We were lucky to catch up with Amy Stone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I don’t need to imagine what it would be like to have a “regular” job. Been there, done that. And have gotten fired from almost every single one of them. When I first graduated college I moved to New York City and took a year to try to be an artist and as most other creatives do, was a server at a well known restaurant at the time owned by Bobby Flay. How I got that job I will never know. At 22 I was by far the youngest person waiting tables there and didn’t jive well with my boss at the time. I am not sure how I didn’t get fired when I spilled a tray of sangrias and bloody mary’s all over a customer and their leather jacket, but after about a year the manager was done with me and my big mouth and let me go. Let’s just say this was a common theme in the various jobs I had after that. I lasted three months at a photo studio where the boss never even trained me to do the job they hired me to do, four years at a digital advertising company, and the list goes on. After that four year stint I came to realize me and office work do not get along. I didn’t understand having to show up at 8:45 even though work started and 9am, and leave at 6pm even though work ended at 5:30pm. I am not really one for politics, my work was done and so I wanted to get out of there. After that I wound up in the wine industry for many years, working for a small winery, on my own terms, selling wine to some if the best restaurants in New York City. Let’s just say working for myself and by myself was meant to be. During this time I was hardly drawing, never painting, and felt like part of me was lost. When my family moved from New York to Seattle in 2014 and I had the space to create I began working with pastels again daily and eventually painting, and haven’t looked back. I studied art in undergrad, and am so happy I made my way back to it. I don’t regret the years I had of getting fired from random job and not creating (as much) because all of my experiences have led to the place I am at now; happy.

Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. I have a BA in Fine Arts and Comparative Literature from the University of Colorado, and an MA in Art Education from Hofstra University. For many years I worked purely with chalk pastel, but since 2016 I have shifted my medium to painting in acrylic and various mixed media. Focusing on abstract expressionism and the abstracted female form, my work has now been exhibited throughout the U.S., has been recognized and collected nationally and internationally and sits in collections alongside works of renowned artists including Miro, Basquiat and Lichtenstein. My work has also been included on the set of HBO’s Succession and Netflix’s Inventing Anna!

I’m inspired by nothing and everything. I’m very much an intuitive artist trying to make sense of “it all” through my creative process. My kids, music, color, world news, anxiety, travel, nature – it all inspires me. Pushing paint around and making sense of colors/texture/balance on canvas or paper bring me a sense of peace. I’m not interested in making art that disturbs, but art that makes you feel good and safe and happy. There’s enough disturbance in the world already.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

You can explain them to me over and over and over again, and still, I do not understand NFTs.

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

Touching the lives of others, and staying connected. I love meeting clients and knowing where my work is going. Knowing how the art I own makes me feel – I just hope I can bring some of that contentedness and beauty into the lives of others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amystoneart.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/amystoneart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/amystoneart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-stone-ba57431/

Image Credits
Jennifer Markowitz Photography Emily Keeney Photography Meredith McKee Photography