We were lucky to catch up with Lucy Pike recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lucy, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I had always loved art and creating things and, in my 20s, I often painted pieces for my own house or friends and family, made over furniture, experimented with collage, and other creative endeavors. But I had *always* been a writer, even as a child. I mostly wrote freelance articles for blogs and did some editing while I worked on my own personal writing in my spare time. But when I became a mother, writing slowly started to feel heavy and unnatural; the emotions and experiences were not translating to the page for me. I needed to explore other ways to express my voice and start to understand the transformations in my life, and painting became that conduit for me. The direct, physical expression of the paint on a surface allowed me to say with art what I couldn’t seem to translate in words. I found the freedom of using paint exhilarating–I still do!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began painting nonstop in 2017 after the birth of my younger child; the way art allowed me to both recapture and redefine myself was startling, and I didn’t want to stop exploring new ways to work that out through paint. I had always loved art–visiting museums, collecting original art, and so on. But the physical manipulation of *creating* art was not something on which I’d ever focused my energy. I quickly found that the act of painting was opening and expanding my interior life in ways I couldn’t have foreseen; I could work out questions, feelings, experiences, and more in a direct, physical way.

Over time my work has evolved very organically. I have long sought a duality in the art I create; I want to explore and express both the depth and fragility of our experiences. I have experimented with many, many materials and methods in search of some process that would really allow me to immerse myself in that dichotomy, and I currently paint almost exclusively with acrylic ink on unprimed canvas. The raw materiality of the rough canvas contrasted with the fluidity of ink has been a wonderful conduit for me to explore the ideas and questions I have around environment, motherhood, and authenticity.

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

The physical act of creation itself. Women are often overlooked and unheard, and physically creating a work of art is a tangible manifestation of our existence, experience, and power. It’s pretty magical to begin with an idea or even just a vision of a color or form and then start to work that out physically.

Being a part of a community is also extremely rewarding. Whether that’s local artist friends, an online arts community, an artist’s co-op–whatever it looks like for you! Being a part of the arts community is an amazing way to learn about opportunities like exhibitions and residencies, get advice on the practical aspects of a creative life like shipping and admin, and experience a flow of ideas that we may not have in solitude.

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

See art as valuable, intrinsically valuable. Humans have been creating art since before we wrote down language; it is obviously a vital, necessary part of our humanity. When you feel like you are ready to bring art into your home, buy original art or prints from artists. Follow them on social media and share their work. Support the creatives in your life by watching their kids or pets so they can go to exhibitions and residencies. There is so much time and energy that goes into creating meaningful work that is only ever seen by the artist, and supporting that work creates a more beautiful, expanded world for all of us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lucypikeart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucypikeart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucypikeart

Image Credits
All images by Lucy Pike