We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Celeste Rickert. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Celeste below.

Alright, Celeste thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

A few years ago I ended up doing a drawing of Jesus. I have never been one to push religion on anyone. I feel someone seeking faith is a personal journey. I grew up on more the spiritual spectrum but kept feeling this inclination to draw Jesus for a church I was attending at the time. The pastor asked if I’d draw live and I quickly said no thank you but I can do a time-lapse video instead. The video debuted Christmas Eve service and was truly a beautiful moment I will never forget. Shortly after, people requested small prints of my drawing. I later made small, wallet sized cards to hand out. Little did I know that over the course of 5 years, over 8,000 of my Jesus cards would be spread across the world. That drawing changed my life. It truly has put me on a path of spreading love and light in the world.

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?

I first would like to say Howdy from Texas! I am almost 40 years old and have been creating for many of years. So, I can say I have a little bit of practice and knowledge under my belt. I had some formal education in college but for the most part, I am self taught. I must say my art is a little bit of everything. From fine art portraits, to colorful wildlife animal paintings and in recent months, murals! And of course, some fun photography I love to share from life adventures! I was a hairstylist for the last 11 years and just switched to full time artist! It has been wonderful though I must say you have to have a lot of discipline and structure to do this full time. I tried to do it in my mid 20s but I wasn’t fully mature enough and ready for the effort it takes. Now, I can honestly say, I have the desire to create everyday. And any person who is a creative soul, never stop pursuing your dreams!! It will always bring another level of happiness if you do what you love! And best advice I could give being a creative, be willing to accept constructive criticism equally with compliments. It’s one of the hardest life lessons to accept but if you can, you’ll be unstoppable! :)

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew about YOUTUBE! Actually wait, it wasn’t around when I was younger but man, take advantage of all the videos out there! You can learn so much from everyone! And don’t be afraid to reach out to people. You never know who might inspire you that much more and the connections you can make!

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

I have come to learn that my art brings a sense of joy, peace and happiness to people. It’s given me a new purpose in life and I’m really grateful for that. And plus, I’m bringing life to a blank canvas/paper! How cool is that?!!

Contact Info:

• Website: artistcel.com
• Instagram: @artist.cel
• Facebook: CEL ART

Image Credits
Myself