Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christy Ross. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I feel extremely fulfilled to be working as both an artist and an art educator. I get to combine my passion for exploring creativity, sharing my love for art by connecting with others and expressing myself through my art working in both of these areas. From when I was in the second grade I had dreamed of becoming an artist. When I got into UCLA I was accepted into both design and art majors. My dad encouraged me to pursue the design major because he said it would help me have a more stable career. Well, he wasn’t wrong. For almost ten years I worked in the movie industry at Legend Films colorizing old black and white movies. I’m proud to say that one of the colorization projects I led earned a nomination for a technical Emmy. While pursing my education, I pursued a teaching credential in Art Education and after my journey in the movie industry I got myself back in the classroom as a fourth grade teacher and then finally an art teacher. I’ve been able to grow my path in such a way that I work three days a week teaching art and the rest of the time creating it! I teach at St. Didacus Parish school, the Japanese Academy of San Diego and Pacific Coast Academy. Having the stability of teaching art three to four days a week clears my mind for working on commissions, painting my plein air collection, adding to earlier collections, setting up exhibits and applying for shows.

I don’t wonder so much about having a regular job. I have friends who are lawyers, tech workers, educators etc. I seem to be drawn to creatives and those who are entrepreneurs. I always loved learning from new experiences whether it’s teaching a different art technique, building my website in a way that supports selling my paint & sip tickets or presenting a commission to a client, I find that the artist’s life fits me like a glove. Only had I wished I had pursued my art making earlier. During the pandemic I spent a lot of my time creating art and started selling it on social media. Now my work is selling in three retail locations.

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 had quit my first art teaching job to teach my son during distance learning. During that time I started creating my own lesson plans and paintings all of which I would post on social media. Many people scoff at social media but I embraced it during the pandemic and it really paid off. Canvas print after canvas print would sell! Commissions started coming in! And then finally I sold my first original painting! I started to embrace who I was as an artist: someone who loved creating with whimsy and freedom! I was creating art that would inspire the viewer to escape to an inspired place. Once when things started opening after the pandemic, I started going to shows and getting out in the community to meet people and share my art. At one point, the owners of Clairemont Coffee asked if I would sell my cards there. I was later invited to sell my art products at Vinya (also in Clairemont). Recently, my cards are selling alongside the beautiful flowers at Divine Flowers in Bay Park. My main medium is acrylic paint but I have since started painting my plein air paintings in oils and am really enjoying this new process. The color blending of the oil paints really makes the paintings come alive.

In addition to sitting in front of my own canvas, I invite other adults, novice or experienced adults to join me for my paint and sips! An old coworker asked if I would to a paint and sip for her and her law student friends who were ready to celebrate a break. We had taught together. I said of course! There were eight law students the location was my sister’s dining room and each of their paintings were masterpieces! Inspired by my painting “The Cloud”, the seascape with a palm tree and a hammock was a hit with the crowd! It was so wonderful to use my experiences teaching art to elementary and middle school students to adults. It was so much fun and it almost felt effortless! Since then I’ve taught three paint (one in a garden pation, one in a church hall and one at the Humble Bean coffee shop patio) and sips this year, my fourth will be in October at Clairemont Coffee and I’m in talks for one in November and one in December!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is connecting with people. During the pandemic I learned that human connection is something I absolutely need. During that time it was social media that mainly connected me to others. But since things have eased, getting out there and going to farmers markets, the Clairemont Garden tour, the Clairemont Art Guild, teaching art to elementary and middle schoolers, teaching my paint and sips and given me a sense of happiness and joy. It IS NICE earning money from these teaching prospects and my actual artwork but I would be lying if I said it was just about the money. It’s not. Helping people solve art problems, see things in a new way, and use their imaginations is just amazing. There is such a high I experience from finishing an amazing painting and sip and everyone is smiling and proud of their artwork. There is such joy from seeing a classroom full of eighth graders blend paint for the first time and do it well! Being an artist can help take others on a journey they are not used to going on and when they go, they are so happy they went there. Recently, I taught a writer/illustrator how to alter her drawings for an upcoming book to her liking. She left our sessions with confidence and such joy. I cannot wait to see her final book with these new illustrations.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey is fueled by the belief that we need to embrace the freedom we have in our lives. For me, a huge part of making art is having our own control over our decisions. Whether it’s how we use a medium, decide theme of a painting, where to sell my art at or where to have a show, these are all decisions that I get to make. I have a condition called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which was a result of an incident in college and making my art and getting to teach art has helped heal me. In that moment, years ago, my body froze, my mind shut down, I was a shell of a person. Art has truly turned the light on in my life where I am in control of my decisions and my destiny.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christryross.art
• Instagram: @christyrossart
• Facebook: Christy Ross Art

Image Credits
Jenn Garcia Sherry Madison Eduardo from Divine Flower Shop Sally Moluf Hoss