Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allison Merriweather. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Allison , thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Art was my way of connecting from a young age. I can be a bit of a loner or outsider by nature, but creating things no one else could opened me up to the world. I would draw and construct paper dolls for my sisters, then spend the rest of the day drawing caricatures of teachers, parents, and neighborhood busybodies. I spent all my time at school drawing on everything they handed me; tests, homework, essay prompts. From as young as five or six, there was never a question as to what I would do with my life. Eventually, everyone else caught up and stopped asking me to do things other than art. If the people around you aren’t supportive of your dreams, the next best thing is them getting out of the way. I left school at a very young age and spent my youth immersed in art and literature I chose for myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve always been a visual storyteller. I grew up in an idiosyncratic family full of larger than life characters and surrounded by animals. We had regular pets like cats, dogs, and horses, as well as a shifting menagerie of injured or orphaned animals my mother brought home. My raccoons, Teddy and Bandit, were one of the highlights of my childhood. One of our longest-term visitors was an owl with a broken wing who lived in our living room closet.

School never fit me due to intense dyslexia and dyscalculia. Teachers would express frustration and eventually disinterest each year as I failed to communicate in ways they would accept. The greatest relief each year was the moment my teacher would leave me to my own devices and allow me draw quietly in the back the classroom. Art was everything for me as a kid. At home, I was one of four kids with a single mother, so she was happy to allow me to spend as many hours drawing, painting, and telling stories to myself as I wanted. Drawing, and later painting, was how I learned to translate what I saw and felt to others, uncluttered by confusing misspellings or clumsy mispronunciations of common words. Art opened up my internal, colorful, characterful world to others.

I am a painter and fine artist who works primarily on wood or canvas. I paint intuitively, never sketching or blocking out anything ahead of time. The way a painting takes shape under the brush is largely unconscious. I am drawn to certain subject matter again and again. Interesting people, cultures, dreams, and, above all, animals. I populate my work with symbolism, small storytelling moments, whimsical humor, and a warm surreality.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Buy original art! There is no substitute for supporting an artist directly.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is the act of creation itself. When I paint, I am tapping into something else. Somewhere else. Call it my own unconsciousness, another dimension, or the universe. Or all three. Creating something from nothing is a deeply personal, meditative experience. It is the purest, most satisfying of being an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: allisonmerriweather.com