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

Amelia, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

While I have a ways to go in getting to my “enough” number as a professional artist, my creative work has provided steady income for me for the last 10 years. It started small with just enough to help pay for preschool and then moved to being able to paint the house and do remodeling to now being able to invest into retirement accounts and set aside funds for trips, and charities that we love as a family. From the beginning of my journey, I’ve simply kept a mindset of a student…asking questions, observing, and experimenting with various ways to “be an artist.” That has looked like showing my work in cafes and galleries, doing art festivals, doing commissioned work, etc. I started hanging out with artists that were a lot more advanced than me and a lot more experience in business. I went to school for art, but beyond understanding some basic business principles and a lot of art technique, I had no idea how to make money as an artist. This ended up being the best decision I could have made. I made some of my best connections with artists that I “grew” up with in the early 2000s.
I’ve also been one who has not let the fear of not knowing something stop me. I say “yes” to things more often than I say “no” because I’m willing to give it a try. Then I evaluate and decide if I want to pursue more of the same. As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve learned a lot about what to take on and what to let go of.

I would say one of the biggest milestones for me was beginning to work with Nine Dot Arts in the early 2000s. They are a corporate agency that fits artists with corporate clients. I’ve been working with them for the last 12 years and have built a solid relationship with them. When I said “yes” to that venture, I had no idea what I was doing, but I tried and now they are now one of my biggest partners.

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 been painting and drawing since I was a little girl and with the encouragement of art teachers and my parents, I decided to pursue a degree in art. I focused on painting, illustration and printmaking. And I think the fact that I have three focuses says a lot about me. ha! I like to have ALOT of options….

I’ve combined these three focuses to create my artistic voice of paper collage and oil paint to create narrative natural scenes that hold a visual tension between physical reality and the underlying layers that make up our stories as humans. All the layers of emotions, beliefs, thoughts, memories, etc. It took years of trial and error and making a lot of art to find my style. And then it took several more years to figure out why I felt compelled to work the way I do.

My art practice has several layers, much like my paintings. I create original paintings on cradled panel that range in size from 6×6 (inches) to multiple feet using several large panels. I primarily create independent works that I sell through galleries, festivals, show and online as well as commissioned works which are a custom collaboration between myself and the client (individuals or businesses). I also sell a variety of prints on paper and panel. I teach workshops for adults and children at various times throughout the year, in-person and online. I also pursue community collaborative projects that are sometimes public art and sometimes private, depending on the location and the client. In these projects, I create ways to allow the community that will live with the artwork to help in creating it. This can be through workshops, collage collection or creation, or helping with the piece’s design. Over and over, I’ve seen art accomplish a sense of connection and comradery among community members that is unparalleled.

As I’ve developed my style and my business, I’ve discovered that something that makes me unique is not only the combination of collage stories I create but the way I treat the oil paint in a unique fashion that looks like watercolor. I also have found that just as I use found papers and many materials to create the work, I have real delight in integrating the visions and stories of others into my process and my work. Not many artists like having other people’s hands in their work, but I find it thrilling. If I can help others find joy in creativity and making as I have, then I count it a successful project.

When I think about the message of my work and my practice, I believe it’s centered on the idea that we must draw near to take in the subtle details, stories, and whispers of truth we find not only in our own experiences but in the world that is their setting. In the act of drawing near, we find connection not only to our world, but to each other. We also may see beyond the physicality of our existence to much more complex layers of underlying love.

I’m most proud of the way my work has been able to help tell other people’s stories, bring communities together and help people consider the beauty of ALL the layers of our experience. Whether that’s harkening back to forgotten memories, the joy of discovery, or how the painting simply reminds one of the truths that anchor the soul. When I think about my clients, I think my work helps them find themselves if they are lost and remember what matters in the chaos of the everyday,

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think that we often group ourselves in two categories…those who are creative and those who are not. But I think that’s a false idea, honestly. We are all creative in our own unique ways. Creativity is simply solving problems and we all have problems we tackle in unique ways. I will say that I do believe some are more “exercised” or “experienced” in their creative abilities, but the core is the same in all of us. And yes, some of us make a living in the creative sector, but that doesn’t make me more creative than say, a robotics engineer. Have you hung out any of those people lately? They are far more creative then we give them credit for. My current studio is located in a mixed use area where engineers, inventors, start up businesses and manufactures all bump into each other and this experience has completely confirmed this idea I have that we are all creative. It’s the absolute coolest place to have an art studio. So, my journey as a “creative?” It’s not that much different from the journey of a “non-creative”. There are far more commonalities than differences and I think that often goes unexplored and unknown not only by other “creatives” but by those who would call themselves “non-creatives”.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Can I do two? First is….you can do ANYTHING, you just can’t do EVERYTHING. There’s something about me that wants to try everything and do everything. When I don’t reign that compulsion in, I struggle to stay the course on projects I’ve committed to, goals I want to meet, etc. I’ve had to remind myself over and over again that there are seasons for things and it’s ok that I have to select certain projects, shows, or activities over others in various seasons.

I’ve had to learn the hard way that simplicity in my business is better. Rather than trying to have something for EVERYONE, I’ve had to choose one or two offerings for my audience and be ok if it doesn’t connect with everyone. Along with this, I’ve had to learn that when I focus on what I want to make from the core of who I am, it will connect better with people than if I try to figure out what people want and paint that. The more internally I go, the better the work is and the better it will connect with the folks who need it most.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ameliafurman.com/home-page
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameliafurmanmixedmedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliafurmanmixedmedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliafurmanmixedmedia/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC37aEROdQTpuHEOUiv9lVFQ

Image Credits
Kitty Moore. Jenny Sparks Eryn Lynum Emily Fair Heather Hanks