We were lucky to catch up with Caitlin G McCollom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Caitlin G, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always known I am an artist. From a very young age, I have been working in a focused creative way. When I started college, I knew that pursuing a fine art degree was very important to me and that the possibility of a career as a full time artist was my highest goal. I also knew that it was going to take effort and audacity, and ultimately real commitment to my craft above many other conventional pursuits. As I worked through college I tried to learn all I could in way of technique and skill, and simultaneously to become familiar with the more nuanced social side of success in the arts. When I graduated, I knew that continuing towards my goal was all I wanted to do even if I was unable to make a professional income for a while. I went to openings and lectures, and I kept working at my artwork. I opened a small experimental gallery and met lots of interesting artists from curating their work and helping them realize experimental and non-traditional projects. I spent a lot of nights at the old Co-Lab in Austin where experimental art shows were weekly and super wild. Anything could happen there art-wise. It was like a social club for the arts scene in Austin. I never missed a show and made so many friends and connections from my times there. Knowing that I wanted more than anything to be an artist full-time was what motivated me. I worked less and less at my “day job” and was able to sell paintings steadily. I kept up with all the galleries and studios in Austin. I pursued new ideas for collections with my painting again and again. Finally, I made a breakthrough when I showed my work called The Cloud Of Unknowing for the first time. It was magical-looking abstract work on plastic paper in brilliant blue and deep, deep red. It was the best work I had made yet, and the shows I was getting were allowing me to introduce myself to many new audiences all over Texas. And then, when I was 28, I quit my day job and made the leap. Because I had been steadily selling work and getting new commissions, I was ready. And for the biggest break, I received a sizable acquisition for permanent collection of my series The Secret Window by a medical institution in San Angelo. I was able to both fund the work and pay myself for the foreseeable future and to really make it make financial sense. Maybe it took a bit longer than my non-creative peers to establish a career, but to me, it was the biggest accomplishment. The elation I felt at waking up that first morning to commute to my studio instead of a job was the absolute best. I have been doing it ever since with a short hiatus to establish my family. I am so proud now to be able to encourage others to live into their dream no matter how long it takes.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an artist, a painter primarily. I work in many different mediums including liquid acrylic suspension on Yupo paper, ink on paper, watercolors, acrylic, and oils. I am most well known for my vibrant paintings in shades of red and blue on Yupo in archetypical shapes. these paintings have been displayed and collected all over the world and shown in exhibitions alongside some of the most famous artists of the modern age, including Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Alex Katz. My work is collected in major corporate holdings with Michael Hsu Architecture, The Rabboni Institute for Healing, Kendra Scott, The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, and dozens of other recognizable local institutions and businesses. I work with the top interior designers and art advisory firms nationally.

Most of my collectors want something for their home that has presence, meaning, and a real story that makes a connection for them. My work compliments modern and collected interiors and stands as the statement piece in any room. I am collected by celebrities, writers, doctors, families, and regular folks who just feel something when they admire my paintings and I make it a point to price my work in a way that it is accessible to most anyone. I am extremely touched every time someone is inclined to purchase a painting from me.

I sell my original work directly through my website and studio, and I also provide prints and commissions. My work is made from the deepest part of me, it is a reflection of the vision of God within my soul. Every time one of my paintings is acquired it is a special new journey for a piece of my vision to connect with a new vision, perhaps for a residence, a place of healing, or a business that recognizes the importance of shocking original beauty. Your readers can contact me directly with interest or easily purchase online at cgmccollom.com/shop

Currently I am developing a new series of work in secret, anyone can follow me on Instagram or join my email list to find out more about my new work when the series is ready to debut.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think that people often fundamentally misunderstand what it means to be an artist. One of the hardest things I do as an artist is explain to others what I do for a living without feeling defensive myself. The job of “artist” is really a vocation, a calling, a lifestyle even. It is both a way to earn a dignified living and a greater purpose in life. I believe that I was marked at birth to be an artist, that God made me to mirror his divine creation with my own very small and very human need to create. That is such a mouthful at a party when someone asks me what I do. I love being an artist, it’s one of my favorite things about me, it’s also my career. Of course, I have had many odd and slightly offensive conversations about being an artist. I feel I have to say how financially successful I am to get a way in on these conversations. It’s exhausting, I would rather talk about the way Fall smells or this particular Lebanon cedar at twilight. I really desire to connect with others about what my vision as a painter means in my soul, and how I express it through my work, and to hear real responses to beauty in return. Art is everywhere, and everyone can understand how a song makes them feel or how a painting in a museum is sublimely beautiful. In truth, we can all connect over the need to create, and the meaning of art in our lives. We can even talk about what it means to make that a source of income.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Artists need the time to create, a space in which to create, and places to exhibit their work. Sadly, I’ve seen many passionate and talented young artists lose their desire to pursue their craft as they struggle to pay rent and care for themselves without employer-provided health insurance, a dignified income, or the ability to afford the space required to make their artwork. Society can best support the artistic community by making basic necessities more accessible to emergent artists, by subsidizing studio spaces, and by investing in grants and public gallery spaces. Societies who enact these public policy initiatives not only benefit the artists who live in their midst. They also reap both tangible and intangible rewards: Studies show that artistic communities rejuvenate neighborhoods, increase tourism, improve a community’s mental and emotional health, reduce crime, and ultimately yield more than $3 in tax revenue for every $1 spent to support the arts. In other words, supporting the arts is a no-brainer. The other most important part of helping the ecosystem of the arts, is to buy original artwork, the importance of art in the home cannot be overstated. A painting that means something to you will bring more joy and value to your home, and outlast a sofa or coffee table by generations.

Contact Info:

• Website: cgmccollom.com
• Instagram: @cgmccollom
• Facebook: @cgmccollomart

Image Credits
Thomas J Hilton