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

Clare, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I can’t imagine anyone who calls themselves an artist hasn’t grappled with the thought that life might be easier with a standard 9-5 job. Who wouldn’t? A “regular job”, whatever that might be defined as, has fixed schedules, upfront assignments, a steady paycheck and a clear trajectory to “climb the corporate ladder”. Being a creative is not for the weak. I own my own art business as a registered sole proprietorship and anyone who does the same knows that there’s no time off, no set work hours and no weekends. What you put into your craft is what you get out of it. The months where I work till after midnight every night and all through my Saturdays and Sundays are (unfortunately), the most successful. But what I have that a 9-5 doesn’t is that I am the captain of my own ship. And that’s something I am grateful for.

Clare, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been an artist my entire life. Whether I was filling my childhood home’s driveway with chalk drawings or lining all my school notebooks and dozens of sketchbooks in drawings, this passion has been there for as long as I can remember. I took a few AP art classes in high school and realized that regardless of the more standard subjects I excelled in, art was what made me happy. Then I went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and double majored in art and English, with a minor in business. These academic pursuits provided me with the skillset to handle the entrepreneurship landscape needed to be a creative these days. After college and since, I have juggled being an artist while also working in the entertainment industry in hopes to become a producer.
In terms of the art I make, I find it hard to describe. I am influenced from my background working in animation, by design and with my education in classic art. My work usually is pattern or illustration based, but with a surreal/fantastical infusion. I strive to create pieces that have energy and allow for the eyes to wander around.
What I believe to set me apart is my constant adapting to new styles, compositions and subject matter. I struggle with drawing the same thing again and again, what my portfolio (hopefully) shows, is the openness for life to surprise me with new inspirations.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

This is for anyone who wants to go to art school for college, those already attending or those recently graduated: While the standard curriculums focus on the history of the craft and the chance to fine tune the talents intrinsically within you, they are lacking in real world application. We live in a capitalistic society. As much as that sucks, in order for the arts to withstand all the ebbs and flows of society, we have to be teaching artists that the age of the “starving artist” is over. We must be teaching the artists of the future how to hone their craft while also guiding them how to sustainability do it. I wish Carnegie Mellon put less of a focus on the conceptual nature of art, and instead put our attention towards how to be an artist in the 21st century. I am thankful for the businesses classes I took because without them I would have not been able to do what I am currently doing without the real world skillsets learned from them. Learn accounting. Learn about marketing. Learn about ROIs, economics and negotiation in an academic setting. The intelligence in understanding the system will allow you to work with it, and even use it to your advantage.

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

Hands down it is the pure happiness it brings me. Had a bad day? Draw. Have to pay $800 for my car’s radiator to be replaced? Draw. Had a great day? Draw. All of life’s circumstances bring me the inspiration and motivation to create. Making art grounds me in ways nothing else can. And above all, success and money aside, it makes me happy and I will be eternally grateful that it does. Everyone should have that one thing that makes them feel at peace, and that is art for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clareburdeshaw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyclareburdeshaw/

Image Credits

Photo credit for Superfine 23_2 by James Stewart