We recently connected with Elizabeth Fowler and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I am fortunate to be able to make a living as an artist and teacher. I get lots of help along the way, and am very grateful for it. Unseen hands are always there! Knowing that each individual is unique and equal to others liberates me to be free to express myself, and lets me encourage that freedom in others.

Elizabeth, 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 grew up outside Philadelphia, received an excellent education, enjoyed playing on varsity teams and doing theatre. I have drawn, painted and made things since a child. I love nature. I visited Arizona as a teen, and felt amazed. When I was twenty-seven, I found my way back, and have been here ever since, surrounded by mountains, tall ponderosa pines, clean air, wildlife, and good neighbors. My family and friends are enormously important to me.
I taught art and history in a rural charter school for twenty years, all the time creating art and sometimes selling it. I now paint professionally, serve with Rim Country Artists, run my own private after-school program called Payson Youth Creative School, and instruct theatre at Gila Community College.
I love people, life, art, teamwork, and the creative, so I am very pleased to be the Director of Education and Programming on the Board of Rim Country Artists (RCA) in Payson, Arizona! RCA is committed to partnering with individuals, businesses and other organizations to enhance health, happiness, prosperity in our rural mountain town. I am grateful for all the connections to be made in community through art.

One of my major delights with RCA is co-leading the committee that puts on the Western Heritage and Film Festival, Payson AZ, now entering our third year. 2026 marks our first season of an open call for submissions of new films to our festival. Information about that can be found on our website paysonartists.org and paysonazfilmfestival.org

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

My particular goal is for all the arts in my rural community to flourish, for Payson to have a thriving cultural center, and for visitors and people who live here feel nourished and healthy, uplifted by what the arts can do to connect people to themselves and to each other.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing for me as an artist is to feel centered and in flow – with my heart open, thinking clear, and body energized. I am learning to feel that is far more important in my daily life, and in the practice of art, than the opinions of others. I am sustained by gratitude for that connection, and by consistent reminders to be aware of help along the way. The most rewarding thing for me as a teacher is to see eyes light up and for participants to be thrilled about what they are creating, and as a mother it is to see my children all laughing together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elizabethfowlerart.com
• Facebook: Elizabeth Fowler Art