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

EmmaMay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path professionally was when I was about 14 years old. At this time in my life, I was struggling with a severe anxiety disorder, so much so that it was beginning to be detrimental to my physical health. My parents and I spent countless days at doctors appointments trying to find the source of my health problems. This anxiety disorder eventually transformed into an eating disorder, which only contributed to greater health problems as things progressed. It wasn’t until I turned to a more holistic health route that we discovered the link between my mental and physical health. I began to see a therapist who turned me to my art practice as a form of healing and way of expressing the things I struggled to speak about. It wasn’t until then that I discovered not only my passion for art, but its true healing ability. My eyes were opened to this new way of healing not only myself but others around me as well. Today the cumulation of these events has lead me to pursue art professionally as a painter and as an art therapist, with the dream that helping others find a healing creative outlet will change their lives as much as it changed my own.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a naturalist artist and oil painter based out of the beautiful mountains of Boulder, Colorado. My paintings embody flowing landscapes and captivating cloud formations. The goal of my art is to evoke peace in the viewer, to take them away from the chaos of everyday life and into a moment of tranquility. I first discovered oil painting while studying at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and have not turned back since. The depth and vibrancy of the paints were something I had not discovered before, they truly can bring a scene to life and continue to be my favorite media to work with. Recently, my work has transitioned to silk and recycled fabrics as substrates. A large goal of mine as an artist is to not only create moments of beauty and peace, but to reduce waste in the process. This ranges from sourcing second hand materials, to using recycled fabrics in place of canvas, and at times grinding my own pigments to combine with walnut oil for paint. Living in Colorado, warm days are frequent and allow me to work outside as frequently as possible. Each painting created is a form of gratitude to the land around me, capturing it as it is in that moment, before it has the chance to vanish due to the actions of mankind.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is seeing someone truly connect with a piece that you made. As an artist you spend so many hours with each painting and truly know each brushstroke that makes the piece a whole. When someone comes along and connects with your art on an emotional level, it is a feeling that truly cannot be explained. Art has the ability to create such a strong and meaningful connection between people. The healing powers within it are truly remarkable. Seeing someone experience the same peace you receive from a painting brings me such great joy and is what drives artists to keep creating.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Supporting local artists in your community is a huge factor in creating a thriving creative ecosystem. This support can show up in a variety of ways, just think of all the different ways art is needed in the world. Anything from the wine bottle in your fridge to the logo for your new business needs art to fully bring the product to life. Sourcing these artworks from local artists instead of a large corporation can go such a long way. One logo design can land the artist the career of their dreams, as can sharing their artwork on your social media page. Creating a thriving creative ecosystem can be as simple as telling an artist that their work is meaningful to you or as large as buying a million dollar painting. There is a method that feels right to everyone, it is just a matter of finding what form of support feels best to you. Artists are here to make the world a more beautiful place and showing them support is what fuels them to keep doing so.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emmamaybeers.com
• Instagram: @emmamay.art
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmamay-beers

Image Credits

Image credits to Maddie McKee and myself