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

Hi Christine, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Since I was a little girl, all I ever wanted to do was draw. When I was 14 we moved to Olympia, Washington and I started high school there. My high school offered some art classes and in particular, drawing classes. I saw all these incredible drawings hanging throughout the halls and I just had to take that class as an opportunity like this was never possible before! So I did and I eventually took more classes at our local community college and then went to art school. After graduating, I moved to the San Francisco area with high aspirations and a very young, insecure, and entitled mindset. I honestly didn’t know what I was doing and was approaching galleries in the city and the whole experience felt like a dark, isolated void. I was thinking short term and I didn’t have the mind-set to put the years of practice in that is required and I just didn’t know where to start or go, so I walked away from it. It was incredibly demoralizing.

I went back to school and got a teaching degree and worked as a public school teacher for 16 years and found myself as a single mom for the last 7 of those years. There was barely time for survival, let alone art making. But being an artist was always on my mind. It tugged and nagged at me relentlessly. I hit a point of financial desperation as teaching is also not a way to make a living while raising two kids and I sat down one day and thought, okay, what else can you do? How do I get out of this trap? Can you bring in some income in some way? And that’s when art came back into my life. I thought, well, you can draw. So I just started drawing again, that was 5 years ago and I haven’t stopped. I also haven’t solved my financial situation, but I have a partner now and more support. I’ve also left the teaching profession as the astronomical demand of it does not compliment giving you the space you need in your brain to be creative.

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that you’ve got to put the grind in over a long period of time and let go of expectations. My skill and creativity have built over the past 5 years, and I’ve even created a comic book series alongside my traditional works which I never expected to happen. I’m 47 years old now and I have the mindset and grit to run this creative marathon and fully believe I can do it. When I look back on my younger years I think having some support and perhaps a mentor would have been a total game changer, but that’s not how the cards played out. So, I’ve lived and learned and have dropped my old entitled attitude (single parenting is humbling) and just keep showing up at the drawing board every day because in the end, I’d rather spend my time creating. It’s a good use of time.

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 specialize in drawing using graphite and colored pencil and often times both. My grandmother will tell you that when I was little I’d go to her house and beg for her to teach me to draw, so I’d say that was the moment I got into the industry. When I got back into my art 5 years ago I asked two questions: how far can you go with this creatively and how far can you push your skill set over time. My thinking is long term and I am still chasing those two questions, they are never ending and I’ll never arrive. I want to see where I can go.

I am most proud of the fact that I’ve stuck with the process over the past 5 years and have kept those two questions in mind as my true north. I draw daily. Both my creative thinking and skill set continue to improve and I now have a comic book series called Betty n’ Schmitt Comics while also continuing to produce my traditional works.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I went into the teaching profession at 29 thinking I could also continue to be an artist. I personally could not do that. I was public school teacher and the profession has an incredibly high burn out rate. Around 40% of teachers leave the profession by year 5. Many more bail at year 12. For me it was year 16. I found it to be incredibly draining work and I was totally depleted of all creativity when I exited. I think if someone wanted to teach art classes that would be great, but the public school system is a whole other ball of wax and not a place for someone to go who also wants an art career.

Currently I am in the middle of pivoting and looking to apply the multitude of skills I gained as a teacher (there are so many that do transition) to a less demanding job role while also working on my art. The biggest challenge is getting your foot in the door to explain your skill set and how it absolutely does transition into another industry or job. I believe it can be done. You just have to find someone who is willing to listen.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

My creative path is definitely a journey based on two guiding questions: How far can I take this creatively and how far can I push my skill set? This means my art is going to change over time. It’s not intended to be static or to look the same in a stylized way. This is an exploration. Often I hear people say these things to me: “But I liked it when you were drawing……. can’t you just do that?”
“You just need to print these on t-shirts or notecards”
“You need to make prints”

Every artist’s journey is unique to them and it’s their path and most likely it’s not intended to please you. I create for myself based on what I like and if someone else likes it, that’s great! I don’t create for an audience. I also don’t create for t-shirts or notecards, as of now, something like that is not part of my personal mission.

I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, the creative process isn’t about others or what they want. It’s my own personal exploration and someone else out there might get something out of it as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinekuebler.com www.bettynschmitt.com
• Instagram: @christinekueblerartist @bettynschmitt
• Facebook: Betty n Schmitt Comics; Christine Kuebler
• Linkedin: Christine Kuebler

Image Credits
These photos and artwork were all created/taken by me, Christine Kuebler