We were lucky to catch up with Teri Hendrich C. recently and have shared our conversation below.

Teri, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Every job I have had has been in the creative arts, going back to my days in junior college when I taught art to children, so I don’t think I could have necessarily started my creative career any sooner! Having said that, I do consider myself a late bloomer in many respects since I did take longer with my education by going to junior college and earning an Associates of Art degree before I went to art college to earn a Bachelors of Fine Art degree. So it wasn’t until my mid-20’s that I began to professionally work as an illustrator and fine artist. After working a few editorial illustration jobs and exhibiting in several group gallery shows, I quickly ran into the realities of the business, and the fact that most artists need to have a day job to sustain their personal art careers. This reality forced me to slow down and even pause my personal art practice for several years as I worked to sustain myself. It has only been in the last 3 years that I felt like I have regained my footing and can continue the art career that I had begun for myself back in my mid-20’s.

Teri, 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 paint enchanting scenes from imagined dreams while casting spells in vibrant pastels. One of the reasons why I go by “color sorceress” on social media is because of my astute use of color. It’s usually the first thing that viewers compliment about my work, so I like to think that it is a skill that I am known for. Recently, I have started incorporating astrological magic into my art making, which is where the “sorceress” part of my handle comes into play. This involves timing the initiation of my paintings with auspicious, astrological elections. It derives from an ancient practice that sages would use in order to create magical talismans and it requires a deep knowledge of astrology. By studying under astrologers Austin Coppock and Ada Pembroke, I have been able to acquire this new, magical skill set and I am so excited to be able to make it a part of my art practice! By harnessing the power of planetary alignments, I am able to bring this unique form of value to my paintings and offer it to my collectors as an added benefit to owning one of my artworks.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I definitely found myself having to pivot when I realized that I needed to have a day job to sustain my personal art career. This initially consisted of working full time jobs as an architectural illustrator, and then a novelty toy designer at different companies. Although I cherish the people I met at these jobs and the new skills that I had acquired from them, neither position was that lucrative for me. This led me to eventually find work in animation starting in 2007. I did not have any prior ambitions of working in animation, so the fact that it has now become my career for the last 17 years is remarkable to me! I feel fortunate to be currently employed in this field and working alongside so many talented artists while still managing to sustain my personal art practice on my own time. It took many years to find a balance between having both a day job and a fine art career, but I am happy to say that I finally found it!

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

There are so many rewards to being a visual artist, and I think depending on what type of art you create, the rewards can look different. As a fine artist, it is incredibly rewarding to create a piece of art that another person connects to deeply enough to want to hang in their home. As an illustrator, it is rewarding to be able to communicate a meaningful story in a visual format with your own art style. As a designer working in animation, it is rewarding to create new worlds filled with imaginary characters. I think at the end of the day, no matter what type of art you create, it is about presenting a new way of seeing the world to your audience. It is a privilege to have this opportunity as a creative to open someone’s eyes to a new way of thinking, or perhaps help them to connect to a feeling deep inside of themselves that they had a hard time identifying. Either way, the possibilities are endless and so are the rewards!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.terihc.art
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/colorsorceress
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/colorsorceress
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@colorsorceress

Image Credits
Teri Hendrich C. Jack Cusumano