We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Stadler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, appreciate you joining us 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?

The plight of today’s artist is of colossal proportions. Despite the odds of real success, the romantic ideal of flourishing in the global garden of a thriving social media platform lures us swords blazing into a soul crushing battle where we are forced to split ourselves into pieces, striving tirelessly to win the popularity contest we unwittingly find ourselves entered in. To be our own accountants, marketing experts, content creators, gallery hustlers, inventory keepers, print packagers, order fillers… the list goes on. You do not leave work at the office. You do it late into the night. After the dishes are done, the laundry is folded, and the kids are asleep. You hope that tomorrow you might get a few hours to work on that new piece that’s been sitting untouched on the easel, which somehow ended up at the bottom of the list, again.

Would I give it all up for a regular job? It depends on if there was a regular job that would allow me to make a more worthy contribution to this world.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My empathic nature has never gifted me with a strong sense of verbal communication. Instead I search for connection and understanding through images, where I love to explore the human condition.

I took advantage of the opportunity to work from home and raise my daughter, buy building an online shop.
I offer print on demand services from my website, including merchandise and fun art gift ideas.
I am a member of a local co-op, where I reside in Poulsbo, WA, as well as offering cards and prints in a couple other local boutiques.

I strive to be a liaison to help people forge a connection to something outside of themselves. I aspire to give my work a narrative that calls one to contemplate. It is more traditional in that sense but I believe it to be a valuable service.

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

Creatives have a certain type of responsibility. An often heavy and confusing one. A responsibility to bring all of the unspoken, unseen, unheard, unclear intangible matter, into reality. The rest of humanity depends on it. This huge responsibility cannot be shaken even though we may not want it. Even though we may try, by doing so we often find ourselves miserable and unfulfilled.

At this point in my life I have resolved to accept that being a creative is not so much a burden as it is a gift. Nothing makes me happier than sharing my talents with others. Knowing I can touch peoples lives with my art brings me so much joy and purpose, it makes the burden lighter. I am constantly looking for new ways to carry it with pride instead of shame. Maybe I will never be found at the top of a corporate ladder. But I will no doubt be one of the rungs that make life’s’ ladders a little more beautiful and pleasant to climb.

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

We try our best to make as big a ripple as possible in the vast sea of products and ideas in the world. It is no easy feat to come up against billion dollar companies, armed with great forces of the skilled professionals, required to put a product on the proverbial shelf. You see something you like in a gallery, boutique or Art Fair? You can be sure that the artists’ efforts to get it there were great, as they likely, single-handedly, played all those same required, skilled professional roles to get it there. It is worth every penny they ask for it, and probably more. You won’t find it on Amazon, or anywhere else for that matter. You are fortunate to be in their ripple. And their ripple will only continue with your support. So buy it. You never know how long an artist will be able to continue meeting the demands necessary to get that very special, one-of-a-king piece of art into your hands, where it will in turn enhance your life.

Contact Info:

• Website: heatherstadler.com
• Instagram: @artbyheatherstadler
• Facebook: Art by Heather Stadler

Image Credits
Carina Fleckner Photography