We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Warfield. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.

Alright, Anna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first dollar I earned as a working artist was in 2019. It was a notable turning point. When I was presented the opportunity to mount a solo exhibition I was giddy and ecstatic. But I also felt vulnerable and unsure of myself and my artwork. I had been making pieces at my dining room table and hadn’t shared the work widely with anyone outside of my family. Outside of academia, lacking a traditional studio, I felt like a phony artist. But I decided to lean into the opportunity.

The night of the opening wearing a pink outfit I had picked out to match the artworks I remember how nervous I felt. My palms were sweaty. My mind raced, “What if no one comes?” “What do I say?” Then, the door opened and one-by-one people began to trickle in. Before I knew it the gallery was packed. The air warmed with conversation and conversation came easily to me.

Then a light tap on my shoulder brought my attention to the Gallery Curator. He very casually introduced me to someone who just *bought* one of my works. My eyes grew wide and my stomach dropped. I was floored. “Someone bought a piece? Of my work? What?” Through our brief conversation I learned the work to them was the perfect combination of zing and pith; content rich and inviting.

That opportunity changed my approach to my artistic career. That sale caused me to see that my work resonated with a wider audience than just myself. It showed me that there was possibility and opportunity in pursuing my art seriously. And that’s what I began to do.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a soft-sculptor and poet obsessed with the color pink.

I work with original text and fabric to create installation contexts that present distilled responses to experiences we can hardly find the right words for. I reclaim methods of making typically coded as feminine (i.e. fibers, sewing) in the interest of bringing femininity into institutional conversations.

I began working with text out of interest in reclaiming my voice and taking up space in institutional settings. My poems touch on gender, sexuality, femininity, and a dysmorphic relationship to bodies. All things worthy and deserving of existing decriminalized, unpunished, unrepressed in space.

My aim is to invite people into tough conversations that are uncomfortable but important to have. It all starts with the creation and presentation of these ideas through comfort objects. My soft sculptures invite touch and draw viewers in with their soft textures and warm colors before revealing themselves to be demanding and confronting.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish that I had started talking to artists about the business of being an artist earlier. I did a lot of helpful research early on. I read books (Art/Work, The Business of Art, How to Become a Successful Artist etc.), listened to podcasts, and read blogs trying to assess a path forward. But one thing I didn’t do until more recently was ask artists about their experiences directly. Now I ask artists I admire, or view as having practices tangentially related to my own about their takeaways, approaches, professional practices, and for advice. Weighing ideas and directions with others has been far more rewarding than the books and blogs. It’s helped me see I’m not alone in trying to figure this all out.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was in college, the professional side of what it takes to be an artist was not a topic of discussion. Because of that, I had a very vague and uniformed idea of what it meant to be an artist. I thought an artist was someone who made a living only from their art.

After graduating, that clearly needed to be unlearned. Artists are everywhere, including in 9 – 5 jobs doing things completely unrelated to their artistry. It’s a personality type. A mindset. A way of being divorced from income. Artists are people who can see and navigate the world differently. We have the urge to make and the “I’ll figure it out” take on life which makes us natural creative pioneers.

Pursuing your own art as a career is a different beast and it can look a multitude of ways. For me, forming a career as an artist means determination and patience. It means comfort with instability, the ability to withstand criticism, and repeated rejection. It means constant cost-benefit-analysis of opportunities and gigs.

That mindset shift was necessary for me. It allowed me to take myself seriously as an artist working a 9 to 5 job, and permitted me the ability to create an artistic foundation while working. Later I was able to leave that job and turn my art into a budding career where my artwork and skills are sought after.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annawarfield.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annawarfieldart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annawarfieldart/