We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Linda Lucas Hardy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Linda Lucas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve never NOT known! Pursuing an artistic path has been brewing my entire life. Professionally however took a decision and something I went after at 53, once I awakened to the realization I was not getting any younger. Being clueless, having no help, mentors or advisers I flew by the seat of my pants and what a ride it’s been!!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In the beginning, my dream of becoming a ‘real’ artist, whatever that meant, was vague. I honestly could not formulate what it was, exactly, that I wanted, but there it was, swirling around in my head where it always had been, the undeniable driving hunger. Sometimes it has been agony, sometimes frustrating but when it came to my dream and whether or not it was to be, hungry meant I had to work harder and dismissed the odds.

Age was against me, or so I thought, because I was 53 before I awakened to the fact that I was not getting any younger. Dreams may last a lifetime but unless one foot is put in front of the other, nothing is going to happen.

A trip to Italy in 2000 changed my life. The reality of growing older hit home. It became clear that if I wanted to live my dream it was imperative that I do something now. But what? I was completely clueless. I had no idea where to begin and I had no one to ask. I also had few opportunities because I lived in a very small town, over a hundred miles from any Metropolitan city. The necessity of using what I had, meager as it was, became apparent. Either that, or give up and do nothing. Doing nothing means a dream can never be attained, so it was never an option. Not only that, as I said, I was hungry and I wanted ‘it’, whatever ‘it’ was. Fortitude therefore became a close ally.

For me the unknown became the inevitable but it involved flying blind. I worked hard for two frustrating years but nothing happened. Part of the problem was because I did not know what to do, but mostly because I naively thought I would be discovered.

Around that time, I read a book. I have no idea what it was but the author, referring to the arts said, “No one is going to discover you!” My bubble burst! At long last I understood that what I had been wishing, not working for, was fantasy. If my dream of being an artist, again, whatever that meant, was to be realized then it was ultimately up to me, so I followed the one piece of advice I had been given, enter National Competitions. It was three years before I realized entering one show a year was not enough so the following year, 2004, I entered eight. Out of the eight, I felt one was way out of my league. I believed however that the only way to find out how my work fared was to compete with the Best of the Best. I cried as I read the acceptance letter. I had no idea any competition accepted more than one piece. They accepted three. Around that time, I began to refer to myself as an artist. Even though it was awkward I knew If I didn’t say it, if I didn’t believe it, who would? That was the catalyst that set me on the road I’m on today, and that is, doing art full time.

In 2005, I made a firm decision to refer to myself as a professional artist. Nothing came easy however. Living in a small town, having few resources and no mentors or advisors meant I had to be my own motivator and teacher. I realized the necessity of using what I had, meager as that might be, or give up and do nothing. Doing nothing means a dream can never be realized, so it was never an option. For me, the unknown became the inevitable…it’s called flying by the seat of your pants.

Even though, in the distant past, I took a few art classes and a few infrequent workshops, I’ve transformed. Over the years I’ve become the kind of person who has to figure it out for myself. In 2008 I decided I wanted to paint in oil. Before doing that, I had to think long and hard because I’d built up a lot of momentum in colored pencil and acquired National and International recognition. Changing mediums involved risk. Oil and colored pencil are totally different worlds. Nevertheless, it was something I really wanted to do so I set my pencils aside. A very prolific and well-known oil painter asked me who I was going to study with, obviously he was not aware of where I lived and how little resources I had. I replied confidently, “I’ll teach myself.” I don’t know what he thought of that, but I knew I could.

Every piece I work on presents problems that need to be solved. Occasionally I attempt something that turns out to be a complete failure. I regret the lost time more than the failure, but even if I wasn’t successful in the attempt, it’s not all bad. Learning from success and learning from failure are two sides of the same coin and both, depending on which side of the coin you focus on, can be beneficial. I am truly thankful for the hardships, difficulties and struggles, without them I would not be where I am today. Am I an artist? Emphatically, yes! Have I found ‘it’? I think ‘it’ found me.

One last thing, if we are not learning it gets boring. If we are not challenged it gets boring. If we think we know it all it gets boring. I absolutely love what I do. The only time I get confused is if I temporarily get off track and do this for another reason, like an exhibition or for the galleries. From my heart to your heart, I am the happiest when I do this for me…

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I seem to be drawn to subject matter that’s very complicated. The more complicated, the more it’s like a mystery that must be solved. I’ve never quit working on a piece because it was difficult, I see difficulties as a challenge. Even if I don’t accomplish what I set out to do, I’ve learned a great deal which only makes the next challenge a little more achievable. I paint what catches my eye so my subject matter is diverse, and I’m never in a hurry. I don’t want to be a machine that cranks out paintings, I prefer to take my time so that I can fully relish the process.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I don’t set goals per se, I prefer to follow my heart. Whether it’s the desire to paint a portrait or a landscape, makes no difference. When something strikes me a particular way, I must respond and respond immediately. To say I am driven would be an accurate statement.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lindalucashardy.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindalucas.hardy