We recently connected with Lisa Alberts and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I recently had coffee with an Artist friend of mine and we got to talking about the things that weren’t taught in art school that we wish we had learned sooner. The two of us went to different schools, in different cities, at different times but both graduated believing that to be a “capital A” Artist one had to have a studio and time to make consistent and meaningful work. This myth made it feel impossible to attain the life I wanted. I could live a creative life but starting a career as an Artist just felt unattainable when I couldn’t tick all the imaginary boxes. I wish the narrative would have been different for me early on, or that I had been shown examples of Artists making work at their kitchen tables after a day at an office job. For many years I put my creative practice on the back burner while I worked “regular” jobs to earn a living. It wasn’t until my 30s when I discovered a community of Artists who are also parents that I so blatantly and beautiful shown a different way. Since then I’ve been weaving a dedicated art practice into my life.

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

I am a multidisciplinary artist currently working in fiber. In my work I use alternative photography techniques to create textiles and soft sculpture that explore the intersection of motherhood and the physicality of caregiving, investigating how the maternal experience feels in the body. From a young age I have invited my children into the studio to collaborate with me. In my Acute Onset series, I give my children nearly free rein to make large sunprints, which I then sew up and twist into tightly bound knots. Exploring the space where mothering and anxiety meet, these pieces address feelings of uncertainty amidst repetition and explore the weight of anxiety alongside the playfulness of childhood activities such as imagining, gathering, ordering, and archiving. My work has been shown in galleries here in the US as well as in the UK.

I’ve been an artist all my life though it’s taken me a little while to figure out how to build a career. My first love will always be ballet and I was dedicated to the art of dance through my childhood and still sometimes start a studio day at the ballet barre. I think my love of dance and movement informs my work, particularly in the way I interact with my process.

I am also the Co-Founder of Skep Space, a nonprofit space for Artists in downtown Farmington.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

There is still much work to be done! In my view, the most meaningful thing society can do to support artists is value them by paying them. So often we ask artists to work or share their expertise for free. Oftentimes “exposure” is offered as compensation. More and more, artists are required to cover shipping and insuring their own work for exhibitions. There is a lot of out of pocket costs (both money and time) for the emerging artist and very little support, financially or otherwise. I would love to see funding for organizations to provide not only financial resources but professional development support as well; opportunities to learn things like how to do your taxes, or how to write a press release.

I would also urge art lovers to prioritize collecting original art. So many emerging artists have very accessibly priced work.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I recently turned 40, and it’s easy to feel like I’m late to the game when I consider myself an emerging artist. But one of the most rewarding perspectives it has given me is to think about my art practice as a long game and in turn this has informed a larger perspective on life. I’m in a season of life that requires a lot from me. I simply have to measure success differently than I would if I were younger, single, and not a parent. My children are elementary aged now so it’s not as physical as it was when they were very young but being a Mother in American today requires so much emotional and psychological labor. In addition to my art career, I run a nonprofit and volunteer at my children’s school. Many days, I feel like I’m not doing any of my “jobs” very well. But when I can focus on the bigger picture and what long term success looks like, the whole thing feels much more rewarding and meaningful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.LisaAlberts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaalberts.art/