We recently connected with Amber Synnett and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve loved drawing since I can first remember picking up a crayon. My mom would always be crafting different projects both for my brother and I, and herself. She used art as a hobby, a creative outlet. I did not take the potential of having an artistic career seriously, until high school. My art teachers wanted to emphasize to their students the many artistic careers that were possible. From art education to creative direction and graphic design. I remember being handed a list of well over 30 artistic careers. With the encouragement from my teachers and family, I decided to pursue art in college.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am primarily an artist and art instructor. I’ve been teaching at the college level since graduating with my MFA in 2022. My artistic focus is on medical imagery. As I get older, I realize that using medical imagery as my subject is a way to connect with my mom. She is a veterinary surgical technician. While growing up, my mom would occasionally come home with a “wild story” about an animal injury or surgery. These stories often included photos of the animal patient. Seeing these pictures fueled my morbid curiosity. They drove me to research medical imagery of surgeries, injuries, and anatomy. I found that some historical paintings served the purpose of scientific observation while representing the subject as a still life or portrait. That led me to represent medical images through a mixed genre of still life and portraiture.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Perfection. Prior to art school, fine art was presented to me as something well-calculated. It was made to be seen as presented and was meaningful. Since becoming involved in the art world as a student, the illusion of perfection has disappeared. I’ve realized the amount of work applied to multiple sections of art, from creation to promotion. Also, not everything will go as planned or be “perfect” in its execution. I’ve learned that from being introduced to new mediums and experimenting with different ideas.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Haha, now. I’ve felt progressively burnt out. It started with graduating with my bachelor’s degree, then worsened with graduating with my master’s degree. It may have been that being in an educational environment simultaneously fueled and drained my creative drive. Afterward, I felt empty and a little lost in my practice. I’ve continued to be involved in the educational field through teaching, which may have helped to compound my burnout. However, I’ve been finding small ways to work on art without giving it a label. Writing, sketching, and playing with new subject matter have helped art feel fun again. Maybe what I make isn’t always fantastic, but it exists. It’s rewarding to put something into existence. It doesn’t always have to be viewed by others. Being able to create something just for myself can be rewarding. What’s great about art is that when I feel burnt out from a particular discipline or subject, there is almost an inexhaustible amount of other creative outlets that I can turn to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ambersynnett.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manalala67/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-synnett-249b2b184/

Image Credits
Deconstructed Page 9 Shadow Cage 1 Shadow Cage 2 1/2 lbs. Companion Dad’s Lipoma