Milan Art Institute
The Mastery Program
One of the best Art Education Programs out there for aspiring artists!
If you haven't yet heard of Milan Art Institute and the Mastery Program, you need too.
They are so inspirational, incredibly skilled and have packed everything you need to uplevel and create the Art you dream of creating into a 1-year Online Art Course.
'Master painting and drawing techniques, discover your artistic voice, and launch a thriving art business, at your own pace, in this flexible online art program.'
Here, I wish to share with you:
So, grab a cuppa (or beverage of your choice) and get comfy!
How the Universe led me to the Mastery Program.
It all started about 3-4 years prior to finding the program. I was creating a 'Joy Board', a pin board full of images and quotes that I could look at every day that brought me joy. I was scrolling through Pinterest (as you do!) and came across a painting of a girl facing a wolf. There was something about this painting that stopped my scroll. I found it so incredibly beautiful, I printed it out on photo paper and pinned it on my board. Little did I know that painting was Dimitra Milan's most popular piece, 'Running The Distance'. At that time, I had no idea who Dimitra Milan was and to be completely honest with you, I didn't even look to see who painted it. I was on a joy mission and just wanted the pretty picture on my board.
About 6 months later, I decided to take my Joy Board down and do something new with the space. And so, I removed all the images and quotes from the board and popped them in the bin... All, except the picture of the girl facing the wolf. I paused. For some reason I couldn't throw it in the bin! and so I popped in a draw and moved on with life.
Within the 3-4 years following, I struggled with my painting. At the time I was painting in a hyper-realism style and found my practice very draining and unenjoyable. After pushing myself through countless animal portraits that left me bored and completely uninspired, I put my paint brush down and for the most part turned my back on painting. I felt betrayed by the constant creative pull that seemed to leave me only tired and depressed. I went through what I can only describe as a grieving process for my beloved art. My painting wasn't inspiring me, nor many others either and I just couldn't understand why I felt like I should be creating art yet was completely blocked from success, apart from painting fur and realistic eyeballs (ha ha!), I was getting good at that. So, I moved on with life convinced that my creativity was destined to come through some other avenue.
At the same time, I quit my incredibly stressful desk job and felt inspired to start a business of my own. After struggling with depression for most of my young adult life, I thought connecting and helping others that were also on that path would be a worthy venture; and I could use my creativity to make it extra special. With the support of my husband, I started a little business called 'Reawaken Your Soul' which was centred around seeing you, connecting with you and uplifting you. I created gift boxes for people who needed inspiration, care and love. I got a whole heap of journals printed, with my personal story within the first few pages and inspiring points of action, quotes and illustrations throughout. I put everything I had into this new venture, including a lot of money but as you may have already guessed, it fell completely flat. In fact, it didn't even take off. I was left exhausted, broken hearted and owing money to our savings.
And yet, in amongst the despair, I still felt that pull to create! So, I picked myself up, pivoted and decided it must be something else.
Cue, 'Her Day'. My new business that was still in the inspiring and uplifting others world but looked slightly different. This time I created a 3 Part Online Course which dived deep into everything I had learnt on my healing journey that had helped me. I also had inspiring graphics I created printed on tee-shirts and handmade beautiful necklaces that held special meanings of connection to ourselves and our journeys...
And.. well, you may have guessed again, it fell flat. After a lot of marketing and energy, I had a few tee-shirt orders and sold a couple of necklaces.
I just felt that this creative pull was relentless because it was worthy! And yet I was showing up for it, in all different ways, but was left with doors unopened and alone in the hallway.
That was all I had. I was now pregnant with our daughter Mila and just decided to focus on starting a family.
After having Mila, I needed to start earning money again and I desperately didn't want to return to a 9 - 5 desk job.
I was scrolling through Pinterest one day and was marvelling over these bright, beautiful, expressive paintings artists were creating. Just looking at their artwork made my heart beat faster, the creative inside me was jumping up and down, so inspired with how beautiful their creations were! I was so envious of them! I so wanted to create artwork like that, but I was stuck with this belief that creating artwork like that wasn't for me. I was a hyper realism painter how could I possibly paint like that! Fuelled with inspiration, I turned to You Tube and started searching video's on how to create expressive artwork. I just wanted to see how they did it! I watched one video that had me on the edge of my seat! It was a timelapse of this girl creating a painting in the most beautiful way! It ended too fast and so I searched for another by the same artist. It was a longer one, and I was so super excited to take it all in. And as the video started... I saw it. The painting of the girl facing the wolf. Right there in that video was the same painting as the picture I had printed for my Joy Board all those years ago! OMG!!! It hit me. And I cried. I cried and I cried as the realisation settled in that I was meant to be here, watching this video, seeing that painting that would wake me up to where my creative pull was trying to take me this whole time. The video was a free masterclass by Elli and Dimitra Milan. I paused it. I ran to find my joy board picture which i had kept all these years. I held it to my chest as i watched the masterclass. At the end, they talked about the Mastery Program. I was joining that Mastery Program! BUT it was expensive and I didn't have the money. I wasn't led here for nothing and so I signed up to the wait list anyway...
And here is how I funded my way through.
*You may have seen my Joy Board picture of Dimitra's painting in my social media posts! It now sits right above my easel so I can be reminded of what I have been through to get here and that I am meant to be doing this! That picture is so special to me.
How I paid for the Mastery Program without having the savings
Once I signed up to the Mastery Program Waitlist, I started receiving emails from Milan Art about the program as well as other artists stories.
One of the emails that came through was about Miranda Gamel and an eBook she had created called 'An Abundant Mindset - A step by step guide to fund your art education' (Thank you Universe!). Within this e-book was all sorts of ideas and guidance on how to fund your way through the Mastery Program. One of which stood out to me. 'Make a goal to sell 50 paintings for $50 each. You would have your whole tuition paid for.' Now, those amounts may have added up in US Dollars, but I am in New Zealand and the US Dollar is pretty much double. But that was fine, I just had to tweak the idea to fit.
Instead, I had to create 50 paintings for $100 each. I could totally do that! I re-read the eBook again and really took in what she was saying. I had to let people in on what I was doing. I had to share my story and allow them to be a part of it. I so wanted it to work, so I got straight to work.
And I am proud to say that over time I did create 50 paintings, all were created on A3 Watercolour paper (alongside the work I created as part of my study!) and priced them at $100 + Shipping. I was constantly on my social media sharing my story and my latest completed painting up for grabs, and you know what? People showed up! People who I didn't know wanted to help support me! A lot of my paintings were sold within hours, to the point where people were messaging me saying they were too slow! they missed out! I was full of confidence and was able to sustain my payment plan for the majority of the Mastery Program..
Full disclosure: I didn't sell all the 50 paintings I created and some of the money I earned had to go towards bills and so come three quarters of the way through, I had to pause my payment plan (and the Mastery Program) as I couldn't keep up with the payments. At that point, I was at the Portfolio Section of the program and was creating really beautiful paintings that I was super proud of. I was selling my artwork still, but it had slowed as I was producing more bigger canvas paintings and not so much the cheaper paper pieces that were easier to move with my audience at the time. After about 6 months of having the Mastery Program on pause, I was determined to finish it and graduate. So, I got my thinking cap on and came up with a plan. I decided to start creating online art classes. This was difficult for me to do; I was a student myself so why would anyone want to learn from me? I had some beliefs and blocks to break through, but I knew if I could sell a certain amount of classes at an affordable price point I could make enough to pay off the remaining balance I owed in full. And so, I did!
A week or two after the release of my Expressive Floral Painting class (the second and most popular art class I created) I was able to pay off the Mastery Program in full.
(Thank you so much to all of you here that have taken my classes! I am so grateful to you!!)
I understand that since I signed up to the Mastery Program it has increased in price. But the principle remains the same. If you really want it and don't have the funds available, you can still do it! I did it and so many other artists have also done it this way.
Something I would also like to point out is you can hit pause. When I paused my payments, I still had access to what I had paid for (as your access gets drip fed to you as you make, and pay, your way along). And you have access to that forever, as you have paid for it. But to gain access to the full program you obviously need to restart your payments or pay the remainder in full. So, to me, there really isn't too much risk. If it gets too tight and you can't make it work, hit pause!
I'm not going to lie to you and say this was easy. It wasn't. It was hard work and at times it felt too hard. But when you have a dream and are so passionate about being a successful artist and are committed to making it a full-time thing, you are going to need to dig deep.
I really wanted to share this with you because I know the expense of the Mastery Program can be a make or break for a lot of us. But it doesn't have to be! Don't let it! The way I did it is just one of the many, many ways you could fund your Mastery Program journey.
And it is so worth it!!! It's honestly life changing.
Let me tell you about my experience of the Mastery Program here...
My personal testimony of the Mastery Program
WHAT TO EXPECT
If it is your intention to become a full time Artist, if you want to take your passion and turn it into a rewarding career then this is the best path (that I have come across) to do just that. But let me be crystal clear here...
Upon completion of the Mastery Program, you are not automatically a full time artist making your dream income. This program is close to a magic pill, but there really is no magic pill for anything.
What you can expect is to be 100% more skilled then you are now.
You can expect to be clearer than ever before on your voice as an artist and what that looks like.
You can expect your confidence as an artist to grow tremendously.
You can expect your knowledge of how to create Art to be blown to pieces and your mind opened to all the amazing new ways to create you never knew existed.
You can expect to be challenged, a lot.
You can expect to be very extremely proud.
You can expect to cry, and you can expect to squeal with excitement.
And over the course of the program, you can expect to fully understand what it takes to be a full time artist, and it's not for the half-hearted.
MY REFLECTION ON THE MASTERY PROGRAM
Coming into the Mastery Program I was impatient during the drawing portion. I was of the opinion that I could draw well enough and felt a bit 'yes, yes.. very nice, I'm good with this' (Ha ha!) but there is so much more to drawing properly than I thought! And that was a theme I felt for the portions of the program that I believed to be well versed at. I was proven wrong all those times, gratefully.
The program moved faster than I could keep up with and so I simply made an intention at the beginning to not feel like I had to keep up and rush through things (although at times I got caught up and still did), instead I was okay with completing the program in my own time, I didn't want the added stress in my life. The full program took me just over 2 years to complete (including the 6 months I had it on pause).
I believe the program to be well structured and the lessons are easy to watch and inspiring. I liked that the program is taught by both Elli and Dimitra Milan as this gives you teachings from artists of different temperament and style. The program covered everything you could ever wish to know about creating art and being a professional artist. Alongside the video's you also have access to the Textbook which can be helpful to have on hand for quick reference during classes.
Aside from the actual skill of creating art, you learn how to hone in and bring out your own voice as an artist and unique artistic process. I urge you to not come into this section thinking you are going to have it all sussed out by the end of the program. I thought this way and was left feeling disappointed that this didn't come to me so easily. I am still working on fine tuning my voice, style and process. And to be completely honest with you, I feel this is ever evolving and is not a 'got it set for life' kind of thing. It will move and grow with you as an artist. So do keep this in mind in this section of the program. I will say that I feel I had achieved a more consistent look to my artwork, as in people could point out that that could be one of my pieces. That in itself is an achievement and very exciting.
And of course, the marketing section at the end. I already had a website set up, my social media was already going reasonably well, and I still learned a whole heap from this section that I continue to refer too. But if you do not have a website, they guide you through all that which would be invaluable if you are in that position.
I cannot comment on mentorship unfortunately as when I signed up to the program, the options were 'without a mentor' or 'with a mentor'.
I understand that this has changed, and the first option has group mentorship, then personal mentorship and then the top tier being mentored by Elli or Dimitra. Which option you go for is completely up to you and what fits into your budget. I would say any mentorship is better than no mentorship, so your already ahead there! But if you do go for personal mentorship or higher, this would really take your experience, skill and ability to thrive as a professional artist that much higher! You get out what you put in.. so no matter what tier you decide to take, your success is completely in your hands.
Above all of that, there is no way I would be painting what and how I am now without taking the program. Full stop. End of story.
(A little side note of being in the program is you can now enter your study work into the monthly competitions and win money! - Bonus!)
AFTER THE MASTERY PROGRAM
One of the best things about the mastery program after the fact is you have full, forever access. So, you can go back and re-do lessons as many times as you want. I'm even thinking of doing the full Mastery Program a second time! Why? because I know that there is always information you have missed the first time. That, and your more able to understand certain things once you have experience under your belt.
And another perk of completing the program is you get access to all their Masterclasses for free! The lives and the recordings
(I'm not 100% sure whether you need to have graduated to access these or not.. But certainly once you have graduated)
Moving on from the Mastery Program, pursuing this life as my full-time gig has been really challenging.
I saw myself revert to some old ways and let old fears creep back in, like going back to using only Acrylics, instead of keeping oils in my practice. I have since brought oils back in (yus! kicked that fear to the curb!) but my point is, after the fact can be easy to drift off course. Keep this in mind and be conscious of this in your own journey.
Also, it takes time to build your audience. Consistency, I have found, is the number one thing that has seen me grow in all areas of this journey.
There is a lot to figure out, you are running your own business, and you are all parts of that business! Your Sales, your Marketing, Your Admin, You're the Artist... It's all you!! and that is hard. I have failed and I have succeeded, countless times, in all areas. And I will continue too. It's all about learning from your mistakes. It's about being super clear on your vision for yourself as an artist and walking one foot in front of the other every day in that direction knowing you will trip and fall and that is okay! Be kind, you're doing your best and that is enough.
IN SUMMARY
The Mastery Program has the potential to change your life, or not. Whether it does or not is completely up to you.
You get out what you put in. If you are serious about being a professional Artist, I believe the Mastery Program is as comprehensive as Art Studies come, for the real world. It's a necessary precursor to going full out. It is a solid foundation for your artistic success. At the very least, it's an accelerator. It will get you to where you hope to be, faster.
One last best bit about the Mastery Program is they have an Affiliate Program. Instead of paying for advertising, they are investing in their graduates and offering us a chance to add to our income streams with an affiliate link for us to earn commission on their sales.
If you would love to sign up to take the Mastery Program, I would be super grateful to you if you would sign up using the below button. This allows you to support me with a simple click.
If the Mastery Program is not for you, but you would like to do a more affordable targeted class with the Milan's;
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If you have any questions, flick me a message on social media or email me on: carina.orvan@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!