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

Alright, Casey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I honestly can’t remember a time I wasn’t making art. Some of my earliest memories revolve around art making. I once got in trouble at home for “enhancing” some furniture in our basement. It was a large cupboard-like piece of furniture and I drew in marker a large profile of a girl. Around the age of 8 or 9 I remember drawing with a friend at a playdate and simply being aware of my ability and joy for drawing, and I often received art materials and how-to-draw books for Christmas. By 6th grade I was drawing portraits of friends and family, and in high-school I spent my lunch hour and study hall in the art room…I had a small studio off the art room that my teacher let me use.

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

I was born and raised in Arrowhead region of northern Minnesota, an area known locally as the Iron Range due to the Iron Mines in the region, which drew many of the immigrants to the area, along with logging. My maternal grandparents were Finnish, as were the majority of the elders in my hometown so Finnish culture had a large influence on me. Finns have a close relationship to nature, and this was certainly passed on to me through the practice of foraging and berry picking, and generally spending a great deal of time outdoors canoeing, fishing, nordic skiing, and simply just being in nature in a passive way as a child, observing and learning directly from nature herself. My mother was great about making my siblings and I aware of our senses in nature; she would bring to our attention the sound of brittle leaves underfoot, or the feeling of the wind as it caressed our skin. My father taught us how to hunt and fish, though I was more interested in the beauty of nature at that time. My current practice of plein air painting feels a lot like those quiet, patient moments hunting or fishing with my dad. My work therefore will always be directly informed by nature, whether it’s a landscape painting, or a figure in the landscape. We live in a culture that is active…which is obviously the opposite fo idle. I find “idle-time” can be profound; nature can provide wisdom, healing, inspiration and so much more. I think it’s great to get outside and do something that you love like hiking to the top of a mountaing, etc. But what about really slowing down and listening to what nature has to say? I think many people would be uncomfortable laying down on the forest floor, for instance, for 10 minutes, in utter silence, alone, with no agenda. Honestly, I haven’t done that for a long time as a busy mom, but those moments can be profound, and I believe they’re essential for wellness. You’ll see most of my figurative paintings depict this type of moment, a moment of profound stillness.

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.

I love this question. There are days I think about how much easier my life could be if I had a “normal” job, not just because of the struggling artist stereotype, though I get that! It has more to do with how all-consuming art can be. First of all, to paint at the level I strive for takes A LOT OF TIME and FOCUS, which as a busy mom to 3 young children, I often feel short on. But art is an obsession. It’s almost impossible to turn it off…what ever It is…I think it’s the filter through which an artist views the world, it’s how we think, and I often feel pulled in 2 directions; My body is stuck in the middle and art is pulling on one arm, and life is pulling on my other arm. So as a mom, I have to sometimes let go of the art or it will pull me in and consume me, and as any mom can attest, the love you have for your children is incomparable, and that too can be consuming, so it’s really a balancing act. Sometime I make it across that tight-rope with elegance and beauty, and can even throw in a flip or two on a really good stretch, and other times I falter, but because of my love for both, I’m committed to both, and somedays I simply move forward in faith that I can make it as an artist if simply keep moving forward.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Even though I knew from an early age that I wanted to be an artist, it wasn’t until graduate school that I received artistic training that I could really sink my teeth into. It feels serendipitous looking back that I even learned of the New York Academy of Art (a small, private school that trains artists in classical techniques) from a brochure in the art office at my udergrad in Wisconsin. Now there are Ateliers that offer classical training popping up left and right, and with the internet and social media, classically-influenced art, artists and classes can be discovered and accessed easily if that’s the direction an artists wants to head.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.caseykrawczyk.com
• Instagram: caseykrawcyk
• Facebook: casey krawczy
• Linkedin: casey krawczyk
• Other: Kaleido.art/caseykrawczyk