We were lucky to catch up with Chelsea Baranski recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chelsea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
It might sound cliche, but I have always known that I’ve wanted to pursue art as a creative path since I was a little girl. I would often find myself creating – from drawing what I saw around me to creating Lego buildings with my little brother. Art has been a place I find refuge and it has helped me discover who I am.
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 am an artist and educator living in East Texas. From an early age, nature and traveling have inspired my art and appreciation of the world around me. Much of my artwork is in response to places and environments I have experienced. I will take photographs, create sketches, and gather materials before I go into the studio to create. My artwork is a reflection of how I perceive nature and often simplify it to basic elements, such as: color, line, shape, and composition. I enjoy constructing an artwork that holds sentiment — like a local park or favorite beach trip. I am available to create commissions and provide art lessons.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When I was completing my MFA, I has my own studio space, access to studio equipment, fellow artists to work alongside, and mentors to often provide constructive feedback. I treated graduate school/studio time like a job where my typical studio day was 9am-5pm, five days a week. Once I graduated, I quickly learned that routine and time was not sustainable in real life. For a while, I struggled with feeling successful because I no longer could create in the space and time in the way I was taught in grad school. I had to unlearn my version of what made a successful artist and glean from my MFA experience what was a priority as an artist. My approach to the creative process changed; from in-depth plans that filled journals to photos that I would quickly take of sunrises on my walk into work. From large-scale complex pieces to small-scale pieces exploring layers in a different way. I had to give myself grace as I transitioned into a new space and time and focus on priorities of the creative journey.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative is sharing your perspective of the world and having someone say “I love that too!” Art can bring people together and provide a deeper apprecation for art, community, and perspective.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbaranski_art/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelseabaranski
- Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/chelseabaranskiart/