We recently connected with Aspen Resler and have shared our conversation below.

Aspen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Part of me alway knew that I wanted to pursue a creative path in some capacity. Mostly I believed that I wouldn’t be able to make a living off of it so it stayed on the back-burner as a hobby until after I graduated college. The real push when deciding to pursue this path professionally was the flexibility and autonomy that came with it after feeling frustrated and put down by more conventional work spaces. After working some odd jobs in production and care, I started to realize that I really hated not being my own boss. This was partially due to injustices in the workplace–money being valued over patient well-being, the lack of support for burnout, and shame around asking for disability accommodations. The jobs I worked right out of college unfortunately brought these themes to the forefront, causing me to really question what I wanted to be doing. It was in the middle of one of my typical 8-hour shifts when I wrote down the phrase: “The Uncanny Artist–pottery and fine arts” This was an idea I felt ecstatic about, I had had friends and family inquire about buying my art in college but never took it too seriously, but for some reason this sparked me into movement. While I continued to work in care-based jobs, I switched over to being a private contractor and using my experience in Mental Health to take on jobs like being a PCA or nanny. These jobs left me with enough free-time to really jump into opening my pottery business, which kept me afloat throughout Graduate school. I was able to sell pottery, teach classes, and take commissions all at my own pace–which as a disabled person, was incredibly important. While the ups and downs are scary, truly it has been the best choice for me to lean into this flexible, independent way of living.

Aspen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Aspen Resler, I am a Queer/Nonbinary Potter, Illustrator, and Therapist. I first got into my work as a Potter during my time in undergrad as an Art Therapy major. While I had a background in illustration I had kept 3D-mediums at an arms-length, as I felt intimidated and unskilled in those areas. Finally (as a requirement) I took a ceramics course in my Junior year of college and fell deeply in love with the process. In many ways, I felt at peace when working with clay in a way I have never quite felt before. I have always been interested in the intersection between art and mental health, a path that guides me as I continue to work as both an independent creative and a psychotherapist. I typically lean towards creating functional vessels with sculptural or illustrative flare. I’m known for my use of glaze combos, illustration, funky shapes, and designs. While I am taking a break from teaching classes, I am hoping to return to teaching both pottery wheel classes as well as sculpture classes in the future. Currently, I am working closely with my mother to try to open a creative space in which we would be able to host such classes. Something that I believe sets my work apart is not only focusing on functionality but always pushing my forms to be interesting in shape/sculptural aspects. I am most proud of my journey and sticking with this incredibly difficult and physical form of art despite the push to step away from it as it does nothing to help the chronic conditions I struggle with. At the end of the day, this form of art brings me so much peace and happiness, that even with the limitations of my body, I want to continue to create and continue to be created alongside my work.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Shortly after deciding to begin my own pottery business I began to experience heightened chronic pain–not only in my arms but in most of my body. After months of physical therapy I was told that I was likely suffering from Hypermobile Ehler’s Dahlos Syndrome or hEDS. The short of it is that the muscles around my joints work twice as hard to keep them in place and my joints over-extend and go through subluxations on a somewhat regular basis, causing consistent pain. With some research, I found that this chronic condition does not have any cures, only ways to manage and try to alleviate some symptoms. The first thing I was asked by my doctor after finding this out was “can you try another hobby?” which was both soul-crushing to consider and a great part of how I was earning an income. When I said no, he told me that I would get worse. Being a tad bit spiteful, I continued to offer the same classes and level of production I had before until I physically was unable to from the pain. This was the first time I considered letting this go. However, I was and am determined to continue to make my favorite thing continue to be apart of my life. What I am able to do now is less than I was able to do before, and I am often frustrated by being slowed down with overuse injuries, however I am learning to have compassion for my body. I am learning to slow down and listen to my limits. While I am often incredibly sad about this, I am also learning how to live my life fully with my pain, as it is a part of me as much as my passion for creating.

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

A lesson I have had to unlearn is that taking things slow and/or resting is the enemy. I think so often in our society, our worth is directly correlated to our productivity. We search for who we are and how much we are worth within our achievements, our social status, our material wealth, and more. This mindset has driven us to view anything unproductive as less valuable. When we have a hobby we enjoy and we are good at, the next leap of our mind is “how can I make this profitable?”. While I am definitely not immune to this, I have been forced to slow down by my own conditions, and in that, examine how I view rest and slowness. At first, I felt worthless–like I had lost a part of myself that was able to meet the demands of our society and without it I would fall behind. So I pushed until I couldn’t. I often still find myself wondering how I can make my rest days productive or ‘worthwhile’ when in reality, if I did nothing at all, I would still be just as valuable as having worked all day. As I have begin to lean into the belief of having inherent value outside of my productivity, I have begin to let myself rest, to let myself be slower than others–because if productivity is not what defines my worth, then I inherently am right where I need to be–not too far ahead and not too far behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://uncannymischief.com/
• Instagram: theuncannyartistllc