We were lucky to catch up with Anne Byrd recently and have shared our conversation below.
Anne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Since I was young I’ve always been interested in art. Every class, after school program, book, etc. that could teach me something I would devour. Pretty much the only reason I graduated high school was because of art classes. I attended Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio where I learned a great deal about technique and professional practices. But truthfully, what brought me to where I am today was perseverance. Talent is great, but it’s really not that rare. And definitely not what you want to rely on to get ahead. If you look at the work I did in college, it’s wildly different that what I do now. As much as I learned in school, there was so much more I wanted to perfect and achieve outside of what I was capable of doing at the time. The hardest thing to get over, however, was the uncertainty and fear that my work would never be as great as I hoped it would be. Fear of failure was a huge obstacle for me. But over the years I’ve learned that trying and failing really is the only route to mastering something. And mastering something takes a lifetime, so there’s no sense in hesitating.
Anne, 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?
My name is Anne Byrd (business name Anne Byrd Art). I am a visual artist working primarily in mixed media that includes colored pencil, was pastel, acrylic, gouache and ink. I do the occasional commission or illustration, but primarily I display and sell my original pieces and limited edition prints at fine art festivals throughout the country. It’s an admittedly unusual existence. I often joke with people that I’m part artist, part nomad and part circus performer. It can be exhausting, but I do enjoy being able to talk to patrons face to face as well as the sense of community I feel with the other artists.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)
I can’t say I’m particularly fond of NFTs. I feel the true innovation is in the technology itself, not the artwork. Also, as someone who works in traditional art mediums, the idea of having an “original NFT” of an original work seems redundant at best and impossible at worst.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
In my opinion, the best thing society can do is to try to understand and appreciate the processes that artists undertake. That doesn’t mean every average person needs to take a painting class or anything, but instead just value the time and effort we have committed to learning our craft. Yes, that sculpture might seem expensive, but it might have taken years for the artist to learn the process. Yes, A.I. might seem like a cheap and easy solution, but it dilutes an already saturated market with second-rate knock offs taking advantage of someone elses hard work. In the end I think we all just want to have our time and effort appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Website: annebyrdart.com
- Instagram: @annebyrdart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annebyrdart