We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heidi Lowell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heidi , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I have been working professionally as an artist in Austin, Texas for the last decade. This year, I curated my first show, and discovered the I love hosting events, collaborating with other artists, and patrons, and curating shows. When my studio mate moved out of my trailer a month before our city’s big annual studio tour, I knew I had the perfect opportunity to follow my dreams of curating shows.

I talked to my husband, my business advisor, about the idea of taking over my entire studio space, and making it into a small gallery. It would double my rent, so I knew I would have to make sacrifices in my budget to stretch into a new business model. In that month, I floated and painted the walls in my studio, and re-organized my entire space to reflect my shift in intentions. Due to the time constraints there were a lot of things that did not turn out completely as I envisioned, and I was forced to balance my mental and emotional well being with my vision of a welcoming gallery space that felt good to visitors.

I had already planned to host a good friend, Norah Levine, during the studio tour, and so she helped me to envision a way to organize our space. We both believe in curating spaces that bring peace and joy to the viewer, and she was able to really help me strategize.

The studio tour went off without a hitch, and we had so many great conversations. We received feedback that the gallery space made people feel as they had been through a yoga or meditation session. I felt really great knowing that we had brought peace to so many people. We had lots of great conversations over the two weekends, and sold over a dozen pieces of art combined.

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 started my career as an elementary school art teacher. About 10 years ago, a friend suggested I should show my art in public. I hung it in a local restaurant and had a really strong response to my work. I was so excited by this, that I booked more shows in local coffee shops and galleries.

Over the years, I became more and more dedicated to my art. I took a business class, and the coach has me list my ideal clients. She even encouraged me to reach out to them. Through the process of learning to reach out and collaborate with other business owners, I ended up teaching at art retreats, showing in galleries, and building a community of friends and supporters who believe in my work.

My work is largely about balance, and I do not use that word in a conventional way. I think the idea of balance has been fetishized by our culture. I am trained in both classical and intuitive painting. I have a background in science, which gives me an appreciation for the fact that natural systems stay in balance with the existence of both chaos and structure. I love working with watercolor because it gives me practice every day working with chaos and structure. It is very meditative. I think that meditative quality comes through in my work and brings that energy into people’s homes, offices, and even healing spaces like hospitals.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think connection is probably the best solution. The whole reason I started a gallery space is so that I can collaborate with artists I admire, and help out artists I believe in. I love connecting with the thoughtful people in my community who seem to be drawn to my work. I think the arts provide connection in a world that seems increasingly disconnected. Additionally, arts bring a human touch to spaces, buildings and organizations. I know many people are worried that AI will take over the art world. However, I think the more technologically advanced we become, the more valuable intimate connection becomes. I think we all, artists, art lovers, gallerists, can benefit mutually from creating a safe space for strong opinions, strong feelings, and intimate connection.

I think the more we connect with others outside of our inner circle, the more we are able to embrace the paradoxes of freedom vs. order, and see that there are no clear black and white answers to the problems we face. I think connection gives us the ability to see the complexity of the world and face it together bravely.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The art world does not have a clear cut career path like many other industries. I struggled with the shame of feeling like I did not know the rules and expectations of the art world. In the last year and a half, I did end up hiring an art advisor. She has a plethora of experience selling pieces up to a half million dollars, so I knew she would be able to give me knowledgable and specific feedback. In our first meeting, she actually broke down the different sectors of the art industry, and asked me what pieces resonated the most with my values system. She helped me get very clear on my artistic identity, and feel confident answering all sorts of questions I did not have clear answers for in the past.

Her services were an investment. I am a big believer that there is nothing more important to invest in than your own education and well-being.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.heidilowell.art
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/heidilowellart

Image Credits
Norah Levine