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

Hi Carla, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for the arts and sciences. Initially, I attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design, as a graphic design major, which was not fulfilling. I mostly enjoyed my drawing and writing courses and decided to transfer to the University of Minnesota as a studio arts major with a minor in bioanthropology. I attended the University of Minnesota for 2 years before relocating to Arizona. Once again, I transferred schools and finally received my degree in fine art and bioanthropology.

As mentioned earlier, I’ve always had a passion for the arts and science. Anthropology quenched my thirst for science and everything related to humans and human evolution, while art allowed me to document it on canvas. Over the years I spent lots of time volunteering in various archeology and paleontology labs as well as illustrating a Native American burial collection for a museum in Phoenix. I was a member of the Southwest Archeological Team based in Mesa Arizona as well, and was given the opportunity to assist with a restoration project in Eloy Arizona that was the catalyst for the most meaningful project I have worked on to date.

Eloy Arizona was a booming cotton farming town in the early 1900’s. Many people from all over the country migrated to Eloy to work the cotton fields as tenant or migrant farmers. Some came even as far as the southern states, leaving behind the harsh and unjust system of cotton sharecropping in hope of a more fair and just cotton farming industry and/or new opportunities. The project that I assisted with was the renovation of a small one room school house, where the black children attended when there parents were working in the nearby cotton fields. My father, who left the life of a cotton sharecropper in Mississippi at the age of 18, accompanied me to the site one Saturday morning. Both of us, up until this renovation, were unaware of cotton farming in the southwest. So as you can imagine, my father was curious as to what this school house looked like. As we approached the site, my father looked out into the distance at the approaching school house and said ” It looks just like the school I went to in Mississippi”. And so my project began.

In 2016, I received a grant from the Arizona Commission for the Arts, the State of Arizona and the National Endowment for the Arts for my project, The Sharecroppers and the Cotton Pickers of the Southwest. This body of work is based on interviews conducted by elders in both communities of the south and the southwest, that experienced cotton farming as either a sharecropper or a migrant/ tenant farmer. The participants ( my father included) graciously shared their stories of resilience, allowing me to create a body of work that illustrated their stories in several large scale triptychs.

This project is meaningful to me because of my fathers experience, and others, in the cotton fields. As a child and as an adult, my father told us many stories of his and his siblings survival in the most challenging of environments. Even as a young person, I felt these were stories that needed to be told, yet my father disagreed. He often commented that no one would want to hear them. This saddened me, because my father, and others like him faced incredible obstacles, but yet displayed an amazing amount of resilience and ingenuity in the fight for survival. . I am grateful for my fathers resilience, and others like him. I understand the sacrifices that were made, and I don’t take it for granted.

My father was wrong, many want to hear and need to hear the stories. I was awarded the grant to prove it.

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

I was 11 years old when I had made up my mind that I wanted to be and artist. I spent a lot of time in my room drawing, and figuring out ways to get out of playing with my friends outside. Drawing for me was euphoric and there was nothing I wanted to do more. I was always drawn to the human face, primarily for the emotions that were always worn on them. Early on, I would draw all of my celebrities and then eventually moved onto portraits of people, asked of friends, coworkers etc…

For years, I was a commissioned portrait artist. And at some point, as it does for lots of artists, our work evolves and we seek new inspiration and reasons for growth. As a portrait artist, I often found myself going beyond the portrait and adding other elements, sometimes many, to the background. It became apparent that I was telling stories and my love for narrative illustration evolved. My work became less about one particular subject, such as with portraits, and more about the full story. Currently, most of my work is narrative in nature, which has led me to recent opportunities, utilizing my love of art and anthropology, as an illustrator for three anthropology magazines and the French Red Cross.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Personally, one of the hardest things (although there are many) I’ve had to try to explain to non-creative is time. Time in the sense that creativity is not always on a 9-5 schedule. Creativity strikes at random times and places, so not artists are necessarily cranking out work during bankers hours, although I am sure there are some that do.

I spend a lot of time thinking of designs and concepts, so although it may not look like I’m being productive, my mind is constantly thinking about concepts and processes. In addition to that, since creative time for me cannot be predicted, I am constantly trying to figure out ways to earn a living income, which usually requires more structured time than flexible, without sacrificing creativity. I’ve found in my experience that lots of non- creatives have a difficult time understanding that it’s more complicated that just simply scheduling time to be creative.

I have found over the years, that the most flexible work options for myself have been substitute teaching, where I can create my own schedule. Short term contract positions, that allow me to take time off after contract ends. A mobile notary certification is another great option, since one is able pick and choose when and how often they work.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When my daughter was born, I hadn’t planned on being a single mother. That drastically changed my plans, but for the good. At the time I didn’t know it and I was terrified as to how I would raise her poor and alone. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and it was necessary for me to take care of the both of us. At the time, I was only a handful of credits away from earing my degree, and I knew now more than ever, that I needed to finish school. It was a struggle, trying to balance school, baby sitters, bill paying, illnesses (my daughter was sick a lot), work and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I debated with getting a “real job” or following my dream. Of and on, I did both. For years, out of necessity, I worked in corporate America, which allowed no flexibility at all. I was fired frequently for missing days of work due to my daughters illnesses. I was often late to work having to drop her off at school, or later picking her up from school or daycare because of inflexible jobs. It was a lose lose situation. Something had to change. I was following all the rules and coming out my daughter and I were getting the short end of the stick. It was time to start thinking outside of the box. I also decided it was art or bust.

It dawned on me to start substitute teaching. Sub teaching was way more flexible than corporate America and I was basically allowed to make my own schedule. I worked when needed and was able to pick my daughter and take her to school because of similar school schedules. I also had more time, so I was able to do more artwork. This I did for years and before long I was back to creating bodies of work, with the flexibility that allowed it. I was also determined to be an example of following your dream for my daughter. I wanted her to know that with enough determination and thinking outside of the box, you can increase your chances of reaching your dreams. Perhaps it worked, I’m proud to say that she is now finishing her PHD program in Astrophysics and works for NASA.

Contact Info:

• Website: keatonfinearts.biz
• Instagram: Keaton Fine Art