We recently connected with Kathy S. “WhiteBear” Copsey and have shared our conversation below.
Kathy S. “WhiteBear”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I’ve been working since I was 13 years old, starting with my own musical instrument repair and art businesses, and I’ve had many different jobs throughout the years. It wasn’t until about halfway through 2018 that I was able to switch to being an artist full-time instead of part-time, and even though I also recently restarted custom picture framing part-time as well due to financial challenges, I’m truly much happier with full focus as an artist, but I am grateful for the experiences I have had with all of my different jobs.
As artists, creating is what centers us. So, regardless of the medium, if there’s a day I don’t get to create, I feel off-centered and out of balance in a way. And even with being an artist full-time, there are many things one must do besides draw or paint, and often one doesn’t get to spend nearly enough time focusing on a piece as one would like, especially when one must balance the creative time with the other things life brings or when working another job to help support oneself. Even when one has more time to work on a piece, life has many distractions these days that can bog an artist down which can make it hard to get into the “flow” of creating. While with many regular jobs you can simply “turn off” your focus on the job once you’ve finished for the day, as an artist there’s a different sense of time and your mind’s creative focus doesn’t fit into a particular schedule, which in many ways is actually much more liberating.
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 am an American artist with Native American & European heritage. I specialize in Original Contemporary Native-themed & Wildlife Artwork mainly as Acrylic Paintings with Texture on canvas. Although I focus on acrylic paintings with texture, I also enjoy working with several other mediums including pencil drawings, freehand (digital) drawings, writing, music composition, photography, and videography. I am a self-taught artist with a strong background in art and music, having worked in multiple positions including computer graphics, custom picture framing, as a musical instrument repair technician, and managing a music store for many years, and I now focus on my art as a full-time artist along with custom picture framing part-time.
Many of my pieces come from dreams and visions I have received and animals that visit me in person, and with each piece also comes a message with my art being focused on helping as many as possible in all ways possible. I have endured many health challenges as well as many other challenges I would never wish upon anyone throughout my life, but I believe to these challenges be an important part of my journey in learning how and wanting to help others heal. One of my largest goals and purposes is to help share healing, love, and kindness, and I endeavor to reach as many as I can with my artwork, whether it be by owning a piece I create or simply seeing it and receiving the message that accompanies it.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I endeavor to reach as many as I can with my artwork for the purpose of sharing healing, love, and kindness. Each of my current paintings come with a message I am given to relay so whether it be by owning a piece I create or simply seeing it and receiving the message that accompanies it, and my hope is to get my artwork to as many as I can. I will also often create and gift a piece of artwork when I see someone suffering such as a friend who recently lost a pet or loved one. Often people are amazed how I can capture the essence of a particular person or animal, and what I have come to realize is that’s because I feel that presence, but ultimately it’s much bigger than me because I am simply channeling what I am meant to relay.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the biggest challenges modern society and the world has is acceptance. We are taught from an early age that we are never enough unless we buy certain products or do certain things to look better or fit in. That often the way we speak, understand things, or even if we are different in any way that we are wrong. We are sold on the idea that we must always be “more” and conform to be like those around us.
What we must learn is to “unlearn” these things that are pounded into us. We must learn to accept not only ourselves for who we are, but all those around us for who they are as well. I’ve been bullied throughout my entire life, being taught and often told that I was wrong because I was too sensitive or because I have a different view on the way the world does and should work. For years, this took a massive toll on me, forcing me to try to “fit in” in so many ways. But, as I started to learn that I was in fact not “wrong” and that I just had a different take on things, I started to accept myself more and accept others more as well. I had a lot of frustrations built up over the years for a very long time that I’ve had to learn how to eliminate. And, as I have learned that it’s ok to be my true authentic self and that it’s ok if people don’t always accept me for who I am, not only have the frustrations and turmoil I felt inside started subsiding, but I’ve also started bringing not only a better energy to myself and adding more positive people into my life.
We should always strive to be more understanding and accepting of others, as well as ourselves, and learn to be confident, yet humble. Instead of judging someone for their actions or words, we must understand that often something we perceive as “wrong” is either something that is just different or perhaps coming from the experiences and pains someone has gone through in his/her life. We need to learn to not only listen more, but “hear” others more and to be kinder to one another. We must learn to accept that we are not perfect, and that’s ok because no one is. It’s often our flaws that others see that actually make us beautiful and unique, and that’s something we should celebrate because even as we are all separate individuals, we are all also one, connected through eternity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kathycopsey.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathycopsey/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitebearnativeart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathycopsey/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thekathycopsey
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitebearnativeart
- Other: Etsy: WhiteBearNativeArt.com Musero: https://www.musero.app/users/kathycopsey