Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Blessing Culver. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Blessing, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
The question of whether I’m happier as an artist is one that I find myself thinking about often. Recently, I told someone that I was an artist, and they asked if I just do it for fun. That was really difficult for me to answer, as while creating art often brings me joy, saying that it’s for fun would feel like a betrayal to myself. Art forces one to consider life at a deeper level and forces one to look at themselves and their place in the larger context of the world. I often wonder if my art matters, if it’s worthwhile to pursue. I compare myself to others, and I struggle to choose a path for my art. Ideas swirl in my mind and choosing one can feel impossible. For these reasons, I have often been fascinated with existentialist writers and artists, and they have helped me find reasons to continue pursuing art.
One work, a piece of literature that pushed me to realize that art was something necessary to my life is “The Brothers Karamasov” by the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. I first read it after my dad passed away in 2018. It was on the bookshelf of my dad’s office, and after he died, I took it upon myself to read as many of those books as I could. “The Brothers Karamasov” stood out to me the most and helped me to understand my father better, even after he was gone. In that book, the character’s experience grief, tragedy, pain, and existential struggle, but it becomes clear that through this they can also experience the greatest heights and depths of emotion. It helped me understand and accept my own grief, and I have since been able to find happiness. It has stuck with me for many years and helped me through copious other tough times. In Dostoevsky’s writing, I’ve found him to portray the deepest love and understanding of humanity that I’ve ever seen in literature. He provides such a profound look into the human psyche, and he shows that while people are flawed and that life can be a terrible struggle, there is still beauty, hope, and joy in it. In his own life, Dostoevsky was also deeply flawed and experienced many trials. Through this, he was still able to create some of the greatest literature to ever be written and fight for his truth and faith. That has often inspired me to push through the tough times and still create and find hope.
Art can do so much for people and is necessary for life. It does seem, on occasion, that quitting would give me an easier life, but while it is difficult to pursue, it brings me more joy and fulfillment than I could get from almost any other occupation.
Blessing, 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 have been interested in the arts and creativity since before I can remember, and I am currently employed as an Artist at Weber Group Inc. in Sellersburg, Indiana. In 2022, I graduated from Hanover College with degrees in Art & Design, English, and Creative Writing. My career as an artist started with being inspired by the works of many different artists and writers, and developing skills and techniques based on what I saw from them. While in college, I first experienced the joy of art for art’s sake, and there were many days I spent just creating. I felt more fulfilled than I ever had, and since then art has remained both an academic and creative pursuit for me. After graduating, I continued to develop many aspects of my craft, and have worked to create more meaningful and visually effective works. Rather than create based on others work, I have been attempting to develop my own artistic voice, and make a body of work that represents my own views and passions.
Some of the mediums I work in include ink, oil and acrylic paint, screen and block printing, ceramic sculpture, and mixed media sculpture. I have always had a difficult time narrowing down my art and sticking to one form of work, as I am constantly drawn to arts different forms. This includes choosing from different mediums, as well as choosing between creating visual art and writing. That is something I have been learning to love about my work however, as looking through past art I can see the changes in myself and the world around me through what I create. I am proud that I have not created artwork that I think others want and instead, create work that comes from myself and what I see in the world. My hope with my art is to create work that affects others as art has affected me.
A few of the artists and writers that have most influenced me include Ralph Steadman, Edward Hopper, Joan Miró, Fyodor Dostoevsky, J.D. Salinger, and Charles Bukowski. My work typically centers around postmodernism and existentialism. I love considering the meaning of life, as well as looking at the world in unique and critical ways. With much of my art, I attempt to question or distort reality, and push others to do the same. I enjoy the strange and bizarre, as well as the simple and beautiful. There are so many facets to life, so many facets to an individual human, and that’s what I attempt to show with my art.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Overall, my main goal in my creative journey is to make work that helps others, and myself, get through life a little bit easier. The art that I’ve seen and the books that I’ve read have been enormously helpful in giving me insight into the world, and has aided in my better understanding myself and the people around me. I am constantly developing my work, and my perspectives and interests are always growing and changing. I want to use all that I’ve learned to create work that embodies that growth and change. I truly believe life can be beautiful and have such gorgeous depth, and art is a major part of people seeing that. I would like to be a part of that for others.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In December of 2023, I broke a finger on my right hand and had to receive surgery to correct it. While that is not an enormous tragedy by any means, I was unable to work or create as I wanted to for 2 months. It was the longest period I’d not created something since I was in high school. It was a difficult and scary time, not knowing when I’d be able to get back to work and worrying about whether my hand would heal correctly. In that time, however, I was forced to slow down and think about my art and what I wanted to do with it. I was no longer able to create as a distraction or out of whim, and I could think about what art meant to me and its importance in my life. I read more, thought more deeply about others artwork, and learned more about myself. When I was finally healed, I came back to my art with a renewed passion and a desire to create more meaningful work. This time showed me the importance of slowing down, taking a break, and appreciating my ability to create.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blessingculver.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: @blessingculverart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blessing-culver-593111229
