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

Alright, Hillary thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I took a risk when deciding to pursue a career as an art educator. Attending more schooling was never in my long-term plan. I had always known I was going to be an artist and go into the art field for my career, but I did not intend to move towards teaching art. The idea of being in a school setting for the next 30 plus years was unfathomable to me, and frankly upsetting. However, graduating with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the country’s top art schools was not helping me get a job as an “artist”. During the summers I was fortunate enough to discover a fabulous camp, USDAN, Centre for Creative and Performing Arts, where I worked as an art assistant. It was here I was first exposed to the concept of teaching art as a working artist and the seed of possibilities may have been planted. During the school years however, my options were very limited. I focused on finding work in other areas of interest, such as working at an animal shelter, and then a daycare. My parents, whom I was very lucky to have as huge supporters, were constantly trying to help me and point me in various directions. They were watching me, not at my best, frustrated with the lack of artistic employment and opportunities available to me. My mother knew a young woman who was currently getting her Masters in Art Education. This woman was thoroughly loving her experiences thus far, working towards getting a full-time art education job and working on her own artwork on the side. My mother urged me to meet with this woman, just to hear about her experiences with art education so far. As a mid-twenties something I was strong-headed and not willing to admit I needed some direction and help. Finally, I relented and went to meet this friend of my moms. She told me about her experiences, working with students, getting to plan and execute art lessons. It all started to sound not only very doable for me, but something I could in fact love as a career.
Now, 14 years into my art education career, I can without a doubt say I made the right decision for myself. The idea of being a teacher, passing on my knowledge, passion, and experience as an artist, while also being able to be a support system and mentor means so much to me. I want to help students feel understood as well as protected. I take my role seriously when it comes to encouraging creativity, individuality, as well as kindness in my classroom.
Not only is the job personally and professionally rewarding on a daily basis, it allows time for my own personal art career as well. I’ll be forever grateful for my parents, my mother’s friend, and everyone who helped encourage me along the way on my path to becoming an art educator and working artist.

Hillary , 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?

I have always been an artist from when I was very young. I grew up with graphic designer parents who would put a pad and pencil in front of me anytime I needed to be occupied- in line at the bank, a long car ride, at a restaurant, etc. I would be drawing constantly, creating characters and scenes as well as drawing from observation from a very young age. There was never a question that I was going into the art world as a career. I attended the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2005 and received a Masters in Art Education from Adelphi University in 2009. I have been an art teacher for over 14 years and teach elementary art as well as adult workshops and classes. I am a fine artist and primarily work in watercolor and sometimes wool felt. I create commissioned portraits of people, houses, pets, and landscapes and I have created thousands of custom pieces of art. I am most passionate about connecting with my client and subject matter and each piece is truly made with love and the dedication to portraying my client’s vision and memories accurately and harmoniously.
In addition to fine art, I created my own line of handmade watercolor paints. Each color is crafted from naturally sourced high-quality pigments mixed with my handmade all-natural watercolor binder. The idea of creating my own paints stemmed from my love of nature. Nature is a huge source of my inspiration and I am constantly in awe of it. To blend and create my own colors and then use them to paint my art with, is a truly meta experience. The colors are custom blended and named to depict what they remind me of, with two exceptions. Hillary Blue, which is an Ultramarine Blue hue that I just adore and Kathy Violet is named after my mother, my muse, who has had purple hair for the past decade. The custom paint colors I have created thus far include Lobster Roll (Magenta/Red), Pamplemousse (Red Grapefruit after a very favorite seltzer!), Nectarine (Orange Ochre), Honey Dijon (Yellow Ochre and Gold), Goldfinch (Bright Yellow), Mist (Periwinkle), Blue Velvet (Cerulean Blue), Hillary Blue (Ultramarine Blue Light), Kathy Violet (Neon Violet with Hot Pink undertones), Plum (Ultramarine Violet Deep/Mauve), Froth (French Turquoise Light), Moss (Medium Hunter Green), Spruce (Dark Green/Blue), Cold Brew (Burnt Umber), Raw Denim (Indigo/Burnt Umber).
My personal artwork, commission information, and watercolor paints are listed on my website and etsy shop, as well as featured regularly on my Instagram. My TikTok which went viral last summer, not for my art, but for my chipmunk encounters! I feed and create diorama set-ups for my backyard chipmunks and it has been a blast.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media has been a wonderful asset for me both personally and professionally as an artist. To learn about artists from all over the world, and to be exposed to their creativity has been extremely inspiring. These artists, that I would have had to have researched or know someone who knows someone to find out about, are all on there, on Instagram. It wasn’t my intention to create an art business for myself by sharing my artwork, I just wanted to share. My artwork is so much a part of my life and generating work from my social media posting was a very organic process. People started seeing my artwork, asking for more information, and they in turn began sharing with their friends. I know I should probably post more work on a consistent basis to generate more business. However, I want to remain authentic and share my artwork when I’m actually creating it. I believe this natural and honest way of sharing comes across to my audience and future clients and I believe people appreciate the sincerity. In keeping with honesty and authenticity, I should mention that if my art commissions and paint sets were my main source of income, I would absolutely be posting more and I would have to.
My advice for anyone starting out on social media, is to be clear, concise, and honest with your business. Post consistent messaging and be true to who you are and what your business’s message is. People can tell if you are sincere and they will appreciate it.

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

Society could absolutely benefit from supporting its artists. Providing opportunities for artist communities to display artwork, have meaningful discussions, and provide workshops, could not only help artists but the rest of the community as well. Instituting arts councils, to provide enrichment to a town’s members would provide opportunities for creativity and self-expression as well as social engagement.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hillarybroder.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillary_broder/
• Other: Etsy: https://hillarybroder.etsy.com TikTok (Where I document my chipmunk encounters): https://www.tiktok.com/@hilly_and_the_chipmunks