We recently connected with Anna Simon and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, 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?

I wasn’t always pursuing art as my career full time, in fact from 2015-2022 I had a full time job of doing something that’s completely different. I worked for a sprinkler system irrigation company called Water Wizard. From 6:00am to 5:00pm I would dig multiple holes, place pipe into the ground, attach sprinkler system spray heads to the pipe, refill the dirt back into all the holes I dug, and much more labor work all while being under the summer sun. Each day of the week it was same job tasks being done but with different houses where some yards would be bigger and some would be smaller. During my free time after work on the weekdays and on the weekends I would create art as much as I could. Although I loved working outside and I was good at my job there was always a yearning feeling inside of me to create art full time and make it my career. That yearning feeling inside only grew stronger over the years which is why I decided to listen to it. As of 2023 I will be following my dreams of being a full time artist for my career. My biggest concern in the past was about making enough income to live while pursuing my dreams but after enough time and planning I found a career path in the art industry to make that happen. As of this spring I will be starting an apprenticeship to become a full time tattoo artist while still being able to create my art pieces on the side. I’m very excited for this new journey in my life and I hope to grow more through it. -A message to anyone where they also feel that yearning feeling as I did, I say follow your dreams no matter how long the journey takes you to get there. You deserve to live a life of passion and feel happiness in what you do.

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

For those of you reading this who may not know me, my name is Anna Simon and I’m a 22 year old artist in the state of Minnesota. Ever since I was a child I’ve been fascinated and moved by art itself and the act of creating it. That’s how my journey as an artist begin. I started with doodles which eventually evolved to drawings which then led to painting. For the past four years my main focus has been using acrylic paints to create art pieces on canvas. Art has not only been my passion in life but also an escape from the real world. Personally there’s no higher feeling then getting lost in creating art. But my favorite part of it all is the connections I create with others through my art. Each art piece of mine has a personal story behind it that people can relate to whether it’s a similar story or one that’s different. Being able to see others connect with my art like how I do deeply inspires me. Due to that inspiration and being able to make connections with people, I believe that pursuing my career as a tattoo artist will be an exhilarating experience. Being a tattoo artist will not only allow me to make my art come to life but to also give me the opportunity to make multiple deeper connections with others through it. It will also give people a chance to really get to know me for who I am as a person and not just as an artist. Throughout my years of life I have personally grown and learned so much through art. I would even say it’s saved me or kept me sane. Art has became a part of who I am, I see it in everything all around me. I still have a long journey ahead of me but I only want to continue to learn and grow through it not just as an artist but also as a person.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The missions that I strive for as an artist is to create connections, spread love, and give people a sense of feeling free within themselves. Apart of what makes us human is being able to make such deep connections with one another and personally I find that to be a beautiful experience. People can connect through many different forms of art, which really if you think about it is within almost everything. If I can make a connection or share love or give someone a sense of feeling free within themselves then I’ve completed my mission as an artist. But my goal behind my missions is to continually and consistently do just that. You never know what a person has been through or what they could be going through in this life. Sometimes all it takes to change someones life or perspective is that one smile, or that one connection through conversation, or to be truly seen, or to be shown love through kindness, or even just that one piece of art. I want to create the art pieces that makes people deeply and truly feel these experiences their lives.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe that todays society can have a big impact on supporting artists and their work. With the constant growth of technology and society it can be helpful to many artists but it can also be hurtful to them. Granite that balance will always be there but with society’s power in the social media they can help artists more than harm them. Many local artists and artists in general share their creations on social media to reach just that one person who they can connect with through their art. Because of that, people on social media can help that artist free of charge by just one like or share. Not only does that one like or share help their art get recognized more but it also gives the individual artist a sense of inspiration to keep creating. Another way to support would be to repost or individually send art events or pop up shops to artists you may know or even just follow. The artist may not be aware of the upcoming event and doing so could give them a chance to enter the event and make new connections through showing their art. The last thing that comes to mind that society can do to support artists is to buy art pieces that are customized or already created instead of buying them from cooperations or artificial intelligences. Most of the time an artist can create what you are looking for and even give you a better experience. Making connections and supporting one another only costs a little bit of kindness and that kindness can end up moving mountains.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Arttby.anna
• Facebook: Annas Art