We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Berthelette. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.
Heather, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Some might say it’s a risk being an artist. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s an even bigger risk not being one.
A few years ago, right before the start of the pandemic, I was a regularly employed office manager at a mental health office. From 9 to 5 every day, I lived and breathed medical billing. In between insurance claims, I would often dream up my next painting ideas and hope I had enough energy to pursue them by the end of the workweek. The days could be long, but I was content and considered myself lucky to be working alongside such good people. I was grateful to have a dependable bi-weekly paycheck, too. As long as I had the security of this job, I would be okay. Or that is what I told myself.
In 2021, I graduated from Northeastern University with my master’s degree in arts administration. The hours of balancing my online classes and assistant teaching on top of my regular day job had finally paid off, and I had big dreams of pursuing a career in the museum field. I started to apply to new opportunities, comforted by the support and safety of my current position. But while I had been preoccupied with job applications, there was a rapid decline in the office environment and the security of everything I thought I knew came crashing down. Without a new job lined up, I was unfairly threatened and forced into leaving. The months that immediately followed this sudden shift in fortune would be some of the most difficult in my life. But looking back, it was also the best thing that could have ever happened to me as an artist.
Just as the rain washes away the grime, everything in my life seemed stripped away. There was only one thing that hadn’t abandoned me yet: my art. So, I gave myself over to researching and beginning my series of fairy tale paintings. Being in such a state of unknowing made my imagination thrive. Surely, if nothing was certain than anything was possible. Part of me was still convinced that I needed regular employment to survive and support my painting. So, I continued to apply to various jobs in between studio sessions and got sucked into a couple positions in arts administration. By the time my third attempt at a day job flopped, I could no longer ignore the obvious answer that had been developing in my mind: perhaps the reason why some things weren’t working out was because I was meant to create my own path as a full-time artist. Scared and financially strained, I made my first risky decision to actively pursue my creative talents. Shortly thereafter, I would make another risky decision that would end up changing my entire life for the better.
It began with a weekend trip to New York. Though I had traveled there many times before, I welcomed the change of scenery and its enrichment of my artistic perspective. It was exactly what I needed as I sought to redefine the new direction of my life. Then one day, high above the city, I met the man of my dreams and decided to take a chance on him. Like any classic fairy tale, my whole world opened – quite literally. Hailing from Paris, I learned my new beau shared a mutual love of travel, and we were soon exploring foreign and familiar places together. These fresh experiences reinvigorated my creative being and, in turn, my artistic pursuits. With a growing connection to France, I took what some might call a third risk: I applied for an artist residency at the renowned Chateau d’Orquevaux. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be accepted.
With my first artist residency now behind me, I can reflect on all that has transpired to this very moment and dream of everything that lies ahead. In just over two years, I have made the Cinderella transformation of an overworked and underappreciated office manager to an emerging and thriving fine artist. I belong to an amazing, creative community from my time at Chateau d’Orquevaux, and developed lasting friendships with like-minds around the globe. My sketchbook is exploding with exciting, future projects, and I am preparing to co-curate my first group exhibition in Paris next summer. Needless to say, the risks I’ve taken to get where I am now (sitting in my second artist studio in France) have been worth it. Sometimes it only takes one person to believe in you and open the doors of possibility, but it’s you alone who must find the courage to pursue your dreams and make them a reality. If I’ve learned anything so far on this creative journey, it’s that the biggest and most rewarding risk you will ever take is the one you take on yourself.
Heather, 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 have been creative my whole life. Since I was small, I recall drawing my own picture books, dressing up as imaginative characters, and pretending to be on some grand adventure in the woods of my backyard. In high school, I started taking painting more seriously. After several years of schooling and life experiences, my artwork has now grown to a professional level of maturity. Though, I’m proud to say that I’ve still kept a lot of the wonders and curiosities of my childhood intact. No matter how much time has passed, my memories and everlasting interest in fairy tales remain major sources of inspiration for my artwork to this day.
In my creative career thus far, my art has been largely centered around traditional paintings and drawings. My subjects usually depend on the medium I am working with. Figures dominate the page in my coloured pencil or pen and ink drawings. When I am moving paint around, I’m likely piecing together a detailed landscape or focusing on my symbolic, fairy tale still lifes. As my own personal voice emerges, I’ve also started several projects in line with coloring books, fairy tale illustrations, and storytelling. These are all things that made my childhood great, and it is my goal to portray them in my own style.
How this sets me apart from others is that I can see the magic all around us. I draw symbolic parallels from this mundane world to the land of fantasy. To me, this provides explanations for our life experiences, both good and bad, and offers a detailed and hopeful perspective that others often overlook. With my art, I hope to use my unique viewpoint to create visual stories that redirect people’s attentions back to the forgotten wonders of their youth.
Thus far, I am proud of the achievements I have made toward realizing these goals. It takes a certain strength to be a dreamer and a stubborn persistence mixed with a little luck to see wishes come true. Now that I’ve sampled a taste of success from my recent efforts, I am eager to accomplish all my plans in the near future and to continue growing on this artistic journey. I know that if I’ve come this far, then anything is possible. I owe it to the imaginative, little girl with dreams bigger than herself.
More than just fairy tale imagery, my art is a collection of visual stories that speak to the child in all of us. Whether my followers are young or old, I hope to inspire them to always look for the magic in their own lives and choose to see events through a different lens. For me, this next chapter is all about creative perseverance, developing my artistic style that is reminiscent of classic storybooks and animations, and sharing my visions with fellow fairy tale lovers.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
It might surprise you to read that a fairy tale artist like myself had to relearn how to draw from imagination!
As a child and even as I entered adulthood, my imagination knew no bounds. I created characters and unseen worlds from within the recesses of my mind with ease. When I entered art school, I still carried that same sense of freedom with the way I pushed my oil paints around on the canvas, and I was not afraid to let my unique perspective interpret the world around me. I didn’t know where I was going with my art, but I could tell that my work was starting to gain some momentum and consistency. I carried on like this up until the beginning of my senior year in my undergraduate program.
One day, I was in my classroom studio, drawing an imaginative figure composition, when my professor came around to check my progress. As much as I was proud of the work I had accomplished, he was as equally not impressed. Very clearly (and to the point where I can still hear his voice to this day), he told me, “You cannot create art from imagination.” With those six words, my entire existence came crashing down around me. I spent the rest of my senior year working only from life and using materials that he found suitable. Eager to be a successful artist, I listened to my professor, not knowing the long-term damage that he had done.
It would take at least ten years for me to find my way back to the imaginative artist I was always meant to be. During that time, I still created works, but there was always something lacking in the compositions – my voice. He had silenced me, I realized, and I needed to find my way back to myself. But how? Traveling to far off places, reading fantasy novels, and keeping a sketchbook all assisted in my healing process. However, I could tell there were still some walls hindering me from fully embracing the artist within.
Only in the past couple of years did I finally see those boundaries begin to dissolve. One artist residency, an entire life change in perspective, and a few drastic shifts later, I was able to let go of the nonsensical idea that my professor had instilled in me that fateful studio day. It has taken a lot of work to realign my thoughts, but I am grateful to be in a better creative space now. Though, I will never forget the lesson he taught me — that you CAN paint from imagination! My imagination is a treasure meant to be shared, especially with those who cannot see.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Throughout the years, I’ve caught myself many times saying, “Why didn’t they teach us this in art school?” Mainly, the topics I wished I knew about sooner involve the business of art and how to utilize various platforms and tools to further my audience reach. I have found that learning how to build your online presence is as equally important as studying colour and figure drawing, if not more so. In times where everything is through the internet, it’s imperative to their success that artists master the languages of websites, graphic design, email marketing, and social media management, to name a few.
Unfortunately, none of those topics were taught in my undergraduate program. In fact, I even had one professor tell my entire class that we were all doomed to be the stereotypical starving artists. Thankfully, I had enough common sense not to listen to a word he said! Instead, I took the little knowledge I had and started teaching myself how to use different tools that might boost my outreach. Further, my masters program in arts administration provided me with the business outlook that I was lacking. Overall, it was by my own efforts and within my trusted, creative community where I gained the knowledge on how to take my artistic career to higher levels.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heatherbfineart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherbfineart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherbfineart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-berthelette
Image Credits
Photo credit to “Burgundia Tour”:
– Picture of me, drawing the castle
– Picture of me, sitting in a blue hat by the stone window
All the other photos were taken by me!