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

Alright, Heather thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I used to work in finance. I remember reading an article written by a doctor who left their medical career to pursue a creative passion. They were so happy! I know that must have been a hard choice. Leaving a career that has taken so much time, money, and energy is frightening. Those feelings were something that I understood. When I was hired with my firm they told me I’d had a better chance of getting into Harvard than I had working with them. I had spent a lot of time, energy, and money to be in my position. I couldn’t help but wonder what that would be like – to leave a job that I thought would make me happy, but instead caused me great stress and unhappiness. I wanted to focus on something that brought me joy. I remember standing in my office looking at the parking lot and daydreaming about leaving. In 2020 I completed a coaching program. I thought it would make me better at finance. Instead, it made me realize that staying in a place where I was deeply unhappy wasn’t honest to me. I began to post my art online. At that point, I’d been making art for over a decade, but it wasn’t really something that I shared with people. By the summer of 2020 I had quit my job and announced that I would be selling art and taking commissions. It was nerve-wracking, but I realized for the first time in my adult life I was doing something that made me feel both joy and a sense of purpose.

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’ve been around art and artists my entire life. My grandparents were involved in a local artist’s society and I was frequently around society members, museum exhibits, and local artists. I began taking art lessons with Katherine Pittman when I was fifteen years old. While I have a unique voice as an artist that can be seen in my style, I am honored to have been so heavily influenced by Pittman’s style, which is reflected in my work.

The focus of my work has always been to create something beautiful that brings enjoyment to others. I am deeply influenced by the natural world and that is reflected in my art. I love painting animals and plants. I primarily work with acrylic paint, creating physical products for my clients. I also create some digital art. We deserve to be able to decorate our spaces with colorful items that make us happy – and I love helping others accomplish that goal.

I am most proud of honoring Pittman’s legacy with my work by carrying on elements of her style in my own. Painting is not just a craft, it is also a source of profound joy and fulfillment for me. I feel that my mission is both simple and profound: I am driven to share the joy and wonder of the amazing world around us through my artwork.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

A non-fungible token (NFT) is an asset that has been tokenized on blockchain technology. Blockchain stores linked data and has transparent information sharing. Blockchain allows cryptoassets (like Bitcoin, NFTs, etc.) to be shared securely. Without blockchain there is no cryptocurrency. This was something that I was first exposed to when I still worked in finance. The technology is revolutionary. When you purchase an NFT you are purchasing the original data file of the product. In theory, this is like owning a physical copy of art.

I love making digital art. It’s another amazing medium and one that I use frequently. However, it should be stated that as a purchaser you can’t actually own a digital file. If you owned one of my physical paintings that item exists only in the space you put it in – and sure, there are pictures elsewhere, but the actual item is yours. This isn’t true of digital files. They aren’t one-of-a-kind. Additionally, if value is based on scarcity (the more rare something is, the more valuable it is), that will never be true of NFTs, especially once copies are made of the digital file.

Ultimately, I view NFTs as often expensive, high risk investments. They aren’t worth it. They aren’t something that I’ll participate in. Physical pieces of art, like other classics, can stand the test of time. NFTs are like the beanie babies of the digital world; they might be important to some people, but the actual, consistent value isn’t there.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I learned from my grandparents that the best way society can support artists, creatives, and a creative ecosystem is by purchasing creative products. I’ve had more than one local artist share stories about my grandparents and their financial support early in their art careers. Often, their patronage made a huge difference in the lives of these individuals and in shaping their creative endeavors because they believed in them. Sharing work on social media is so important for many creatives – it helps get our names out there, it’s a way to share what we’re working on, and it helps build a following of potential clients. Actually purchasing something from us is the best way to support us. It can be so difficult for artists to shift into a creative career. Often, they’re building a business from scratch. In order to continue creating, artists need funds. Purchasing creative products shows the artist that you appreciate their work, you want them to succeed, that you believe in their mission statement, and that you understand the importance of art and creative projects in society.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hwylieart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwylie_art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HWylieArt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-wylie-5484b8b5/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hwylie_art

Image Credits
N/A – I took these pictures.