We recently connected with Charlene Mosley and have shared our conversation below.

Charlene, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Making a full-time living from my creative journey had been circling in my mind since the end of college. I had always been a little insecure about only producing art for a living; especially coming from a low-income single parent family. There was no money to fall back on for support if my decision to be independent failed. Consequently, I explored everything from AutoCAD, to Biology, Business, Sports, Philosophy and so many other areas. In the end, I always found out that I needed just as many art classes to balance out the other classes. So, I thought I would teach art and make a living that way but quickly realized that was not what I really wanted. I wanted and loved to create with my hands and longed for it all the time.

During college and university, I worked as a student worker at Cuyamaca College, starting in the Art Department, transferring to the Cashier’s Office and lastly to the Business Administrational Office. Working for the school in three different departments, I learned a lot that would prepare me for an independent business. I learned about the behind the scenes of art shows, the presentation of artwork, graphic marketing materials creation in the Art department. I learned about finances and money handling as well as computer programs at the Cashier’s office. In the Business Administrational Office, I gathered knowledge in business organization, how to conduct meetings, handling and preparing paperwork and documents, such as grants, proposals and contracts. As an introvert, all those things prepared me mentally and gave me more courage and self-confidence to be able to tackle an independent endeavor. I am grateful to this day for the opportunity that was given to me with the student worker program. At the time, I didn’t realize exactly how much it would prepare me.

During my time in school, it became very important to me to get my name out in the artist community. Should I ever decide to become a full -time artist, I would already be part of and immersed in the local artist community when I transition out of school in the working world. I applied to hundreds of art shows in San Diego and surrounding cities, participated in pop up shows, went to openings and painted murals for businesses. A couple months before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a minor in German from San Diego State University, I had applied for an artist call that would lead to a life changing experience. One day on my break at work, I received an email that requested a phone call for an artist opportunity I had applied for. The call was scheduled to a very odd time. If remember correctly, it was somewhere near midnight, but I told myself the art world is just different, and it wasn’t that big of a deal. I had to go back and research what the project was about since I applied to so many things it was hard to keep track of the details. I had applied for an opportunity to paint a film. “Paint a film?” I remember not having a clue what that meant exactly. I only took one film class in university and didn’t learn about painting a film… The day comes and I take the call late at night. A lady is on the phone and says something like: “We would like to invite you for an interview and a three-day testing. You will be introduced to the software and there will be a run-through of what it is we want you to paint and then you will paint and after the three days we will make a decision if you qualify for the next three-week training. f you pass that you will then be hired to work on the film.” I thought that sounded like fun, so I asked where the location was. She told me and I wasn’t able to write it down as it sounded like a different language. I asked her if she could repeat it and still couldn’t figure it out. Finally, she asked me: ” You know the testing is in Poland, right? We need you to be here in a week. Would that work for you? You would be in the second to last group.” GASP. I stuttered and didn’t know what to say. Poland?! She said, ” If you cannot do it that is fine, we will call the next person.” I quickly asked her if I could have 24 hours to think about it and she agreed. The moment I hung up the phone, my mind was racing. I had no idea where to start. There were so many reasons against the decision to go to Poland, I had no money, my family dependent on my financial support, none of the flights or stay were paid for during testing time, I had applied and gotten to a final interview for a secure full-time office job with good income, I had just graduated and had other responsibilities. In the back of my mind, I just could not shake the idea of regret. I had a feeling that this would be something special and I would regret it if I didn’t go. So, I broke the news to my family. I sent out a mass email to all of my friends, family, coworkers and any acquaintances I had ever made with a GoFundMe link attached explaining the project, called “Loving Vincent” and why I had to be part of it. I could not believe the support I received and the fact that everyone believed in me and this opportunity. I received enough funds to pay for a one-way ticket to Poland and to stay at a recommended hostel for a few days. And so, I left four days later.

This story is a very long and detailed one, but long story short, I ended up painting with 124 other artists on a film called Loving Vincent, which turned out to be the first- ever fully hand-painted feature film. I worked for the film company, BreakThru Productions for six months in Gdansk in one of three studio warehouses. The location I worked for had 65 artists working inside encompassing Polish artists as well as artists from all over the world. It was hard and long work, but I was so proud to have made that decision to go. “Loving Vincent” had grown into a breathtaking art achievement by the time it was finished. It won several international awards and nominations; one being the nomination for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018. When I returned at the end of 2016 after six months, I was determined, I would make my creative work my full-time living.

It was not easy at all. After extensively researching various job sites for artist job opportunities and/ or remote artist work I decided to sign up on the site, Upwork. Most job sites did not offer a place for independent traditional artists to find work, such as illustration work, painting commissions, mural art, etc. They were mostly geared to digital artists, if they had any work offered in the creative arts at all. After signing up for the site and creating an account the job hunt began. I submitted my work anywhere and everywhere. I did not have much of a portfolio and did a lot of illustration sketches in different styles and media, I accepted a lot of low paying art jobs to gather feedback and reviews on my Upwork account which in turn made me appear more professional and experienced. I worked hard and a lot to become financially stable. I had a flexible, part-time job with Amazon Flex delivery to aid in this journey but soon enough decided to quit that so I would be forced to work harder to create my art business and make that my full-time living. As time passed, I learned so much and things became easier as also my confidence in my skills became stronger. I had worked with clients remotely for illustration projects that were lined up for the year. I had mural work to plan out and portrait commission requests. I gradually adjusted my hourly rate up to where it needed to be to support my artist career and journey. I was showing my fine art in exhibitions locally and internationally. I always submitted my work for more opportunities and still do; even though people approach me for work regularly. Nothing comes from nothing; and self-determination is key.

Looking back, I do not think I could have sped up the process, personally. I have always tried to do what I really aspired to do. It wasn’t always the easiest decision or the safest financially, but I truly believe that if you work hard and a lot, you can achieve what you want.

Charlene, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Charlene Mosley. I am a German-American, biracial, female independent artist based in San Diego. I was born and grew up in Berlin, Germany and moved with my family to California in 2018. I finished my last year in high school and went to Cuyamaca College from where I transferred to San Diego State University. I have a bachelor’s in fine art and a minor in German Studies. I have always been creative and built and drew things since childhood. My creative skills have grown with me all my life. Countless hours of sketching, drawing, painting and working with my hands in various media have brought me to where I am now. Naturally I was drawn to a creative career after completing school.

Through hard work, determination and drive I made that possible for myself. I am able to work with a variety of people and companies exchanging creative ideas and sharing artistic journeys to enhance projects and concepts. I specialize in traditional illustration for children’s books, research books, educational courses, and some commercial marketing. For the area of illustration, I work in watercolors, colored pencils, ink, pencil, gouache and often a combination of media. I use Adobe software and Procreate to adjust my work, enhance it and convert it to digital files that match the beauty of the original artwork. I enjoy working with clientele from various career backgrounds that are at times not related to the art field at all but forge a connection that brings the two worlds together and enhances each other. I love a good challenge and problem solving when I am called in for an artist consultation to brighten up a space with artwork. That leads me to my fine art.

I also work in oil paint and acrylics. My preferred medium is oil paint on canvas. With my fine art I focus on expressive brushstrokes and thick paint that conveys and activates emotion and animates the space it finds itself in with color and movement. My paintings and concepts circle around the idea of people, plants and animals and their intrinsic connection within a fast-paced 21st century media driven world. I highlight the importance of taking the time to remember what life really depends on, such as protecting the environment, realizing the importance and resilience of pollinators that put every third bite of food in our mouths, taking the time to slow down and appreciate a moment in time with our natural environment and caring for its health. My work also strives to immerse people of color into all kinds of spaces. I desire to celebrate, in particular woman of color, and their presence and contributions to society in history and now. My fine art is represented by Sparks Gallery in downtown San Diego.

Furthermore, I do private and public commission work, such as portraits of family members, friends or coworkers in homes and businesses. Those are created in all media mentioned above and various styles requested. I enjoy commission work because it usually comes with deep, personal meaning and thoughts. It is a wonderful experience being able to create work that lives with families in their personal spaces and is gifted to one another. One special commission I was fortunate to work on was for a family who had wanted to add their great-great grandfather’s portrait to the family portrait wall but only had a photo of a very out-of-focus newspaper clipping from his obituary from the 1800s. We had worked together comparing family members’ appearances and discussing character traits and clothing from that time in detail to figure out what was not seen on the old photo. The client and I worked on several sketches and refined the drawing to where I completed the job with an oil painting on canvas board of what might have resembled their great-great grandfather. This commissioned painting is treasured now and added to the family portrait wall for future generations to carry on.

In all my work, I strive to deliver artwork that expresses life and creates a longing for the viewer to want to spend time with it and experience it. I want to achieve my best work and want to continue to expand my skillset and knowledge with every project I take on, I believe there is always room to learn more. Working with clients nationally and internationally, in-person as well as remotely, I want to ensure good communication and clarity in work interactions. I make myself available for a constant communication and find it very important to sync-up with the clients’ vision, concept and goals in order to achieve a successful outcome. I want my clients and art collectors to know that I deeply care about the work I produce and its integrity.

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 think some non-creatives struggle to understand the amount of work that goes into becoming and being an independent artist. I generally get two different views about what it is to be an artist.

One view is, I am lucky I was born with talent that offered me the ability to work as an artist because everything comes naturally and easily.

The other view is, as an artist I am not working a serious job and am often asked how I make a living, or I am questioned about my ability to afford anything.

Yes, I have a natural inclination to be creative and find fulfillment in it. However, making a career out of a creative inclination requires hours and hours of practice. When I submit an illustration for review, I am not submitting the work of eight hours or even the work from skills acquired from a degree. I am submitting work that took me over 30 years to achieve the skills necessary to complete it. I have drawn since early childhood, tracing artwork, drawing and redrawing figures, learning about proportions, refining, relearning, then going to school, practicing more, studying techniques and media and continuing to learn until this day. I see my art skills as something that is woven into my personal growth, if that makes any sense. Skill is not everything though. A good part of being an artist or becoming a professional full-time artist, in my opinion, is willpower and determination as well as trusting your skills to take you where you want to go and trusting you can achieve it. As an artist, I submit to hundreds of artist calls for exhibitions, projects, and other work and most of the time get only little to no responses. And if there is a response it more often than not turns out to be a rejection. The artist field is a competitive one and there are many skilled artists. The vast amount of time I spend on administrational work, such as submitting to calls, writing proposals, consulting and explaining to clients the entire process of my work, writing contracts, setting up and going to meetings, are essential to my business but are often not paid for or something a non-creative may not consider when thinking of a working artist.
I am my own social media marketer, brand manager, administrational assistant, financial advisor, bookkeeper and so forth. I am responsible for it all until I decide to hire someone. And starting an artist career out often entails all of the above. I count myself fortunate to be able to do what I love but it is by no means a matter of luck or born talent or not serious. The decision to become a full-time creative is a serious one and comes with constant self-analysis, business reinventions and staying relevant and innovative, and up with the times to gain competitive advantage when applying for employment.

Working creatively does not have a punch-in time or a punch-out time. Something useful to know when working with an artist is also that creativity cannot be switched on and off and the artist can experience creative block at times. That makes it hard to continuously produce artwork, especially on demand. I have experienced creative block for periods of time throughout my career and I can say it helps to continue to sketch random things in sketchbooks, sometimes drawing or painting subject matter I usually do not draw can create inspiration for new work or produce ideas for current projects. It is important for me not to pressure myself too much or put myself down because I am in a block. I use that time to explore new techniques or new media and think flexibility is key and as long as I am doing something I am being productive and adding value to my business.

I hope this offers some insight to a journey of one of many creatives.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is that I am the captain of my own ship. I have the possibility to create the work life/balance that I envision for myself and through hard work and determination I can perform my dream job and be successful. Rewarding is that I grow every year, I learn new things all the time and I can be proud of my achievements. I am surrounded by creatives and non-creatives and get to work with both in my career. I learn from my clients and art collectors just as much as they learn from my concepts and ideas. I get to work alone in my studio on paintings when I feel overwhelmed by the world; being an introvert. I can also work in a team and be part of others’ journey and meet people that I get to work with for years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charlenemosley.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cm__art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlenemosleyartist/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlene-mosley-2020/

Image Credits
Some photos of me creating the snake painting have been taken by photographer and artist Peter Zaragoza.