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

Barbara, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I’ve always dabbled in paint and drawing materials from the time I was young. I tried to take art classes when they were available to me from primary school to college. My parents discouraged me from pursuing art as a career but ended up using art in my career as an educator. I took classes at local art centers and also traveled to Santa Fe to take workshops from a mixed media artist who taught me to explore and play in various materials to create amazing layered pieces.

I don’t think I would change anything with regard to speeding up my learning process. It’s important to remain open to ideas at any time of your life so you can continue to build your skills. I would describe myself as a life-long learner who enjoys trying new ideas to see where it will lead. Sometimes those ideas are brilliant and can enhance your work and other times you try things that just make you go, “meh.”

The skills I think are most essential are mental skills….staying open-minded, being willing to embrace your mistakes and disappointments. Asking yourself how to turn a negative into a positive is a challenge I like to undertake. Perfecting technical skills comes with practice and persistence.

The obstacles that stood in my way were usually lack of time to pursue art as I had a 27 year career in special education and did art on the side. Art was always great therapy for me so I spent many Saturdays taking classes at our local art center and, in the summer, I took classes and workshops.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I was young, there were several people in my family who dabbled in different artistic mediums. My grandmother painted china, I had aunts who painted with oils, and a cousin who went on to be a noted glass artist. When it was time to go to college, I thought about majoring in art but my parents weren’t crazy about that idea so I ended up in education where I could at least incorporate art and creativity into the curriculum. I was fortunate to coach students in a creative problem solving competition called Odyssey of the Mind. The students were encouraged to use “outside the box” thinking to solve a problem. That included using non-traditional materials applied in unusual ways. This influenced me to look at mixed-media art as a way to express an idea. I really enjoy creating with non-traditional tools and mediums. It’s fun when people look at my work and wonder how I created an effect.

Even though I have retired from my job in education, I still enjoy the teaching process and now teach various mixed media workshops. I love to see people create art they never thought they could. To see the joy on their faces makes me happy and proud to have led them through the creative process. Now more than ever, I think it’s important for people to have a creative outlet to stay sane in this crazy world.

Recently, the CBS Sunday Morning program has featured my sunflower collages at the end of specific story segments. I was encouraged to submit the sunflowers by a woman who saw a photo of them. I went home and forgot about it until watching the program like I always do on Sunday morning. I thought, why not? After submitting several images, I heard back from the art coordinator by the end of the week saying they would feature one of my sunflowers as sun art that next Sunday. It was a shock and good surprise for me. I encourage people to put their art out there because you just never know where it will lead.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is that you are on a never-ending journey of discovery. Art keeps me engaged in the world and it helps me express ideas and emotions that aren’t easily expressed with spoken or written words.

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

Society can best support artists and creatives by first, getting out and meeting the artists in your community. People will appreciate art so much more if they know who the art is being created by and the process used to create it. Go to the art openings and gallery crawls, or just wander into a gallery for an enjoyable afternoon out.

Secondly, I think it needs to be communicated to city and state leaders that art generates income just like any other business. It infuriates me when the arts are the first things to get cut from budgets when things get tight. Bureaucrats need to understand art is a necessity not a luxury and the community as a whole does much better when the arts are funded appropriately.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: @barbarahaynesart
• Other: website www.barbarahaynesart.com
  Instagram @barbarahaynesartist

Image Credits

Barbara Haynes