We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Myah Werkmeister. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Myah below.

Myah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

As much as she won’t admit it, my mom is a Creative. She is continually amazing me with her “make something out of nothing” magic. Over the 28 years of watching her head spin with ideas, I realize more and more what a natural maker she is. When it came to making a piece of equipment to support my sister’s physical disability, or a table from old barnwood that someone was planning to burn, she set an example of “if its not working the way you want it to: built it, re-make it, adjust it or make a new plan.”

My dad is a professor, highly educated in special education and the ins and outs of the public school system. He always told me to get a degree, but make sure I love it. He realized that I loved art long before I did, always encouraging me with words like “If you love it, go to school for it. You won’t regret doing something you love”

The work I do now is a dream realized after years of anxiety over the question of “who am i?”. In a world that doesn’t naturally accommodate or support people of all abilities, I am grateful for years of watching my mom make new equipment for my sister and my dad’s encouragement to do what I love.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a ceramic artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. I have a background in both fine art and digital media, as well. Since 2019, I have been working with the 501c3 Non-Profit Organization, Creative Citizen Studios (CCS) in Pittsburgh. From educator, to operations person, and now Director, this niche studio was the career path I didn’t know existed when I embarked on my journey into adulthood. Along with CCS, I make my own functional ceramic work on the side and pursue digital media through my photography practice. My current ceramic work is slowly coming back into my life after some big life changes (a tiny human, another rescue dog, and bigger career moves for both me and my husband, Josh). I am enjoying the exploration of shadow, texture & color in clay as I slowly revamp my studio practice.

Creative Citizen Studios (CCS) serves adult artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities to make, exhibit and sell their artwork. After years of working under the former Director of CCS, who is now a mentor & dear friend, I became the first Neurodiverse director in CCS history.

ADHD was something I always thought I “struggled” with. My teens were filled with years of working through medication doses to help with some of the anxiety my disability brought on in my life. At the end of the day, I was a super active and anxious kid who just wanted to get home from school remembering what they learned that day. I come to realize now that the world isn’t naturally supportive of people with disabilities, and we must work hard to find our strengths, use them in our work, and support others who need accommodations as best as we can.

I believe I have a unique perspective having ADHD, a well hidden/masked disability in women, while being the youngest of three sisters. My middle sister has Cerebral Palsy and an intellectual disability – I have the opportunity to learn from her daily and see her positive outlook on life. She taught me how to adapt, accept things that cannot be changed, and find joy. I really believe creativity is in each of us, it doesn’t have to look just one way. If you’re ready and interested to dive in, there should be supports available for your creative visions to be realized. My ADHD, is no longer the thing I struggle with. It’s sort of the tool I use to make myself highly adaptable, full of energy and excited to try new things. I really love the work we do at CCS, we have a supportive team, and a community of extremely talented artists with unique perspective and skill. We have become a family of Creatives who want each other to succeed. My work has been a second home for me in many ways.

As well as an artist, I am also a wife and a mother. These identities make me who I am. I hope our young daughter will one day say “my mom did a good job supporting my passions” just as my family continues to do.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Right now, I think the mission that drives my creative journey is that we all should have an opportunity to pursue passions and make art with the idea that there is no right or wrong way. I found that the purist mentality in art-making would sneak into my studio practice over and over again making me think there was a “right & wrong way”. I realize now that focusing on making art accessible, enjoyable, and exploratory has driven me to reach some of my creative goals naturally and find new aspirations along the way, too. The perfectionist mindset was pulling me away from joy. I believe connection with so many other artists over the the years with unique backgrounds and visions allowed me to realize that we, as Creatives, should remember to break out of our perfect boxes and learn to make for joy and exploration, too.

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

There is a strong stigma surrounding both art and disability – especially when it comes to career paths. I fought myself over becoming an artist. I really didn’t think it was the path set out for me – but I had advocates who told me to do it if it was what I loved. I hope you can be that person for someone interested in pursing a creative career. I also, challenge whoever is reading this to challenge your own perspective. Look (and purchase!) the work of artists with disabilities, outsider artists, and exploratory artists. If you can’t financially support, then raise voices and become an advocate. The work we do in the disability + art sector isn’t for pity, it isn’t for the “awe”. This work is for the artists who have perspective and experiences beyond our own and have vision and skill worthy of being seen, recognized and supported.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myahmw.com
• Instagram: myah_mw
• Other: citizenstudios.org
  creativecitizenstudios : instagram
  artsability : facebook

Image Credits

All images by Me (Myah Werkmeister)
I can also send a logo over for our organization if that’s helpful.

Except last upload :
Image Credit, Sarah Joy Studio