Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Wood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Danielle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Being an artist is a process, it is definitely being a creator and creative as well as a small business owner. I am a ceramic artist in Phoenix, AZ. I earned my BFA at Arizona State University and my MFA at New Mexico State University. I teach locally at several Community Colleges, I also teach at an Art Center, as well as a retirement community in Rio Verde, AZ. I have an LLC called Danielle Wood Art. I create ceramic artwork, sculptures, public art, installations, and have worked with Art Consultants as well. I have several different aspects of my creative work. I teach ceramics, do art installations, public art, workshops, as well as selling functional artwork. I have my work in several galleries at Practical Art and Shemer Art Center. I also have my artwork in public permanent installations at the 850 PBC Building, and at Illuminate Apartments in the Arts District in downtown Phoenix. I have collectors that have my work, and I have also sold my work privately. I find it is important to have different avenues for my work, and I like the variety that it creates to have different opportunities to share and show my work.

Danielle , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into ceramics as an art student at Arizona State University. I did not have formal ceramics training before that point. I was a painting major and I needed to take a 3D Arts Class. I took one semester of Ceramics and changed my major. I knew it was a passion for me and I felt I had some skill in it. I knew art was really competitive, but it felt like ceramics was a great fit for me. I loved to work with color, I like texture, and I really enjoyed the flexibility of clay as a sculpture medium. I completed my Master of Fine Arts in 2012 in Las Cruces, NM and then I moved back to Phoenix in 2014. I started showing my artwork in Phoenix in the downtown art scene around that time.

In my artwork I create sculptures, installations, public art, I have worked with art consultants, I have made installations for private homes, I create functional works that I sell in galleries, I give workshops, and I teach ceramics at two community colleges in Phoenix, AZ. I like to create organic work, that is one of a kind. I enjoy beautifying a space and I like the idea that my artwork will go to a home that it will help brighten, be part of the environment, and be enjoyed. I am most proud that my career has evolved, just by continuing to do the activities that I love to do. My career has grown and evolved around the artwork that I create. I like working with others, and the social aspect of being an educator. I like making artwork and creating spaces that viewers can enjoy with artwork that is visually engaging. I also have a passion for nature and the ocean environment and like to raise awareness of that space, the beauty of it and the need to preserve it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I would say the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is getting to share my passion for creating with others. I really enjoy teaching at the college level, in art centers, and workshops. I get to teach in a variety of environments with students that have a variety of different goals, backgrounds, and needs. I really enjoy seeing a student’s skill level grow and sharing my passion for ceramics with others. I also find it exciting when a students tries ceramics for the first time and they really gets into it, finding their own passion in it. I have seen students change their majors, build their own studios at their home, and I have seen them start to show their work professionally and exhibit in shows. I like seeing all of that and sharing my love of the ceramic arts with others.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think society is becoming a better place now for artists to thrive. There is definitely a demand for the handmade and one of a kind art forms. Instagram, facebook, websites, and the internet have made being an artist more viable because artwork can be seen globally. An artist can show their work at a gallery or online and people purchase their work at either venues. I think a community can support artists by having galleries that sell contemporary art, have collectors that actively purchase artwork, know that artwork is expensive because of the amount of time it takes to make the work and be open to that reality. I think having other artists that support each other, encouraging each other is very important. Also, having art centers and communities that will help fund public art, all of that is important for a creative ecosystem. As well as art enthusiasts that will attend art exhibits, purchase art, collect it, and spread the word about the work to other community members all of that is important to creative ecosystems. Having maker spaces, warehouses for studio spaces, and inexpensive housing for artists is important for a thriving art scene from what I have seen as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.daniellewood.net
• Instagram: @daniellewoodart and @daniellewoodceramics
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.wood.792/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-wood-2880