We recently connected with Courtney Griffin and have shared our conversation below.

Courtney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

I started my artistic journey as an adult in 2018 — when I was gifted my first bullet journal by my husband. I began with illustrations in my bullet journal, which seamlessly led to sketchbook work and my first commissions with friends and friends of friends. My practice has evolved into one of non-subjection and intuition guiding my process.

I feel I’m truly in my creative practice at exactly the right time. My practice is one of “asking and receiving” and in order to create from integrity, an awareness of my own mental wellbeing is of essence. I lacked this awareness in my 20’s before I began making art more seriously. Starting earlier than I was ready would’ve manifested in creating art that lacked truth and alignment with who I am.

I feel like a beginner and student in a lot of ways when it comes to art, and the older I get, the quieter my ego gets. My ego was so loud in my 20’s that I don’t think I would’ve given myself the grace or patience to learn, to make “bad” art or to practice. Now my process is slow, thoughtful, full of lots of mistakes and learning along the way. I’ve learned to befriend the student who is always evolving.

Courtney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I fell into art, like many of us do, to help make sense of the chaotic world and my anxious mind. What started as small-black illustrations has evolved organically into larger scale abstract mixed-media paintings. I am inspired by the cyclical nature of our bodies — especially as women — and how our cycles are reflected by the seasons, the elements and the natural world. My work is balanced with pops of vibrant color, negative space (what I call “space to breathe”) and detailed lines.

As an extroverted-introvert, I am pulled to both the solitude of my studio practice and the essence of community and collaboration as artists. Being an artist can be isolating and I feel the community part of owning an art business can be lacking! I’m working on a new project to bring together women-identifying artists and help get their work into the world. If you’re interested in learning more, drop me a DM at Courtneygriffinart!

I’m most proud of the 600-square foot mural I completed in 2020 in the RiNo heart district. It was the most physical project I’ve ever done, and a major bucket list item! I currently sell my original work online, in periodic group and solo shows and I partner with various interior designers and stagers in Denver, CO to show my work.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a top-recommendation for anyone looking to implement life-long habits! His work has helped me immensely professionally and personally. I also love all work and wisdom shared by illustrators Lisa Congdon (Lisacongdon.com) and Andy J. Miller (Creative Pep Talk podcast).

I was also interviewed recently on Create! Magazine’s podcast — another one I highly recommend — and my interview was about how I manage working full time and running an art business. Please take a. Listen!
https://www.createmagazine.com/blog/courtney-griffin-podcast

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Lesson I unlearned: you must do it all and you must do it now.

Backstory: Instagram! Instagram tends to make us feel that we must be doing all the things, all the time, and we must be doing them all now. I’ve experienced burnout many times in my life and across various careers and the burnout tends to hit when I’ve taken too much on, too quickly. Those burnout moments not only impact my mental wellbeing, they make it near impossible to make art.

I’ve learned that there is no ticking clock, and we must work at a pace that aligns with our bodies, our needs and our commitments outside of our businesses. This has taken me a long time to unlearn — and I still get influenced by what I’m seeing on social media — but I work everyday to remember that my journey is unique to me and there is absolutely NO rush.

Contact Info:

• Website: Courtneygriffinart.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/courtneygriffinart

Image Credits
Haley Bergsgaard