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

Colt, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes, I’ve been blessed to make a full-time living from my art practice. I took the jump into painting full-time in November of 2019. I had been making art very intentionally for a few years prior while working a separate full time job. It was a hard balance, especially since I got married in 2017 and it was a priority to spend time with my wife. After a couple years it became very clear to me that either art, my desk job, or my wife had to go and it definitely wasn’t going to be my wife or art. Thankfully, I felt God’s favor on my art and it made financial sense to give my dedication to pursue it as my job. Once I took the leap into art as a professional there was no looking back. Fast forward to now… from the other side of it I can’t imagine doing anything else. It sure is not an easy path, but nothing in life worth pursuing is easy. I’d rather have the wealth of a flexible schedule to spend more time with my wife and kids and be able to do the very thing for work that makes me feel most alive.

I believe that everything happens at the pace it needs to happen at. I don’t want to rush the process. It’s important to be fully present in the journey of growing as an artist. It prepares you for the road ahead and the success that will come when you work patiently.

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 American painter and sculptor located near Chicago, IL. I’m inspired by the inherent holiness of the natural world and my work uses textures, layers, and expressive mark making as a direct response to the landscape of the Midwest. My focus is on color, form, and space to yield an intuitive composition. Working in a spontaneous manner is important to me as it preserves a sense of discovery and immediacy. I often re-work the art over the course of weeks and months to build up layers and textures that evoke the emotion I’m after.

My paintings are the language for me to visually articulate truths and questions about life, faith, God as the Creator of the universe, and my human experience in the world. I think of my paintings as prayer or poetry—each brushstroke, drip, mark, or color feels like crying out to God. The nature of art is to express, through the material, the things of life which are often intangible.

I’m really into this Celtic idea/teaching called the Thin Place. This teaching explores the idea that there are places on earth where the atmosphere collapses and heaven falls to earth. Thin places are charged with sacredness where you tangibly feel God’s nearness. Whether it is a mountaintop or seaside cliff, a sunrise or sunset, a piece of music or fine art, thin places are wherever you have a sense of the divine; a sense of beyond. It is a space where the veil that separates heaven and earth is lifted and one is able to receive a glimpse of the glory of God.

Ultimately, my goal is to offer an invitation into the thin place through abstraction, contemplation, exploration of form, color, and the rhythm of making marks—allowing one mark to carry into another—and in-so-doing, allow for a holy space where the Divine transcends closer to earth.

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

Living a slow paced life and being present and observant to the world around me.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I caught Instagram at a good time when the algorithm wasn’t pushing reels and videos as heavily. Unfortunately, it is different now and the algorithm is constantly changing which makes it hard to keep up with. Social media is a double-edge sword. On one had its an amazing platform to connect with other artists, get discovered, and share what you’re creating. On the other, it quickly becomes a bad game of comparison. My best advice is to use it as little as possible. Make art that you are proud of and don’t pay attention to people’s opinions or how many followers you have. Life and art is much more than how many people are following you on the internet.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coltseager.com
• Instagram: @coltseager

Image Credits
Colt Seager and Ryan MacDonald (for the portrait)