We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michaela Yoro. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michaela below.

Alright, Michaela thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

For as long as I can remember, pursuing art was never a question. Whether or not I understood how to practically make that happen is another story. There were other interests I considered when entering college, but none seemed as appealing and fulfilling (and challenging) as pursuing an artist career. I truly knew nothing about what types of art careers exist, the path to those careers and which one(s) my skillset or interests would align with. I simply felt deep down that no other career would be as rewarding as art.

During my time in college at California State University, Fullerton, I had the opportunity to study a variety of artistic subjects including drawing, painting, design, sculpting and more. For several years, as I developed my skills, I floated around in an experimental and exploratory phase, trying out every type of class to assess which ones excited me.

My third year I decided to study abroad in Florence, Italy for a year program, studying at the Academy of Fine Arts Florence. As a part of the painting program, we were instructed to create a cohesive body of work that represented something that was of personal interest to me. This was the first time I had to really reflect and begin to understand my voice as an artist. Creating that first body of work was so exhilarating that I decided I wanted to pursue this full time as a painter.

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 now work as a professional oil painter, selling and showing my work worldwide. Some of the current subjects I am interested in representing in my work are of natural and botanical themes, which includes plein air landscapes, plants and flowers as well as vegetables and fruit still lives. Exploring the ideas of “cultivation”, “harvest” and “natural design” have all impacted my enthusiasm for plants and vegetables. In additional to creating original paintings, teaching has been an impactful part of my professional career. I offer weekly one-on-one art instruction in my studio to adults who either haven’t had a chance to explore their creative interest in painting, or they would like to improve their existing knowledge with some more fundamental skills. Occasionally, I will open some spots for commission orders, especially during the holidays. Providing commissions has been a really rewarding aspect of my work to directly serve and work with new clients who have a more specific vision for an artwork.

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

There are many hurdles that can inhibit many aspects of an artist’s success that I truly don’t have answers for and there are many reasons to want to blame others, society, the economy or whoever, for a lack of success. In my opinion, it must come down to the artists themselves, because at least that is something in which I can take action. In answering this question, I don’t believe a helpful answer would be demanding more people buy original art or attach more monetary value to artwork. Instead, I would ask more people to be curious, look at art, listen to what an artist has to say and ask questions. Just because I create something, doesn’t mean the work is desirable. It is the artist’s job to think outside the box and create something interesting, skillful, thought-provoking, and visually engaging. In theory, this pushes me to become the best artist I can be, to challenge my techniques, my language as a painter, and continue to grow as a creative and provide better and better work for my audience. As long as someone listens to me and gives my work a chance to interest them, that’s all I can ask for as a creative.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

To be very transparent, the “artist life” is anything but glamorous. It can be a struggle to try and create artwork and run a business to support yourself. It takes a lot of trial and error and many, many mistakes. Through the last several years, I have had to confront the idea that my worth as a person is not being an artist. Getting past this idea freed me to expand my abilities. I was listening to a podcast this last year when finances got a little tight and I was bordering on a nervous breakdown, secretly hoping that the podcaster had the answers to my business problems. Instead, the one thing that helped me was the opposite of what I expected. They admitted in their journey as an entrepreneur and creative that they did as much as they could to pursue their vision, even to the point of quitting their creative hustle full time and getting a part time job to help sustain yourself a bit and give yourself a mental break. Multiple people in the episode were explaining their experience of having to get a part time/full time job in order to reset and continue. In that moment, it gave me the permission to see myself as more than my art. What I was telling myself is if my art fails to support me full time consistently in the first year I’m trying, then I’m a failure and it was never meant to be. However, getting a part-time job in order to maintain your sanity and to keep a roof over your head while continuing to invest part-time in your passion is not a deal breaker. Literally hundreds of entrepreneurs and creatives have to adapt and sacrifice a bit to continue their craft and that’s okay because let’s all admit that running a creative business is hard! Since then, I am still devoting a “part-time” schedule to my artwork and I am so thankful that during those few days a week I can happily work in my studio. I am more focused than ever, perhaps progressing even more than when I was a full-time nervous wreck. Obviously, my long-term goal would be to return to a full-time art grind, but for now, I adapt and I don’t quit because I’m in it for the long game.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michaelamoffett.com
• Instagram: @moffettstudio. https://www.instagram.com/moffettstudio/
• Facebook: @moffettartstudio.