We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Caitlin FitzGerald. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Caitlin below.
Caitlin, 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?
Pursuing art professionally is something that I think all creatives and artists dream of as an ideal professional outcome. Though personally, growing up I only knew a handful of people I could observe who were actually pursuing their art professionally. So, for a very long time, I had no idea what this could look like for myself in the creative field.
Before pursuing art on a professional level, art has always been an incredibly welcoming force throughout my life. Expression through the visual arts is a skill I have been so blessed to engage with since child hood. Through art making I learned you could be anything, create anything and explore everything. As a mini creative full of ideas, the possibilities seemed endless. Art quickly became a well-loved hobby for me growing up and I gained early recognition through local art competitions submitted by my school art teacher. I would ultimately contribute the introduction of my professional artistic pursuit to this art teacher.
Although I chose not to pursue an under graduate degree in art, it was in college that I began to actively pursue my art making in a professional sense. Throughout pursing my Psychology degree, I was able to establish my social media presence, have show’s with support of other local artists and continue commission work. It was also during this period that my social media handle, Art by Fitz, was created. Later changing to my current handle, The Art of Fitz, due to myself finding another artist with the exact same name through social media. The moment after selling my first big piece of artwork to a friend and art collector, I reflected so much joy and confidence. It felt incredible that someone believed in my work enough to purchase a piece to continually enjoy. It was at that moment, I truly believed this was something I wanted to do forever.
Caitlin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
After I graduated from college came the question for myself and so many others mind of what’s next? Knowing I wanted to pursue some sort of Psychology career, in addition to supporting my love of art making, I discovered Art Therapy and immediately knew I found what I was looking for. Throughout researching this career as a whole, Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado continued to come up as a top school for Art Therapy. After a lengthy waiting process, I was able to have my first visit to Boulder for the Art Therapy Master’s graduate program interview. I was hooked on Colorado. Subsequently following the interview, I was honored to be officially accepted into the program. Over the next three years I obtained a Master of the Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Transpersonal Art Therapy. With several job transitions and other professional challenges that arose post graduation, I am incredibly proud to say I am now at the final stages of pursuing my licensure as both a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Art Therapist.
As an Art Therapist, in my work I take a person-centered, holistic approach with a focus on expressive therapy modalities. I believe therapy should be a collaborative experience, with a foundation on trust and respect with client and therapist. I incorporate art materials in session as a supplementary support of communication for clients, in addition to talk therapy methods. I strive to meet my client’s needs in the moment, whether that be creative expression, psychoeducation or skill building. Encouraging the opportunity to find connection and support for yourself in every stage of healing. I have worked in a variety of environments to support clients through mental health including an adolescent residential center, school-based setting, inpatient and outpatient of a hospital and most recently in private practice. I hope to support as many clients as possible within a multitude of environments and throughout a spectrum of modalities.
As an Artist, my art includes a wide range of medias and sources of inspiration. My more familiar art mediums include acrylic on canvas or wood. Though I have continued to experiment with mixed media works featuring watercolor, oil pastel, textiles and other found objects. I draw inspiration from my own individual exploration. Exploration of the beauty and complexities surrounding the female form, to dreaming of the galaxies around me and all other beings in between. When engaging with nature, food, animals, etc. I open my soul to listen when the world offers its wisdom and receive whatever blessing I can. As an artist, I currently take a number of individual commission requests (some of my favorite commissions being pet portraits), complete holiday gifts during the seasons and coordinate with other creatives for upcoming shows and local events. I welcome opportunities for new connections and/or collaborations.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I love this question and I think I want to answer in two parts. What can other people do to support the arts? Number 1, HELP US MARKET. Being an artist, your professional presence thrives off of your audiences response to your work. In today’s age, that very much includes technology and having a social media presence. Personally, this has been a huge challenge for me. Becoming a business owner, on top of being creative, it can have its own set of challenges. In addition to creating the artwork, marketing your art is an incredibly important aspect of an artist’s recognition. All artists understand the commitment and financial responsibility it takes to actually purchase a piece of artwork. Although, it can be just as helpful and beneficial for artists if you like their post online, share on socials and ultimately hype up your artist friends. Our livelihood literally depends on it and it means the world to an artist. Support means everything!
Number 2, do not question the price of artwork. As an artist, for each piece you can put in countless hours of work and dedication to your craft. Imagine someone stating, “this piece is not worth that price,” knowing the amount of heart you put into your artwork. And yet, this is always a risk that artists take. In order to do what we love, we sometimes have to put the most vulnerable pieces of ourselves out there for the world to either enjoy or to judge. For myself, each piece of artwork I create holds so much emotional value that it is hard to actually place a number on what it means to me. And from my experience, I know this sentiment is true for so many other creatives. For each artwork, I place emphasis on time I used to create, materials used and my craft itself. Art is entirely subjective and different pieces of art will speak to different people. As a consumer, allowing artists the opportunity and freedom to explore without underlying concern that our value will be questioned, is an incredible way to support the art community. Find what art speaks to you, then allow ample space to be held for all other art and artists. There’s plenty of room for everyone.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
When I first discovered Art Therapy as a profession, I was completely blown away. I had discovered a career opportunity where I could be creative and help people at the same time. I truly thought it was the best of both worlds. Art has always been a form of therapy for myself, so I feel incredibly honored to be able to share the opportunity to find healing through art making with my clients. Maya Angelou stated, “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love” and I take this sentiment whole heartedly. I love being an artist. I love combining art into the mental health field. And finally, I love being able to make a difference, whether big or small, to support people seeking growth and connection towards a more fulfilling life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theartoffitz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_of_fitz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artoffitz1/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-fitzgerald-ma-lpcc-atr-p-413141a4/
Image Credits
Art images- Work completed by Caitlin FitzGerald or The Art of Fitz; image scans completed by The Painted Pixel.
Self portraits- completed by Caitlin FitzGerald.