We recently connected with Adrienne Belair and have shared our conversation below.
Adrienne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Yes, I am happy as an artists, in fact I attribute most of my happiness to my job which is something I couldn’t say when I was working a “regular job.”
Of course I wonder what it would be like to go back to having a 9-5 especially when I see my friends advancing in their fields, getting raises, paid time off, health insurance, all the perks that come with being employed by someone other then yourself.
But I have had “regular” jobs before, I did like them, but no matter what, after a few months I would feel burned out, and eventually become resentful of my work. I wouldn’t have energy to spend on my artwork, and when I am not creating, I am not happy.
I have found the trade in of the benefits of a regular job will never out weigh the joy I feel when I’m in my studio. I always wake up excited to do whatever it is I have to do that day, never dreading the work that has to be done.
It is hard work, and I am usually stressed out and exhausted but I have also been stressed and exhausted at “regular” jobs and at none of those did I think to myself “wow I am so lucky to get to do this” and that thought is something that I get to experience every single day being an artist.
Adrienne, 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 Adrienne Belair, I am an artists living in South Lake Tahoe.
Art has always been a part o my life but I like to think that becoming an artists was some what of a fated experience. I entered college with the assumption that I would be an anthropology major, and quickly started failing my classes because I was abandoning all classwork to draw and paint instead. It became clear that I had to reassess my path and so I transferred into my college’s art program as an illustration major. Before I even took an official illustration class I signed up for screenprinting as an elective and within the first hour of the class I had papers to transfer into the Printmaking program. Fast forward a couple years and I had graduated with a BFA in printmaking from Syracuse University (or so I thought) I moved back home after graduation and while awaiting my diploma in the mail I received, instead, a letter from my college wondering why I wasn’t enrolled in classes as I still had 9 credits to complete. This lead me to (begrudgingly) taking a ceramics class at a community college to fulfill those missing credits. I fell involve with the process and a few years later started Spoon and Sprig Studio and began selling my pottery.
My work is constantly evolving and I employ a variety of mediums including, ceramics, printmaking, paper making, drawing and painting. Pottery is the “bread and butter” of my business although it has been expanding recently to fine artwork such as abstract painting and sculptural wall hangings.
My work is organic, and I draw much of may inspiration from our natural world, seeing it as the original artists. I often take an abstract approach to these interpretations of nature, hoping that the abstraction will allow the viewer to connect in a more personal way with what I am creating, offering an oppurinty for the viewer to decide for themselves what it means to them.
My artwork is meant for the home, meant to be infused in every day life, wether that is the mug you enjoy your coffee in every morning or the artwork that hangs above you as you read your book on the couch. I see it as an avenue to make our simple moments sweet. I am often told that my artwork brings a sense of “calm” to the viewer and I hope that it offers a soothing break from the chaos that comes with existing.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
If I am being completely honest its a selfish answer. The most rewarding part of being an artists and getting to be creative is that it makes me feel good, it makes me feel at peace in a way that nothing else can. It some how both quiets and ignites my brain, makes my heart feel full.
But that being said, there is a quote from Kurt Vonnegut that I love very much and reflect on often, especially when I’m checking in with myself about why I do art, it is from a commencement speech of his I stumbled across one day.
“What is it artists do?”… “They do two things,” he said. “First, they admit they can’t straighten out the whole universe. And then second, they make at least one little part of it exactly as it should be. A blob of clay, a square of canvas, a piece of paper, or whatever.””
The world can be confusing and scary and out of our control, but getting to know as an artists I can make very small part of the world “Exactly what it should be” is a beautiful and comforting thought, and I think it’s a small way to make the world a little bit better.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson that I had to unlearn was that you don’t have to go viral to be successful, and your artwork not going viral doesn’t make it any less valid.
(I have never gone viral so please keep in mind my opinion on this is based solely from observations of others that have had instant success and my experience as a non viral artists.)
When we look to social media for “how to be an artists” it is all about how to grow your following and how to go viral, and yes social media is an important marketing tool and wildly helpful for a successful business but it is not the most important part.
I have seen a number of artists go viral, feel an urgency to scale as quickly as possible and burn out from that experience and either quit or go on hiatus to recover from the experience. Ultimately it is not always a sustainable avenue.
Slow, intentional growth that allows for learning curves and pivots is so valuable. My slow growth has allowed me to explore and experiment with my art and my business. It has given me time to understand what I enjoy making, what sells, and what pace I work best with. It has given me time to make mistakes and learn from them. It has allowed me to forge genuine connections with the people who follow along my art journey, people who will be with me throughout my whole journey rather than stoping by for a single video. All of this has contributed to what I feel is a solid foundation for my business and artistic practice.
When you are focused on going viral you are giving yourself less time to focus on making your artwork, if the social media part fills your creative cup then amazing more power to you, keep doing that, but if it doesn’t, and it feels like a drag, its okay to allow yourself to focus more fully on your art rather then trying to make content that will go viral. Good things take time, and its okay if your journey is taking a little longer than some of the others we see on the internet.
Contact Info:
- Website: spoonandsprigstudio.com
- Instagram: spoonandsprigstudio
Image Credits
Adrienne Belair