Re: What Happens When Art Meets the Algorithm | Lily-Rose Burgess
In this episode of the Arts to Hearts Podcast, Charuka Arora sat down with Lily-Rose Burgess—an artist who went from posting casually on Instagram to running her art business full-time, all before the age of 23.
In this episode, Lily-Rose talks about what it’s like to figure things out as you go, how social media helped her connect with people who cared about her work, and the mindset shifts that helped her push through the messy middle. She shares the real stuff—how discipline got her through challenging moments, how she learned to make social media work for her, and why showing up without a plan was sometimes the best plan of all.
Lily-Rose’s journey isn’t polished or perfect—and that’s what makes it so refreshing. It’s honest, relatable, and full of little takeaways that remind us that building a creative life is less about having it all figured out and more about being willing to try, mess up, and keep going.
Let’s dive in.
About Lily-Rose Burgess
My name is Lily-Rose, and this is my collection of oil paintings.
I have been creating art for as long as I can remember. I have distinct memories of drawing frequently as a child. Now, at 22 years old, after a few wrong turns in my career, I have found my path in colourful, nostalgic still-life compositions that are enhanced by the magic of oil paint. My work draws on personal experiences and memories, bringing beauty and life to objects that are often overlooked due to their mundane nature.
I spend every spare moment of my busy life in Melbourne, Australia, doing what I can to improve my practice and learn from others. I work full-time as an artist and spend every day living my dream in the studio, sipping coffee, surrounded by my cats and paints.
Painting is my escape from reality as well as my acceptance of it, and I hope my works bring you the same amount of joy and sense of ‘home’ as they bring me.S4E70
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Building a Creative Life from Scratch
In this episode of the Arts to Hearts Podcast, Charuka Arora sits down with Lily-Rose Burgess, an artist who has found her way into a full-time creative life without attending art school, having a formal business plan, or initially knowing that this would be her path. What started as a casual sharing of her art on Instagram evolved into something much bigger: a thriving art business, a community of supporters, and a new way of living and working, all at just 22 years old.
From retreats in Bali to the quiet work of painting in her studio, Lily-Rose shares the honest side of her journey—the discipline it took, the mindset shifts she’s had to make, and how social media has been both a tool and a teacher along the way.
The Discipline That Got Her Here
When Charuka asks Lily-Rose about the most significant strength that’s helped her get to this point, Lily-Rose doesn’t hesitate. “I think I was born with good discipline,” she laughs.
That drive, she says, is what kept her going when things were tough, especially in the early days when she wasn’t sure what she was doing or where it would lead. For Lily-Rose, setting a goal and following through isn’t just helpful—it’s how she stays grounded. “I’ve wanted to give up many times,” she admits. “But I didn’t, because I had already told myself I would do it.”
I think people get very upset because they feel like they’re being forced to do it. But when you look at it from a wider perspective, not that long ago you would be starving on the side of the road unless you’d got your working with the gallery.S4E70
Learning to Work With Social Media, Not Against It
Social media often feels like a chore or a challenge for artists, but for Lily-Rose, a significant turning point came when she stopped resisting it and began to see it differently.
“At first, I hated it. I felt like I was being forced to share,” she says. “But then I realised, if social media didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be able to do this full-time.”
That shift—from resentment to gratitude—changed everything. Lily-Rose now sees social media as a gift. “It’s a free tool that gives you access to people who genuinely want to see you succeed,” she says.
She’s also learned how to set boundaries. When she’s tired, she steps away. When she feels excited to share, she documents her process, not because she has to, but because she wants to. “I see it as storytelling,” she explains. “I love putting my videos together with music. It makes me happy.”
A powerful tool like a gallery can’t make you reach 10000000 people in thirty days. S4E70
Sharing Without the Facade
One of the biggest takeaways from Lily-Rose’s approach? You don’t have to be perfect to show up. Trying to look perfect can be what drains you.
“I’ve always tried to be transparent,” she says. “If something doesn’t turn out right or I’m embarrassed by it, I just share it anyway.”
That honesty is what makes people connect with her. And it’s also what made her art sales happen naturally. “I wasn’t trying to sell anything at first. I just kept sharing my life and my work, and people responded to that,” she says.
Building a Business Without a Plan
Lily-Rose didn’t go to art school, and she didn’t start with a business plan. She just started doing the work, figuring it out as she went.
Her art account began as a personal page, which gave her the freedom to share all aspects of her life—something she says was a happy accident. “I wasn’t thinking about marketing or selling. I was posting. And somehow that’s exactly what helped things grow,” she explains.
Later, she learned the practical stuff—how to manage orders, set up a website, and handle the details behind the scenes. But at the core, her approach stayed the same: show up, stay real, and let the rest unfold.
So I don’t feel like, “Ah, I’m being forced to do this or my count will die.” I don’t feel that because I know. That the reason I’m here is because I’ve been very transparent with everyone, very authentic, like my main value in this whole art business is to be as transparent as possible, which includes when things don’t turn out right. Um, or they look bad in my opinion.S4E70
A New Way of Looking at Success
Now, Lily-Rose leads retreats, runs her art business full-time, and connects with thousands of people through her work. However, even with everything she has built, her mindset remains what continues to guide her.
“You can look at anything from any perspective,” she says. “If you change how you see it, everything gets easier.”
And for her, that means treating social media as a way to share joy, treating art-making as a long game, and trusting that staying honest will always take her further than any strategy.
But on the whole, I just want to share with people, so it doesn’t feel to me like a chore. and I kind of like to look at it like, “You know, I’m going to do thousands of paintings probably in my lifetime, and I think it is such a special thing to be able to look back in a video of what you went through to create each piece. S4E70
So it wasn’t like something I was scared to really do; it just so happens that doing that exact thing is the best way to sell your art, which is why the sales were coming to me without me understanding why it was because I was just not pleased by my work. S4E70
As we wrap up this conversation with Lily-Rose Burgess, one thing is clear—there’s no one way to be a working artist. Whether you’re just getting started, stuck in a creative rut, or figuring out how to stay true to yourself while sharing your work online, Lily-Rose’s story reminds us that showing up as you are is more than enough.
From letting go of pressure to chasing likes, to finding connection through honesty and consistency, this episode leaves us with the kind of encouragement we all need, especially on the days when things feel messy or uncertain.
If there’s one takeaway here, it’s this: your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Just keep going, stay curious, and trust that something meaningful can grow from even the smallest steps.
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