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

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I have experienced many kindnesses, but one stands out as a pivotal moment. I was living in Philadelphia and had been working at the Pennsylvania Academy’s retail art supply store for a number of years. I made small embroidered artworks in between customers and enjoyed the art school community, but in many ways I was treading water, uncertain of my path. I was approaching 30, working a minimum wage job, and living with 5 housemates out of necessity, not choice.

One day, a professor who I enjoyed chatting with flippantly asked, “Hey, what are you doing Tuesday mornings?” He invited me to audit his weekly post-bacc seminar. The offer was incredibly generous. I spent the next year getting an eduction without paying tuition. The readings and discussions were energizing, but it was his gesture of invitation, of being seen as worthy, that meant the world to me. His recognition gently nudged me to consider how I was spending my time and gave me the confidence to move forward in search of a life that felt truly mine.

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 use paint, hand-embroidery and beading to craft images that encourage slow, intimate viewing experiences. I am interested in the idea of slow seeing. Particularly, I am interested in how slowly experiencing the physical world with all of my senses allows me to “see” with my whole body, not just my eyes. This feeling of sensorial immersion and bodily presence is grounding. It inspires a sense of wonder and connects me to my surroundings with empathy and compassion.

I believe my role as an artist is to notice. Not to control how an image unfolds, but to be present, to tend to the needs of an image as they arise. Nothing is planned in advance. I work in tandem with my materials, surrender all outcomes, and stay open to new possibilities. Each piece takes months, sometimes years to unfold. I patiently work my surfaces until their dream-like worlds seem to breathe on their own, pulsating with color and light. My most successful images feel alive and vibrate with an energy as if they grew from within. At the same time, they contain measurable evidence of my hands at work.

In many ways, I now live my life with the same mindset as I make my art. I feel fortunate to have found a rural community full of supportive, creative people. Living in close proximity to nature and wild spaces is important to me. I climb mountains, tend my garden, and regularly watch the sky. I move through the world searching for anything that heightens my sense of being here. I give special attention to shifting atmospheres: the quality of light, temperature, wind, fog, or lack thereof. I marvel at the wonder and beauty of being alive in this particular moment, at this particular time. I am learning to listen to my heart in the same way that I listen to my images. I am proud of the life I am slowly building, and look forward to seeing how the future unfolds.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being an artist has helped me become a more resilient person. Years of working in the studio developed my problem solving skills and forced me to practice self-care. In addition to figuring out what makes me tick, I discovered what makes me thrive. I learned to pay attention and to listen to my body: What gives me energy? What gets me out of bed early in the morning? What keeps me up late at night? When there are no limitations, how do I spend my time? Being an artist has taught me so many transferable life skills that it would be impossible to name them all. Perhaps the most important reward is that the time I spend in the studio allows me to find myself.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Life is full of unexpected delights and inexplicable sorrows — visceral sensations that reason cannot touch, and words cannot explain. Being human, simply existing in this world, can be an extremely complicated thing to do. I believe art has the capacity to remind us of our shared humanity, to help us feel less alone, and to ease our uncertainty when we don’t have all the answers in life.

One of my main goals throughout my creative journey has been to make work that feels authentic and true to my being. Making art is the way I connect with myself and my surroundings. Each piece is an opportunity to get closer and closer to the essence of who I am and how I experience the world. I hope my art inspires others to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.erinecastellan.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinecastellan_studio/?hl=en