We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Valisa Higman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Valisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
Both of my parents were artists. They also both worked other jobs for most of my childhood. My dad told me that if art ever started feeling like work, I should quit. My mom, on the other hand, showed me that there could be reward from hard work. I think between the two of them I learned to keep it fun and meaningful, but not to shy away from hard projects or challenging clients. I understand what my dad was trying to tell me. He wanted me to value my own creative process, and to follow my muse. It took me quite a while to believe I could make a living as an artist, having watched both of my parents struggle to make ends meet, and working other jobs to provide a more stable income. I think in addition to teaching me to keep the love of art alive, and to meet challenges head on, my parents also taught me the value of a simple life. I keep my expenses low so that I can have more time to explore the world, and pick and choose which projects I take on.
Valisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a cut-paper artist. I started in high school, cutting out pictures of birds and animals, faces and hands. My mom was a silk screen printer, and hand cut her screens with an X-acto knife. I grew up cutting my own screens for presents for friends, so moving from screens to paper was an easy step. In college I studied drawing, and over the years my work has evolved and changed, but the basic principles remain the same. Generally I start with a sheet of black paper… I transfer my image onto the back of the paper, and then cut away everything but the lines. Using this lacework of lines as my foreground, I piece together pieces of colored paper to fill in the spaces between the lines, working from objects closest to the viewer to those farthest away, creating a three dimensional effect. Once all the colors are blocked in, I use paint to add texture, shading and detail.
My pieces are generally inspired by place, nature and community. I live in a rural Alaskan town off of the highway system, accessible only by boat or plane, and I commute to my studio by rowboat from town. I get a lot of my inspiration from the things I see along the way (birds and otters, rock formations, houses perched on stilts, boats and people out enjoying the outdoors. I grew up in this town, but moved away for almost 15 years after graduating. Moving back, I hoped to start making a living from my artwork. I took part time jobs first as an outdoor educator, then as a waitress and substitute teacher. I started investing in my business, buying prints, designing greeting cards and stickers. I now make most of my income wholesaling cards prints and stickers to galleries all around Alaska. I find that Alaska is very supportive of local artists, and opportunities keep finding me. I also do commission work and end up doing pictures of people’s boats, dogs and cabins, but I try to only take jobs that allow me to showcase my own creativity. Learning the business side of things: how to approach potential clients, creating contracts, clearly communicating my process, and doing accounting and budgeting was the hardest hurdle for me to overcome. I am most proud of the fact that I have found a supportive community of artists who have helped me learn, and supported me in my growth. I try to also support other artists as they find their way. I always tell people I have 2 jobs: I create art and I run a small business. I am so proud that I have been able to balance those two jobs in such a way that I feel fulfilled and challenged every day.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think the pandemic did a lot to focus attention on buying from small businesses, and supporting local creatives. I think the challenge is to keep that momentum going. It is important to be willing to pay more for things that are better made. We can make do with less junk, and shop mindfully. Try to know where things are coming from or alternatively, where your money is going. When you buy from an artist or a local gallery, your money is making a real impact.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I love seeing people connect with my work. Sometimes my inspiration parallels their connection to the piece, but sometimes their connection is much more individual. I love hearing people’s stories when they are looking at my work. I also love working with clients to bring their vision to life. Some of my favorite pieces are inspired by special moments in a client’s life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/artbyvalisa
- Instagram: @valisahigman
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/artbyvalisa
Image Credits
All photos are by me: Valisa Higman