Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Simone Paterson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Simone thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I’ve taken several life-changing risks in my life. As a young woman, I decided to travel solo. I eventually left my home in Australia to work as an educator and become a citizen of the US. However, my most significant risk to date was leaving the hallowed halls of academia to become a full-time artist. Leaving a position as a tenured professor in a top research institution was a massive risk for me. The rewards of taking this risk have been immense. My husband and I now live in a log cabin in the woods, with no room for excess stuff, rather than a three-bedroom split-level suburban home. Now nestled between two mountains below the Appalachian Trail, my life has become streamlined and much more connected to the natural world. My health has improved dramatically, but the most extraordinary flourishing has been the blooming of my spiritual self. With my inner world informing my art practice and immersion in nature, I feel happy and fully emotionally regulated. I am living my life of purpose: to create art that holds the energy for healing.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Born and educated in Australia and living in the American South for 18 years, I am an artist who works across the mediums of sculpture, installation, creative technologies, and crafts. I passionately advocate for the importance of diversity, difference, and inclusion. My most recent work is embroidery. I believe that the medium of embroidery honors all women who have labored without acknowledgment. I am particularly interested in the chakra system and how energy flows throughout our bodies and other natural systems. First visualized in meditation and then open to the process of making, each piece I produce holds energy that can assist the viewer. I firmly believe that making and viewing art can significantly contribute to our health and well-being. I weave machine embroidery and spirituality together, spreading a message from my soul that we are all loved and we are all one.

My solo exhibitions with diverse applications of technology and textiles have included showings at A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, The Taubman Museum of Art, Virginia, and a residency at Art Space, Sydney, Australia. I have delivered presentations at the Collage Art Association in New York and ISEA, South Africa. My hand-stitching workshops, held in the rural mountain area of Appalachia, emphasize healing. I am currently an Artist In Residence for the city of Roanoke, VA. Presenting The Dreamin Big Art Project with children and teens at the Envision Center. The program encourages community before competition, creativity rather than conformity, and confidence over criticism. The Dreamin Big Art Project is made possible by the Gun Violence Prevention Commission.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

At 60, I have survived to reflect on my journey. I was homeless at 18 with meager prospects and no self-esteem. My mother always taught me that education was a way out of poverty. Accepted into art school, I found my tribe. Through scholarships, I eventually received a Ph.D. in researching the representation of women in popular culture and in the early evolution of the internet. Experiencing domestic violence was my motivator for this feminist line of research. My dream of being a full-time artist was always within me. However, society presents us with a sad picture of the artist. Poor, starving, white male, and only being of value when dead. Teaching was a plan B. I do not regret one moment being an educator. The rewards so out weight the difficulties, and I delight in seeing the success of my students. I applaud their bravery and feel pride in their accomplishments. They continue to inspire me by working in film, gaming and related industries and becoming accomplished independent artists and photographers. It has been a true honor to be a small part of their education. I love seeing them smash stereotypes and thriving.

Now I turn inward to discover who I am. I am a crone living in a log cabin in the mountains of Appalachia. As I work, I see my mother’s hands. I see visions of energy while meditating in the woods. I record these visions as high-stitch density machine embroideries, drawings, sculptures and installations. I am joyous about being alive and I am proud of my journey to become me without apologies or regret. The experience of art encourages us to be our best selves. Without art, my life would be much smaller, and I am immensely grateful.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Three years ago, I knew very little about the business of art. Michelle Lloyd of United Artspace changed that. Her seven keys course made a dramatic difference, especially to my mindset. With her guidance, I could switch my negative internal dialog to positive action-taking momentum. https://uas.unitedartspace.org/7-keys-waitlist/

Jeri Childers at Advancing and Accelerating Careers and Ventures enabled me to clear my limiting beliefs about money, which were holding me back. Also, to cut debilitating ties to my traumatic past that included violent relationships. https://www.jerichilders.com/

I am forever indebted to the beautiful research on chakras by the leading author of this ancient Hindu system, “Wheels of Life,” Anodea Judith. Also, “The Energy Codes” by Dr. Sue Morter. My recovery from academia would have never happened without Dr. Joe Despenza’s brain-altering work, “Becoming Super Natural,” and the Australian meditation legend Jason Stevenson. https://www.jasonstephenson.net/lp/sleep-meditation/free-sleep-meditation

The Heart alchemist, Christina Lopes, has played a significant role in my spiritual development, https://christina-lopes.com/, which would not have begun without the world-renowned work of C.G. Jung. My list would not be complete if I did not mention my mentor and award-winning author, the recently departed Suzi Gablik. Her book, “Has Modernism Failed?” shifted my perception of what art could be. Also, her book, “Living the Magical Life,” reassured me to be fully who I am with my varied and colorful emotional pallet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.simonepaterson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonepatersonart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonepatersonart/

Image Credits
S.Paterson