starting the business was to not assume that everyone else knew what they were doing before they started. I’ve learnt so much just by having a go and getting stuck in and I’ve realised that you never see the challenges and failures that other businesses have experienced to get where they are today. Realistically, businesses don’t become established overnight as it takes trial and error to understand what works for the owner, the business and the customers. If I'd had more confidence in the process, then I would’ve started this venture sooner! 

The biggest takeaway from my experience is that it’s always best to be your authentic self and stay true to your values as this makes it easier for you to stand out and create a brand that sustainably represents yourself. I’ve learnt to keep reminding myself that every business is at different stages and shouldn’t be too self-critical that I’m not in the same position as others who are 5-10 years ahead of me. It’s healthy to look to other businesses for inspiration, but also not to assume that their model or way of doing things is the only way and will effortlessly and automatically transfer to my business. Essentially, you get out what you put in. Starting a business is a lot of hard work, especially in the beginning when you have to do everything yourself and learn new skills. This experience has shown me that you’ve got to go above and beyond but also watch out for burnout. It’s about finding a rhythm and establishing a sustainable routine that gives the business the foundations to thrive.

This summer, I released my first collection of limited edition line drawings entitled ‘Brianna’. My next project involves challenging myself to release 25 vibrant paintings of 25 beautifully diverse, nude women throughout the autumn. Head over to https://www.aliciabluart.com/ to view the latest pieces and follow @aliciabluart on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for behind the scenes and exciting updates about upcoming releases! 

Written by Alicia Watton
Published by Bob Lee