For 30 years, top art agent Lilla Rogers nurtured and brought out the best in the dozens of artists she represented via her innovative art agency. Now that her agency has closed, she’s free to do the same for a small select group of students in a small group mentoring intensive, Inner Circle.
The first round of Inner Circle has just finished, and we were keen to find out what the participants – just 12 artists – thought of the experience. What did they think of Lilla’s mentoring style? And – crucially – was it worth it?
Inner Circle will be running once more in 2025, for six weeks from September 29th, and places are extremely limited and going fast. This is the last time this intensive will run until late 2026, so if you want in, sign up now.
Scroll down to find out how these students found the experience and what they learned, and to see some of the art that they created during their time in Inner Circle.
Want to find out if Inner Circle is for you? Want to hear direct from the previous participants? Want the chance to get FREE live career coaching from Lilla or to win a FREE Make Art That Sells course?
Here’s Lilla! Join her for a FREE live Zoom event to get your creative career questions answered and maybe win a FREE place in class! With decades of experience in the creative industry, Lilla has tons of wisdom to share.
Don’t miss the FREE live Zoom event with Lilla THIS THURSDAY, August14th! Bring your questions for Lilla and the previous Inner Circle mentees, plus Lilla will be popping a volunteer up on screen live so they can chat one-to-one. Lilla will be performing her famous creative career tarot and giving away a FREE place in one of her classes!
Check out Lilla’s dreamy creative career oracle deck. She’ll be doing a reading for a lucky volunteer – join the Zoom and it could be you!
Don’t miss it! Join the Zoom here – you’ll also find the link to join in our Instagram and Facebook Stories on the day, and on the front page of our website at www.makeartthatsells.com. Set a reminder now!
Kate Paddock
Inner Circle, with its small size and Lilla’s mentoring gifts, has boosted my confidence and commitment to working hard to improve my painting, drawing and lettering. Lilla is able to mentor each of us kindly and precisely, even with many different styles, experience and goals.
Art by Kate.
The twice a week meeting schedule was perfect: a beginning of the week check in, mid-week gallery submission deadline and an in-depth class meeting where Lilla reviews everyone’s submission, answers questions, and gives direct and insightful feedback, which creates energy and focus for the next week.
There’s enough structure to keep me on track, and Lilla’s clear expectation that we work hard during the six weeks helps us all commit to making the most of our time in Inner Circle.
Some of the art that Kate worked on during Inner Circle, getting direct feedback from Lilla.
Lilla has a gift for insightful feedback and is a kind and encouraging mentor. I appreciate and trust her directness about possible improvements or successes in my work. I have learned so much from this small group intensive!
Another gift of Inner Circle has been the support and encouragement from all of the members in the Inner Circle group. I believe Lilla’s commitment, guidance and belief in her students encourages this atmosphere. We all want to do our best for her, ourselves and each other.
Lilla, and the Inner Circle members are exceptionally supportive. Lilla is a kind and insightful mentor, and my confidence and skills have grown immensely during even this short period of time.
The intensive is so worth it! Thanks again, Lilla!
Kylee Conriquez
Being part of Inner Circle with Lilla Rogers was an incredibly valuable experience. I truly enjoyed connecting with fellow artists and sharing the journey together. The thoughtful feedback from the group, along with Lilla’s personalized guidance and materials, made all the difference.
Art by Kylee.
Thanks to this experience, I now have a clear direction for my career—and a wonderful community of artist friends. I especially appreciate that Lilla continues to follow up with us even after the program ended; her support has given me the motivation I needed to keep moving toward my goals.
Lilla answered all of my questions with care and depth, and her kind, uplifting presence made the entire process even more inspiring. She’s not only an amazing artist and mentor, but also a true motivational force.
Thank you, Lilla, for everything you’ve done. I absolutely loved Inner Circle!
Annabelle Yim
Art by Annabelle.
After working as an in-house illustrator for a company for many years, I always felt my works didn’t feel like me and wasn’t happy with it. With Inner Circle and under Lillla’s guidance, I gained confidence and passion in my own work.
Courtney Kirkpatrick
Working with Lilla in Inner Circle has been a transformative experience. Her gentle guidance helped me break through mental blocks and identify concrete steps to elevate my artwork. It’s been a priceless investment in myself.
Art by Courtney.
I started with a bit of imposter syndrome, but the small group setting was a dream. With Lilla as head cheerleader, we got a whole squad of like-minded artists to cheer each other on and offer practical advice.
And with her unique background as a longtime art agent, educator, and lifelong artist, Lilla gave each student priceless insight into their work, pinpointing strengths, and helping to craft a map forward in their careers.
Colee Wilkinson
The Inner Circle mentorship was an amazing career-accelerating experience on many levels, and the rewards were far greater than I expected.
Lilla showed me exactly what was special, unique, and strong about my work and encouraged me to do more. This was incredibly validating and motivating, giving me the confidence to move forward in more authentic ways with my art.
Art by Colee.
The personalized assignments with feedback twice a week allowed me to grow rapidly in my preferred direction over the six weeks. I felt highly supported by Lilla’s mentoring style, the frequency of the face-to-face feedback from her, as well as the ability to ask questions and receive guidance along the way.
All of us within the small nurturing group developed a special connection over the six weeks. I will be forever grateful for this rare and powerful experience, and I highly recommend this special opportunity to artists at any level.
Thanks all! We can’t wait to see what you’re all going to achieve as you go from strength to strength in your creative careers!
Do you want to take part in this unique small group mentorship intensive and transform your art and your career?
Then we’ve got fantastic news for you – Lilla’s doing it all over again! The second round of Inner Circle will run from 29 September to 7 November, and just like before it will be strictly limited to 12 places – and two of the students who took Inner Circle the first time have already signed up for round two!
You’ll get twice-weekly live group meetings with Lilla and the rest of the participants, a warm, supportive live 1:1 with Lilla after the intensive has finished, personalized assignments, tons of tips and advice to take your art and your creative career to the next level and more. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity!
This is the last time that Inner Circle will run in 2025 – it’s not currently scheduled to run again until fall 2026, so if you want in, sign up now!
Find out more and sign up here.
Lots of love
The Make Art That Sells team xxx
