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

Elisabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

For the most part, I love making my living from my art! However, just like every other job on the planet- it has its challenges. There is something really nice about showing up to work, doing the tasks you have laid out for you, and going home for the night or the weekend. As a new business owner, I’m constantly thinking about the next project, commission, pop up, art show, etc. It leads to fewer boundaries around work time versus rest/personal time. Those lines are even more blurred as a creative. I consider travel, spending time in nature, and visiting museums vital to my creative process, but those things are traditionally seen as leisure activities. I’ve also come to realize that my identity as a human being is so closely related to my identity as an artist- I have to actively remember that my inherent value is not dependent on the success of my art. Most of the challenges I face as a full-time creative are primarily mental and mind set related, which I have to work on on a daily basis.

I do still wonder if I will decide to pursue this path long-term. But for now, I’m excited to see where it is taking me.

Elisabeth, 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?

Hello there! My name is Elisabeth, and I am a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Denver. I have been in love with art for as long as I can remember. My dad is an artist and graphic designer, so I think that informed my interest in it, and having my parents’ support to pursue this path helped a lot too! I studied oil painting at CU Boulder, and classical renaissance style painting in Florence, Italy. Upon graduating from school, I started working for Anthropologie as a display artist working on window and interior displays. This is where I learned all about 3 dimensional/ installation art, and fell in love with this hugely expansive medium. When COVID hit in 2020, things shifted, and I decided to work for myself as an artist full time. This is when my love for collage, hosting workshops, painting, and murals really took off. While I work in many different mediums and styles, my inspiration always comes back to the human connection to the natural world.

Lately, my focus has been on abstract paintings. I’m really enjoying the freedom and discovery that has been a part of that process. I love creating really large scale abstract pieces that act as a statement piece for someone’s home or in a commercial space. I’m also booking more murals this year which has been wonderful. While I will always love 3 dimensional installation art and collage, my obsession with paint and the way it can transform a space has been really fun to explore. I think having a background in all of these different areas helps me give well rounded offerings to my clients, and allows me to see how art affects a space as a whole instead of focusing only on the artwork itself.

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

Something I’ve had to unlearn since becoming an artist full time is that there is no “right or wrong” way of going about it. There are a million different avenues an artist can take, and all of them are valid. When it comes to what materials to use, ways to sell your art, how to collaborate with other artists, and so on, there is no right or wrong pathway to take. Personally, I struggled with this concept, because I wanted to do everything as close to perfect as possible. The longer I’ve been in this game, the more I understand that things can be done in so many different ways, and they are all “right.”

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

When people hear that an artist makes a living from their art, I think the assumption is often that they are happy, and that it comes easy for them. That hasn’t exactly been my experience! While I do have days where I feel really good about my art and grateful for my job, I also have many days where I am not feeling creative, or confident in my art. Another thing that might surprise people is the actual amount of time spent creating art for artists. I have many days in which I am not creating at all. Because I am still a fairly new small business, there is a ton of back end work that I do that doesn’t involve making art. While I wish that ratio of creating to admin were a bit higher, I actually like having a variety of things to work on. It keeps my brain working in different ways and helps me feel like I have other things to focus on when I’m not feeling like creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elisabethgraceart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisabeth_grace_

Image Credits
Amanda Proudfit Stephanie Mathena