Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Erickson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

While being a fine art painter and working as a dental hygienist life was quite busy when I had kids. I spent most of my time with my kids doing art with them and with their school. I didn’t have space in my house for my own art at the time. I learned about iPad painting in 2011 and started drawing and painting on my commute to work. That suddenly gave me a couple hours a day to draw and create. I now have a sales rep for stores and love doing fairs and have a website for sales. Most of my work is nature themed and for the past 8 years my work has been represented my reps that also carry Scandinavian themed housewares and art so I have created around that theme. Around 2016 I was deeply drawn to spirituality and just following along my life path was led to do a different type of work which is more of a personal painting. This unfolded as I explored my intuitive and clairvoyant abilities. I love doing these paintings. I have come back full circle to painting. I call the personal painting/readings Painting with Light. I actually had named my iPad drawings Painting with Light and had used that hashtag early on but it was a fun realization that it was also the perfect name for the spiritual work as well. I believe that the mystery and wonder in life is following your heart. It will lead you on a wonderful journey. I think about my early iPad drawings and how afraid I was to sell them and that I didn’t believe that I could make a business out of it. I had a good friend that believed in me and saw the potential. Listen to those friends and trust your path.

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

I am a mostly visual 2D artist working on the iPad. My art business for the past 12 years has been designing and selling greeting cards, art prints and various houseware products wholesale through a sales rep and retail at art fairs and online. I also have explored various other art projects including indigo hand poured and stitched canvases and personal spiritual intuited paintings and readings.

Over the years as an artist I have followed both my intuition and what has worked well for my family. When my kids were young I spent a lot of time with them making art and following their lead. While they were in Montessori classrooms I learned the importance of choice and ‘play being their important work’. We were never bored and we did many child led projects. Ex. my daughter wanted to knit a sleeping bag when she was 10. We did the math and figured out how long it would take to knit a foot square, how many square feet. They were always fun projects that basically the kids invented and we tried to follow through with them.

I still follow this way of working following glimpses, inspiration, curiosity and heart led exploration.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I feel that you can always research resources in this age. I think the most important resource is your own self love and trusting yourself. Currently I am in a group of women and we are learning and exploring the self talk and messaging that you tell yourself. Being conscious of what your thoughts are and using positive words is so important. This is really your amazing resource to guide you. We are reading the books of Neville Goddard and Florence Shinn.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Can we bring up the comment “starving artist’. I want another voice to be heard. There are sometimes labels and expectations of either when will you be able to work fully as an artist like you are failing working another job. I have always seen my art as potential and what comes of it as magical. It really is so distinctly different than the hourly wage of my day job. I decided early on that I wanted to have the security of a day job and that this would allow my to create art. What I didn’t expect to be so exciting is the opportunities that come from reaching out as an artist and being seen. Seen and recognized for the joy of what you do and who you are. I have been able to supply myself and my family with so much with my art. I am very grateful for that.   

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lisarydinerickson.com
• Instagram: @lisa_rydin_erickson

Image Credits
Personal painting photo credit Golden Rule