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

Asandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I was living in New York in the 1980’s, where I grew up, when I began my art career. It was made known to me by professionals in the fine art world, never to discuss the work I had begun to do as a full-trance Channel for Spirit Guidance. This spiritual path opened for me very quickly and I was able to leave my full-time job as an Art Director for an art market magazine. Despite this success, I would approach art galleries without ever mentioning the element of my work that is the primary source of inspiration. It was my understanding that to be accepted in the upper echelon of the art market, I needed to fit in.

The turning point for me did not come until 2018, almost 40 years after I began my art career. Hilma af Klint, an early 20th century Swedish artist, had a posthumous solo exhibition called, Paintings for the Future, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in NYC, It was the most well-attended exhibition in their history to date. Af Klint was a spiritualist and the extraordinary paintings in the show were channeled through her by Spiritual Guides.

This was the moment that I realized it was no longer necessary for me to hide this part of myself. The art world now had a precedent for a broad acceptance of the spiritual in art. The most important thing to emerge from this was a sense of freedom to express myself fully as a creative, feeling confident in the messaging that informs my painting.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I do two primary things: I am a fine artist, and a full-trance Channel. I am also the Author of a book called, “Contact Your Spirit Guides” published by Schiffer, 2011. I began the work I do as Channel, full-time, in 1985 and now have a global clientele. I channel Master Spirit Teachers exclusively with a focus on assisting individuals in the fulfillment of their souls’ highest journey. Through this work as a deep-trance Channel, I have had the privilege to work with many who are on a path as healers, creatives, teachers and light-workers.

My paintings reflect this spiritual connection through vibrant color and symbolic imagery. I have exhibited in solo and group shows in New York, Washington, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, and California. My artwork hangs in numerous hotel chains throughout the USA including Marriott and The Omni as well as many private collections. I am included in the book, “Miami Contemporary Artists” (Schiffer),

As a writier, I have also contributed to “More Hot Chocolate for the Mystical Soul” by Ariell Ford (Plume), and “South Beach Architectural Photographs” (Schiffer).

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I began both of my careers as a Channel and as a Fine Artist, the digital world did not exist. This means that I had to travel to states outside of New York, to promote myself in person. I traveled to New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Maryland, and Washington DC. I would send out flyers to a postal mailing list that I acquired as my clientele grew, offering classes in channeling etc.

When my book came out in 2011, I did book talks, podcasts, and wrote online articles. By this time, of course I had a domain name and a website or two. I collected email lists, one for Channeling clients, and one for art buyers.

The social media world is something that I only gradually came to simply because it was fun and interesting to be on Facebook (to connect with actual friends), and Instagram, because it is an excellent source for creative inspiration. I also post on threads but find it less successful for visual content.

Since I predate the digital world in marketing myself, I apply the same principles, more or less. I mostly rely upon my personal email lists and send out a monthly digital newsletter to channeling clients and a newsletter to my art audience whenever there is something new to promote.

My sense is that one should enjoy the process and not be overly focused on results. I go to art exhibits where I currently live, and make a point to meet people and make real-life connections when possible. This is always the most important networking anyone can do.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to create with joy from my heart. I absolutely love to paint. It puts me in touch with my own inner spirit and with the beautiful Spirits that are guiding me. I create from a place that is outside ordinary time and space. The work is intended to be a reflection of that which is greater than ourselves and for those that champion what I do as an Artist, they too, feel this presence in the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: Asandra.net and Asandra.com
• Instagram: Asandraart

Image Credits

All images by Asandra