The Creative Map
Find your path to a powerful creative career, full of impact and freedom. Join Marina Esmeraldo for a four-week virtual course helping you to make a living from your art and turn your dreams into reality.
“Marina helps to unlock the 'juicy' potential that already lives in your practice, to see yourself as a professional artist and ignites a fire of inspiration to drive you forward.”
— Cherilyn, Visual Artist
The Creative Map course is for aspiring & established artists, illustrators, designers, photographers, and creative types.
It’s for YOU, if you…
Dream BIG about going freelance and working for yourself but don’t know where to start;
Struggle to get a steady flow of incoming commissions;
Feel burned out and want to take the leap to pivot and become your own boss (but feel scared and anxious to do so);
Want to better know your own creative voice and infuse your work with play, flow state and personal projects;
Find yourself paralysed by resistance, procrastination, lack of discipline or organisation;
Struggle with negotiations and knowing your own value;
Have a burning desire to succeed, but don’t know how to achieve what you want.
“Incredibly worthwhile, both inspiring and practical, and I’m feeling invigorated about my next steps.”
— Bex, Designer
How do you get the creative career you desire and that brings you the freedom you are looking for?
You need passion, commitment, and focus. But most importantly you need to believe in yourself.
Become a thriving self–employed professional and make a living from your art.
Learn to craft your blueprint for commercial success & fulfilling personal projects.
Discover mindful practices rooted on self–confidence and self–worth, driving your creative career and yourself to new and exciting heights.
In just four weeks, you will learn to map out and follow a fulfilling career, step by step, that serves and ignites you.
The Creative Map will provide you with:
4 Video lectures, with inspiring stories that will help you implement the Workbook content in an easy way;
4 Workbooks, full of practical, mindful tools and exercises to get you started right away;
Q&A Library and Open Office Hours so you can get your questions answered;
Exclusive resources & so much more.
Together we will develop potent tools and strategies to bring sovereignty to your career and to your life.
“The course helped to lift the veil on information I hadn't even been able to obtain studying illustration at university.”
— Willem, Illustrator
“New opportunities appeared and I was able to embrace them fully trusting in the process and the outcome.”
— Joana, Artist & Curator
What you will learn
so you can make a living from your art...
Vision
Harness pleasure and motivation through your work, identifying the desires that excite you and the tools to achieve your goals
Balance
Develop resilience and learn how to deal with rejection and criticism. Find your center and self-confidence, raising your self-worth & shedding limiting thoughts, impostor syndrome and comparison. Learn how to manage creative blocks and burnout, and how to balance your innate energy for creativity and success.
Sustainability
Find clients, create passive income & live full-time from your art; network and be seen when so many events are cancelled
Negotiation
Deal confidently with clients and attract agent & gallery representation
Breakthrough
Identify & work through resistance, fear and procrastination. Define what works for you, harnessing discipline and organisation
Freedom
Make your own opportunities & create a fulfilling career that serves you, working from anywhere in the world
Structured Play
Develop personal projects that help you grow & attract more work; find your creative voice & learn how to be inspired beyond the algorithm
Impact
Be who you want to be, exercising the most impact and results
Included
Virtual lectures centered around weekly content + Creativity exercises & prompts
All videos recorded so you can revisit in your own time
Daily tools & meditations for building resilience, self–esteem + self–confidence
Q&A library and your questions answered with open office hours
Weekly assignments to help give you clarity & develop personal + professional power
Interviews with guest speakers discussing a range of topics
Do you want to be empowered in your creative career?
Are you ready to take the reigns and make opportunities happen on your own terms, with self–authority and freedom?
It takes courage. You will face resistance.
Everything you want is on the other side of that.
€150
The Course
4 weeks programme
Self-paced
Q&A library and Open Office Hours
About Marina Esmeraldo
I am a multidisciplinary artist from Fortaleza, Brazil, now based between Barcelona and London.
I forged my own career as a self–taught artist and illustrator in a foreign country, after finding myself adrift with an Architecture degree in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash. There were no jobs; I had no money and no support network — all I had was my gut telling me it was the right thing to do, and a burning desire to succeed.
Today, I have exhibited work around the world, given talks and lectures to huge audiences in prestigious festivals and been awarded honours in Europe, the U.K., the U.S. and Latin America. I have learned to be creatively resilient, believe in myself and most importantly, belong to myself. I make my own rules and work on my own time, from anywhere in the world.
I see so many talented creatives paralysed by fear, anxiety and uncertainty. I have been in the exact same place, and I can’t wait to help you realise your full power.
FEATURED ON
What People Are Saying…
“Incredibly worthwhile, both inspiring and practical, and I’m feeling invigorated about my next steps.”
— Bex Arthur, designer
“Before this course my dream of being a full-time illustrator felt so out of reach and I was struggling with so much self-doubt. This course became my Map towards reaching my dream! I still to this day use Marina’s structures and methodologies to keep myself organised and Marina’s experience and insights were also extremely helpful in allowing us to see how the industry works and how to find income streams as an illustrator. I am forever grateful I was able to participate in such an inspirational and insightful course.”
— Debi Hasky, illustrator
“We LOVE Marina's work. Her life is just as inspiring — travelling, exploring and challenging herself and her work as she goes. What a woman!”
— Make Nice Conference
“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Marina across all sorts of creative and art projects for many years — the energy, joy and positivity… (not to mention talent!) she brings to everything she does is truly inspiring.”
— Rosie Gogan-Keogh
Managing Director, Hen's Teeth
“Marina's vivacious and infectious confidence made me excited about the future of my practice and giddy to start new work, organise my priorities and delve into ingrained behaviours that were holding me back. I felt, and still feel, extremely supported by her, and it was amazing to have other artists to hold you to account. I have changed my thinking and have her to thank for that. She helps to unlock the 'juicy' potential that already lives in your practice, to see yourself as a professional artist and ignites a fire of inspiration to drive you forward.”
— Cherilyn Yeates, artist
“As a self–employed artist, with the course I could see the market in a different way. It helped me to organize my mind on my next steps. In addition to all the resources offered, having the opportunity to get to know Marina is incredible. She is an artist that I admire, and is extremely accessible, open, willing to offer, share her knowledge and her acquired learning throughout her career.”
— Karen Suehiro, artist
“What’s captivating about Marina’s talk is her personal experiences, you get to learn how she transformed her passion into real creative projects and bringing new clients. She has this inspiring aura that helps you connect with her and work on your next project!”
— Nathalie Koutia
Communications Director, OFFF Festival
“The course helped me set myself goals which would help to turn my career around and showed that I was back in control of my own life. Looking at these now, I see that I have achieved most of them. This feels wonderfully empowering. The Creative Map experience has been life-changing for me, and I know it will be for others.”
— Christina K., writer
“I've been struggling with lack of self esteem, which led to terrible procrastination. Marina's course has really helped me get back on my feet and start reviewing my work and my methods. I've actively worked on my personal projects and identity as a creative, developing a portfolio I'm really proud of and finally finished my website. I feel much more confident as a professional and I'm 100% sure I couldn't have gotten here without the tools provided in the course. I have since started working with new clients and I am quite booked for the time being, which I wouldn't think it would happen, specially during this pandemic.”
— T.M., photographer & graphic designer
“Marina is the kick-start you probably need. Raw, honest, real and most importantly fun.”
— Paul Mellor
Creative Director, Mellor&Smith and
Taking Fucking Risks speaker series
“Marina Esmeraldo knew she wanted to pursue art as a career—but didn't know how. Today she juggles commissions, personal work and co-directing [her own] magazine.”
— YouCanNow (YCN)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have any free tools I can check out before committing?
Sure! My new workshop Feeling Invisible On Social Media offers a roadmap to heal the emotional triggers of not feeling seen, or feeling small, on social media. And In my workbook The Secret To Always Having Work you’ll find out some of the key tools to help you have a constant flow of commissions, opportunities and new clients. And that’s only a small part of everything we learn in the course!
Who is this for?
For any creative person looking to live from their art and elevate their career to the next level. We have students, recent graduates, people wanting to change careers, quit their day jobs, find retirement income… All from the most varied disciplines: illustrators, painters, photographers, performers, filmmakers, lettering artists, print designers and writers.
How many hours of dedication will I need?
Each week there will be 15–30 minute lectures and content to read, and the exercises can take anytime from 1–3h to complete. You also have access to a Q&A Library with sessions lasting for 60mins, and Open Office Hours so you can get any questions answered, anytime. So it depends on you, but roughly around 3h per week.
What are the course exercises like?
The course is self-paced, and this is very much a you–get–what–you–put–in situation. Most exercises consist of journaling and making lists according to prompts, with weekly deadlines. There are creative prompts and exercises to take at your own pace outside of the programme, and also daily exercises in mindfulness and meditations.