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

Liz , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

There wasn’t a particular moment but I was introduced and interested in the arts from a young age. I remember watching Elsa Klensch from CNN Style on Saturdays growing up and loving all the new couture fashions on the models. I was sketching evening gowns with my classmates in the fifth grade under my made-up company name. I was treated to Broadway shows and loved musical theater. Even though I was born and raised in Portland, Maine, my family is from NYC and I was very influenced by the mix of cultures there and city living. I always wanted to be a fashion designer and go to the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. But instead I started school in Rhode Island and my first year majored in Textile Marketing. I found that to be boring and wanted to transfer so I ended up at the University of Maine in Orono, about two hours north of Portland. I took an English class and one of my classmates was an editor at the school paper. He invited me to start writing for him, so I did. Once I found out I could get paid for writing and sharing my opinion, I was all in. I became the Style & Arts Editor of the newspaper the following year. I published a magazine on campus. I deejayed at the radio station. I moved back to Portland and was offered an internship at the alternative newspaper there. Suddenly I was a journalist. I was hooked. I moved to New York and got a corporate journalism job covering the accounting industry in the Financial District. I left there and started freelancing and working with clients. I was also traveling to Portland, Oregon frequently. I spent the first 20+ years of my career as a journalist, writer, editor, communications consultant, interviewing and writing about business executives, accountants, politicians, artists, and other movers and shakers. I edited books and produced podcasts. It was all creative work. I enjoyed it and it sustained me – until it didn’t. Something was missing. During the pandemic, my work dried up. I felt lost and didn’t know what to do next. In 2021 after grappling with profound depression, I took psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms). The experience opened me up and I had a vision of myself painting at an easel in my garage. A couple of months later, I picked up a paintbrush and intuitively started painting. I haven’t stopped since. I always considered myself a creative, but today, I consider myself an artist.

Liz , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a mixed media artist currently working out of a restored mill in Biddeford, Maine. I’m big into spirituality and understanding how the universe works. I enjoy learning about awakening, consciousness, and energetics. Art is healing and for me, putting my art into the world is what I am here to do.

My abstract paintings are all intuitive, meaning, I never know what is going to happen once I get into the studio. I follow what color calls, what tool wants to be picked up, and I like to mix different textures together. It’s all spontaneous and liberating. I am completely self-taught. I like to listen to vintage classic rock while I paint and you can usually find me dancing around my studio.

I create original paintings in various sizes, hand-painted clothing and personal items (such as pouches, water bottles), and I also have leggings, tote bags and notebooks printed with my paintings. These goods are available for sale on my website. I also participated in an artist residency with Brooklyn, NY-based Web3 company, HeyLayer in 2022 that introduced me to NFT art. As a result, I have a collection of NFT art available in the HeyLayer marketplace. I also offer commissions for office, home, and healing spaces. I love seeing people enjoy my art – whether that be through a wearable item or painting.

My creative process is always changing and evolving but I typically create with acrylic and spray paint. Sometimes I use stencils, chalk, oil pastels and glitter. My work is bold and vibrant. I use a lot of neon colors and gold. I like exploring different surfaces such as canvas, wood, and metal.

As I previously mentioned, I spent most of my career as a writer, editor, and communications strategist. During this time, I published a blog, 14 Karat Living, for more than a decade chronicling moving to New York and my life there for a while. I produced and hosted a few different radio shows and podcasts, most recently “Conversations with Liz Gold,” which featured guests sharing stories of strength, courage and resiliency. I wrote an e-book, “45 or Die: A True Tale of Digging Out of Depression” about the days leading up to when I started painting and what happened after. As a creator, I enjoy sharing stories, whether they are my own through various mediums or helping my clients share theirs. I still work with clients in various capacities such as writing/editing content and project management and always appreciate aligned invitations and opportunities where I can use my abilities to help others.

As I get older (I’m in my mid-40s) I feel less interested in a professional career and more interested in a fulfilling life. Milestones of success don’t necessarily resonate anymore and I am redefining what matters to me. I am here to live my life as authentically as possible and to create and enjoy beautiful things while being with the people I love.

Since I’ve started painting in 2021, more joy and light has entered my life. Painting came to me as a result of a psilocybin treatment for profound depression. I was struggling with depression for a long time and ready to do something different with my life. I knew there was more for me to do. I am so grateful for that experience as it helped me go inside and discover something I had always known but never believed – I am an artist. Now it’s been a wonderful process of embodying what that means to me.

I have shown my art at solo and group exhibitions in person and online, set up tables at art markets on the east and west coasts, painted special commissions, and have had my work featured in a local boutique. Aside from being in homes around the United States, my paintings are also in a psychedelic healing space in Portland, Oregon, as well as a housing authority in Massachusetts.

I am in the process of exploring what’s next and how I can offer my art to the world. I love to share my art with people and bring them into my process. I look forward to leading intuitive art classes and painting live at online and community gatherings. I also intend to support people in getting in touch with their own creative inspiration and bringing it to the world any way I can.

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

Society has a lot of healing work to do when it comes to supporting its people, in general.

But I think the best place to start is individually. As individuals we can support artists and creative people in so many ways. Buy their work for yourself. Buy their work for other people. Commission them. Follow up with them. Like, comment and share their social posts. Recommend them to your friends and family. Introduce them to people. Encourage them. Support their dreams. There are so many ways to show support without even spending money. A little truly goes a long way.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew the strength of my own inner resources. It took me a while to figure that out. I spend a lot of time listening to other people thinking they could help me solve my problems or give me insight or knew what to do, But the only person who can give you the answers you need is yourself. Had I know that early on and really understood what that meant, I would have saved myself a lot of heartache.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lizgold.online/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizstacygold/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizstacygold
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizstacygold

Image Credits
LIZ GOLD