We were lucky to catch up with Heather Baker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am very happy as an artist. It’s just in my bones to bring the visions in my head into the world. I think I would wither away if I couldn’t. Each piece/project is a journey filled with it’s own surprises, problems to solve, and purpose. It’s a wonderful feeling when I can put my work out there and find that it resonates with others. What’s hard for me is actually selling the art and being a business person. I’m still learning how I can balance the business side with the creative side, as the creative side is by far my strong point, ha.
I’ve most always had another part time job while also managing my small art business. Mainly, I’ve worked seasonally with a native plant nursery, a place I really love and feel at home at. I’m a major advocate for the prairie and love to work with plants, be outside, and get my hands dirty. I love working with a team and getting a big job done, but my goal is to be more self sufficient with my art business. This past year I have not worked with the nursery and have been focusing on just being an artist. I do often think about how it would be so much easier to get a job working for someone else. Work 8 hours, come home, and get a guaranteed pay check every 2 weeks. For now though, my passion for my art is in the drivers seat and I’m willing to live frugally so long as I can bring my ideas to life.

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

I am an artist mainly doing plant collage. I create images of animals, mandalas, and skulls out of leaves, seeds, grasses, flowers, and various rocks and crystals. I also do illustration and ceramic work.

“Artist” has been part of my identity for a long time. Ever since I was drawing Loony Tunes for my classmates and making comics of my cats in grade school. I double majored in photography and anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. There I started to develop my plant art collage work. One day walking to class I saw honey locust leaves on the ground and laughed out loud thinking “How funny, they look like feathers”. I collected some and collaged 2 birds that evening. I was hooked. Although my art degree is in photography, my senior thesis project was plant collage. Experimenting with different plant materials to see what kinds of textures I could create. I had never seen anyone use plant materials in such a manor in art before, so I really was developing my technique and style from scratch. My work was largely abstract at the time, but my work grew into the figures of animals, mandalas, and skulls that I mostly create now.

My anthropology studies largely influenced my art work. I studied human remains as part of an internship at the Field Museum. Handling the remains gave me a new perspective on life and mortality. This, along with my experiences with the death of loved ones in my life, has imparted on me the belief that we are far more than our bodies. There is an energy than animates these bodies, and that really is who we are. My work often depicts human skeletons and animals with light energy radiating out from the inside, mingling with the world outside of our bodies.

I’ve had strong relationships with animals and powerful moments of clarity while being outdoors. My connections with animals and nature influence my art in major ways. I have a deep respect for all life, and nothing compares to the beauty of the colors and textures of nature, which is why my main art expression is created with natural plants and stone. It’s amazing to me how the grass I use translates so well into fur, or how the sparkly glowy quartz becomes stars or representation of energy and movement. I’ve seen other artists use flowers, leaves, and stones to make very beautiful figures and mandalas, but I feel my techniques and use of the material is unique in that it is not so readily apparent that my work is actually made from leaves, seeds, grasses, flowers and stone. Many folks think I’m using actual fur and feathers in my animal figures. I think I break the materials down just enough that they aren’t recognizable right away, but they are still intact enough that when you take a closer look you can see what it is I’m doing. My work is playful, very texture oriented, and hopefully at times thought provoking.

Although plant collage has been my biggest focus for the past 14 years, at heart I’m a multidisciplinary artist. My second biggest project right now is a series of illustrations that highlight native plants and animals of Illinois. I’ve been involved with prairie restoration/native plant growing for 13 years and know how precious and rare quality natural ecosystems are. Each illustration focuses on one animal surrounded by a community of plants and fungi as well as an affirmation. As an advocate for preserving and rebuilding native landscapes, this series is my way of giving voice to the lives being lost as natural habitat for so many plants and creatures continue to dwindle. The affirmations are the animals’ recognitions of their inherent worth as living creatures on Earth. Although these illustrations are about the plants and animals, the affirmations also resonate with being a human in our human societies. We also need to remember and recognize our self worth in our communities. And thirdly, I dabble in ceramics, which really just scratches an itch of making something functional that is also beautiful. I mainly make mugs and tea cups because a warm cup of tea is one of my favorite comforts.

I sell my original works, as well as prints of my plant collages and illustrations, notebooks and greeting cards online and at various fairs and festivals. I want my art to be accessible and affordable. I also strive to be as sustainable as possible in my business and personal life. I use all recycled paper packaging, and my notebooks and greeting cards are made with recycled paper. I’ve still got some things to work out, but I’m learning and always looking for ways to improve my practices.

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.

Other career artists I’ve talked with share a common feeling of being strongly compelled to do their work. It’s not something you can turn off. You are always an artist, always on call. When a project starts to form and take shape in my mind, it naturally just wants to bubble up and escape into the world, and it kind of hurts when you can’t let it. When you really care about your work, you do what needs to be done to make it happen. I’ve poured many hours and sometimes too much money into projects that often don’t sell, but there is a satisfaction in it being released out of my brain.

Also, I think many folks put artists/creatives on a pedestal of being extraordinarily gifted. So many people have expressed to me that they ” have no talent”, implying that “talent” is something only attributable to creative artistic work. The same goes with the word “creative” itself. Although I do think artists have a special gift of seeing the world through a bit of a different lens than non-artists, much of what being an artist is is problem solving. Figuring out how to communicate an idea or feeling through imagery and then how to physically use and manipulate materials, movements, or sounds to create that imagery. I think the same kind of creative problem solving skills are used in many aspects of life. And although there are artists who certainly are genius status and really stand out in their field, being an artist in general isn’t something that is just magically gifted…or, I should say, the gift of being an artist is no more amazing than the gift of being able to fix an engine or handle a large group of kids in a classroom. What’s funny is, simultaneously, the work of an artist is not viewed as actual work by some. But, what I do has come out of many years of practice and discipline. It takes lots of failures and dedication to keep working. I take my work seriously. Very seriously, even if it’s a cute little bird I’m making, hahaha. I put a lot of thought into the choice of material, the balance and placement of those materials in a composition, the symbolism and meaning behind materials, shapes, and forms. I take a lot of care to create quality work that won’t fall apart. It takes time, patience, research. I myself sometimes wonder…what really is the point of me being an artist? Why do I feel so compelled to do this? Then people come up to me and tell me what joy my work brings to their space. I’ve had people moved to tears looking at my work. I have to remind myself that my work makes homes cozy, has inspired people to go play outside and look more closely at nature, and has encouraged people to value themselves and their life on Earth. This is not frivolous work, nor is it something that should be particularly glorified more than any other ways we all contribute to the world. Being a good artist is magical gift of seeing the world in a more abstract/poetic way as well as dedicated and disciplined work. And if you are trying to be a career artist, then you have to be able to sell it, which is it’s own separate thing that many good artists I know struggle with.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

It feels simple, but just being able to make the work is the biggest reward. I genuinely get giddy when I see my pieces start to really take shape. There is a rush of excitement and pride when you’ve been trying to figure out, perhaps for days or even weeks, how to really express what you want with your material and finally, through trial and error, the answer comes. Being in art mode is a special state of mind. It’s fun and playful. Experimental. Although the process definitely can be tedious and frustrating, with practice and patience it all becomes part of a larger kind of journey. But also, when my work resonates with others, that’s a very rewarding feeling. I don’t want to do work that is purely for myself. To know that others share in the sentiments that move me to create and to connect with people through my work, that’s beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hbeeart.com
• Instagram: @hbee_art
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