We were lucky to catch up with Eleanor Earnhart recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Eleanor thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The thought never crossed my mind until I was in my mid-late twenties and totally burnt out by my first real, “adult” job.

I grew up in a household where we were taught that art and music were fun hobbies to have, but they were not viable careers. My parents were very pragmatic and didn’t want their kids to struggle with poverty like they had. So good or bad, I took that advice to heart, and didn’t consider any career in or even adjacent to a creative field when I was growing up. But because I loved making things with my hands, I kept up with lots of creative hobbies while I went to school and then got a few jobs in something more “sensible.”

After my first full time job ended in extreme burnout, I had to stop and reevaluate what I wanted to get out of my life, and what kind of work would fit me as a whole person. Luckily, the one thing I learned about my previous job was that I loved making promotional flyers. I decided if I could do that all day, I’d be happy. So I taught myself all the programs I needed, and started doing graphic design, web design, and illustration.

After doing digital design for several years, I still felt the drive to work with my hands, and I wanted the ability to make art for me instead of for a client. I tentatively started making a few pieces of my own art to sell, and once I got a taste for it I couldn’t stop. I dove in head first and am now a printmaking and multimedia artist (no doubt to my parent’s concern).

Eleanor, 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’m a printmaking and multimedia artist who draws inspiration from the natural world and the profound concept of interdependence found in Buddhism. My work is a reflection of this interconnectedness, as I seek to highlight the beauty and harmony that exist within our environment.

My primary medium is linocut printmaking, a technique where I hand-carve my own stamps to create intricate designs. This allows me to put my personal touch (both literally and figuratively) on every step of the process- from drawing the design, to carving it out, to printing each by hand. Additionally, I craft lanterns featuring my linocut prints, adding an extra layer of dimensionality to my work.

My mission is simple yet profound: to create and share beauty and joy. My perspective on this has evolved over time. Initially, I felt that pursuing a creative career in the arts might be selfish and self-indulgent, and I was always drawn to paths of service like the Peace Corps and nonprofit work. However, I now recognized that art is a powerful force that brings people together and feeds our souls. Art has the ability to create communities and forge bonds in transcendent ways that I’ve never found elsewhere, and I’m proud to be a part of that process. Art isn’t self-indulgence; it’s a way to elevate our collective well-being.

In essence, my art career is an exploration of interconnectedness. It’s a celebration of the intricate threads that bind us all, and my work serves as a testament to the importance of embracing and spreading beauty in our world.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One of the aspects that might be hard for non-creatives to understand is my assertion that art is a way for us to elevate our collective well-being. I can relate, because I didn’t really grasp the magnitude of that myself until fairly recently. In fact, I remember hearing other artists say similar things and thinking that they sounded pretty self-important, haha.

But think about those moments when you’re at a concert or a nightclub, surrounded by strangers, yet you feel an inexplicable connection to everyone around you.

Or when you visit public memorials and statues that make you feel connected to a historical event or a person’s legacy.

Consider the feeling of transcendence in places of worship. Whether it’s the beauty of singing in a group or looking at light spilling through extravagant stained glass.

And who hasn’t been moved beyond words by a poem or song at a wedding or a funeral?

Art creates bridges, it bring us together and enables us to connect to ourselves and others in profound ways that we struggle with otherwise. And that, in turn, creates us; shaping our perceptions, enriching our experiences, and forging connections that resonate far beyond ourselves. Connection and community are all we have. There’s a reason we find artwork from all throughout human history.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society in general needs to recognize how creative expression is an essential human need and it’s good for our society. Not everyone wants to be or needs to be an artist, but we shouldn’t be removing it from schools, and there’s a lot of evidence out there that shows that arts education helps improves academic scores across the board.

Individuals, no matter their circumstances can do so much to support artists and help change our society. Hire artists and pay them fairly for their work, buy their work, follow them on social media, share their work with others, donate to organizations that support artists and creatives, value art made by human hands and minds over AI art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stardogcreations.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stardogcreations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stardogcreations/

Image Credits
Andy Rozal