For visual artists who know that words open doors to credibility, clout and career.
Find the words that speak for your art
No artspeak, no cringe, no waffling
You know you need to speak and write well about your art to build your career… but you’re a visual thinker first and foremost.

That’s why you took the art path in the first place. 


But sometimes it seems like the life of an artist is more about writing than art-making...

Proposals

Gallery outreach

Text for your website

Your newsletter

Talks and presentations

Your PDF portfolio

Instagram captions

Applications for residencies for funding

for any opportunity to grow your reach and ambition

Artist statements

Gallery texts

Long bios

Short bios

It’s overwhelming. Especially if you don't find writing easy.

The whole reason you're a visual artist is because words can’t express the full range of your meaning

Maybe the words come once you've finished something. Even then, you don't want to explain everything away. Your art isn’t just an illustration of some theory.

You’re determined to take a step up in your career this year, to finally get the support your work deserves and needs to flourish

So you sit down to spend the day updating the pages of your website

But you get stuck on the ‘about’ page. You end up avoiding the task. Your website gathers digital dust, getting more and more out of date. You almost hope people don't find it.

At an opening, your artist friend introduces you to a gallerist you admire

But you’re too tongue-tied to talk to them about your work. You blush, mumble and deflect them. Afterwards you’re kicking yourself. Showing your work with their gallery is your dream.

You’re scrolling your Instagram feed and a fantastic residency opportunity pops up. It's perfect for you, but the deadline is tomorrow

Somehow, you scrabble the application together. There’s no time to edit or proofread your statement or proposal. You manage to submit on time, but you know you didn't do yourself justice, so you're not surprised when you hear you didn’t get it.

You’ve spent long days working on applications for residencies, funding, proposals, but you just don't seem to gain any traction. 


It’s time-consuming, frustrating 

...and it's slowly eroding your confidence. 

You can’t make that big, exciting project happen. Your work has to stay small. You scrimp on materials, share your studio, take on more hours at work. Without the right words to advocate for your art, it doesn't get a chance to flourish.

It’s hard to find the right words to speak for your art. It feels vulnerable.

How can you know what people want to know about you as an artist? It all just feels so personal, and yet you don't want to sound all ‘me me me’. It’s easier to talk about the materials, the process. You know you have to reveal something of yourself to connect with people, but you don’t want to reduce your work to the product of an Instagram-ready lifestyle. You want depth. You want to write about your work in a way that feels open and generous, but leaves just enough unsaid to invite people in.

You need words that won’t get in the way of your art.

Words that won’t either alienate people or explain everything away, but instead will help them to find a way into your way of seeing the world. 


You have sketchbooks full of lists, bullet points and mind maps… But organising your thoughts into writing that flows and makes sense to someone else is a real struggle.

How do you condense a body of work that’s developed over years into a few short sentences? …without selling it short?
It’s hard to get the critical distance you need to see the overview. You’re just too close to it all. You need another pair of eyes on it, someone who knows your work, an editor you can really trust.
What if the next time you spot an opportunity that’s a perfect fit you can get to work on that application right away?
What if you’re asked to give a presentation about your work and when you speak the audience is totally engaged?
People ask searching and thoughtful questions. You respond confidently, with words that feel true, honest, generous and welcoming.
What if you write your own text for your next exhibition, rather than rely on someone else’s words?
The resulting text feels aligned, an extension of your art practice, not something tacked on afterwards. You create a catalogue that’s a beautiful small publication you feel proud of.
What if you write your own text for your next exhibition, rather than rely on someone else’s words?

What if you’re asked to give a presentation about your work and when you speak the audience is totally engaged? People ask searching and thoughtful questions. You respond confidently, with words that feel true, honest, generous and welcoming.

Imagine having the right words, your own words, at your fingertips, already drafted. You just choose and tweak your text, hit send and get back to the studio.

Introducing

GATHER YOUR ART WORD HOARD

Never be lost for words again

Gather Your Art Word Hoard is a practical four week course with 1:1 coaching support and detailed editorial feedback. Step by step, you’ll create a core document of texts about you and your work that you can re-purpose time and again.

You will have:
The accountability you need to get those words written
The structure you need to get the task done
The skills you need to articulate your ideas clearly and persuasively

“The feedback I received from Sam has surpassed anything I’d imagined coaching could offer. 


Her reading of the work showed a deep perceptiveness, as well as invaluable knowledge and understanding of the written word and its potential. Sam’s insightful comments and suggestions offered me the solutions and inspiration I needed to proceed, and much more. If you are looking for someone who can offer guidance and inspiration, you won’t find anyone better than Sam. I consider myself very fortunate to have found her.”

Angie Athanassiades

“Working with Sam has been one of the best investments I have made in my art practice. 


Sam is perceptive, knowledgeable, supportive and encouraging and I appreciate her gentle sense of humour and her care. I value the safe, non judgemental space that she creates for me to unravel and resolve issues about my art and in the time that we’ve been working together I’ve begun to develop a clearer understanding of my art practice and of myself as an artist.”

Andrea Butler

This is for you if:

You’ve been a visual artist for a while. You’re ready to go for bigger things, to apply for funding, residencies, galleries, and you know that to do this you need to articulate your work clearly, convincingly and fluently.

You’re ready to learn some simple and effective strategies to write well about your art practice and what drives it.

You’re willing to use words to help audiences find and connect with your work at a deeper level. 

This is not for if:

You believe that your art should speak for itself, end of story.

You’re not willing to challenge your belief that you can't write.

You’re not willing to prioritise developing your writing in support of your art career for a four to six week period.

How does it work?

A mix of bite sized lessons and 1:1 support.

Onboarding

You will receive an email with login details to your online course materials and worksheets, and an invitation to book a time for our first

1:1 meeting.

Deep Dive

We’ll get together online to look at a selection of your artwork and dig deep to uncover the language that conveys and clarifies your ideas.

Follow-up

You’ll receive a recording and transcript of our conversation with my notes and observations to get you started.


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Learn with support

You’ll have access to a structured set of bite-sized lessons and worksheets. You’ll learn strategies to write clearly and convincingly about your work in a way that’s free of artspeak, cliché or vagueness. You’ll have access to me via Voxer voice-messaging or email with ‘office hours’ every Friday.

Written Feedback and 1:1 video meeting

When you’ve gathered your Art Word Hoard you can send me your draft for written feedback and suggestions, with a final 1 hour 1:1 coaching call to talk everything through.

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You’ll have my eyes and ears on your words. Let’s polish them until they gleam.

By the end, you’ll have created your own Art Word Hoard, a treasure-box of reusable texts you can dip into whenever you need.

£750
Don’t let another opportunity pass you by just because you couldn't find the right words.
Cami Flake
“It’s been an absolute joy to work with Sam! 

Her thoughtful feedback and support has given me so much confidence and actionable ideas to help propel my work forward. I highly recommend.“
Mary Waltham

“Sam has the depth of experience, and the skill to support and stimulate your creative development. 


Sam is a scholar within her areas of expertise, and her practical on-point advice is valuable and thought-provoking. She can help you reflect constructively on your work, develop an existing project or consider a fresh start. ”

Hi, I’m Samantha Clark. I’m a visual artist, a published author and PhD in creative writing. For 25 years I've been an art educator and mentor for literally hundreds of artists at all stages of their careers, from undergraduate through graduate, doctoral level as well as coaching mid-career artists, helping them to refine and articulate their artistic vision.
As a busy practising artist myself, I only have a few slots open at any one time, so get on my calendar soon!
“It's been transformative, and I don't say that lightly. 

It’s been fantastic to have the full attention of someone who was able to pull together such a detailed overview and give such good advice. It's given me lots to think about and I’ve found it has functioned like a call to action.”

Hilary Nicoll

“It's crazy how much progress I've made with all your incredible support and belief in me! 


I feel like I’ve gone supersonic! I see you as a gatherer of loose threads from seemingly random pieces, finding fascinating and insightful connections, and re-presenting them to me as a coherent narrative. It's teaching me to keep stepping back and re-evaluate my work as a whole. The brainstorming and clarification, the in-depth questionnaires, as well as recommendations for resources to use or artists to research or books to read, have been hugely invaluable.”

Morag Thomson Merriman

The space between words and images is my sweet spot. I love this work.

I have decades of experience teaching and coaching other artists, in their studios and online. As you show me your work and start to tell me about it, I can gently question and explore your art practice alongside you, allowing you to find your own way to explain your ideas.

I understand how the right words can help other people really see, understand and appreciate your art work with all the depth and nuance you put into it.

I've been a practising artist myself for over 30 years. I’ve written successful funding bids, residency applications, public art proposals, exhibition catalogues, statements, academic journal articles, university job applications, a prize-winning doctoral thesis and a book published by a major publishing house. I write a weekly newsletter that’s building a conversation and community around the work I do, and has become a valued part of my creative practice. I have secured funding from national funding bodies and research councils, and I recently won a national painting award worth £20,000. Words opened all of these doors for me. They can for you too.

I know the difference that having the right words can make to your art career, your art practice, your confidence and your clarity.
Let me help you find them.
But I haven't always found this easy. I’m a bit of an introvert.
I used to say no to speaking gigs because I was too nervous, or force myself to say yes and stand there with my knees shaking, my mouth dry. Once, when a friend introduced me to a big London gallerist he turned and asked me ‘what’s your work about?’ I mumbled, deflected, blushed, stammered. I felt like a complete idiot, a loser, a hopeless case. I never wanted to feel like that again. I knew I was letting myself down. So I worked at it. I practised. I learned. I got better at it. And so can you.
Yes, but...

What if you’re better at speaking than writing, or if you’re dyslexic? We’ll use neurodivergent-aligned methods, with gently questioning dialogue and AI transcripts to help tease out your words and get them into a written form you can use.

 

What if 1:1 live video calls don't work for you? No problem, I can provide feedback and discussion by email correspondence or asynchronous voice messaging. 


Busy? I know. The lessons are in bite-sized chunks you can tackle whenever you have a moment. A mix of synchronous and asynchronous modes of support allow you to work flexibly to suit your schedule, while the 4 week structure helps you focus and get things done. Bit by bit you can watch your Art Word Hoard grow.


 Sick of starting online courses you never finish? My personal 1:1 guidance and feedback gives you a level of accountability and gentle support to see you through the process

Robust support for busy artists:
Two 1:1 coaching calls at the beginning and end of our work, with weekly Voxer ‘office hours’ for up to 6 weeks, to ensure your questions are answered and you don't stay stuck for long.
Recorded video calls with transcripts for you to review. Listen on-the-go, or while you’re at work in your studio. Print off the transcripts to keep or take notes on.
Critique and feedback on all your work. I’ll look at and write notes on your draft which we can go through on our final call.
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GATHER YOUR ART WORD HOARD

Find the right words to speak from your art.

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