We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michelle Premer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I have had plenty of “real jobs”- retail, private transport for a mechanic’s shop, even detailing hearses and limos, but being a creative is by far the most peaceful of them all. It’s not just art, the process of starting a piece and working it to it’s end. Each step is a variation of therapy for me, like my gardening or my photography. There’s nothing stopping me from doing things I want to, changing things, experimenting outside of my own limitations. If something doesn’t work out, if a painting doesn’t end up being something I like- I paint over it and start over again! There’s something about being in your own space, music playing, maybe one of my cats is snoozing at my feet, blending colors to make new colors, creating textures on this big blank canvas space… It’s very serene and cathartic. In that time, nothing can bother me. Or I can work out whatever mental demons my brain is tangled with at the time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My artistic nature has always been a part of me. My mom is a fantastic watercolor artist, so art has always been a super strong influence on my life. I was always hanging out with her in her studio at home, or in her weekly art classes she had with others at our home, gallery openings, art guild meetings. I’ve been surrounded by it.

I’ve never honestly done artwork on commission.. I create what I want to create- be it paintings, pieces of artwork on paper… And I post them on my website or any one of the social media platforms I use and sometimes people buy them. I like doing my own things without the expectations of someone else.

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

In July 2019- my husband was involved in a horrible accident while at work. A drunk driver hit the ambulance he was driving (he was a 24 year paramedic at the time), causing the ambulance to roll several times before stopping down deep in a ravine off the side of the road. His partner was able to get out and run back up the hill to flag down emergency crews. He, unfortunately, was severely pinned in. It took crews over 90 minutes to cut him out and transport him to the hospital. While they were working on getting him out- he had someone send a police officer to our home to notify me properly. One of the main things that officer did was remind me to breath. In the subsequent 6 months of hospital stays, physical therapy, surgeries- one main thing everyone kept saying was “Breathe…”
My husband was in this fantastic Rehabilitation hospital in Grand Rapids, Mary Freebed. Their color scheme for the entire place is a graduated run of orange, yellow, and greens. It was stuck in my head. None stop, everything I did was that color scheme. I ended up painting a series of canvases, varying sizes- 7 in total. Each piece is different, but they all circles back to “Breathe” the act of breath as a means to relax and bring your body thru troubled times and heartbreak.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Non-creatives- the general public, whatever the word of the day is for them… They don’t understand that art costs money. My supplies don’t fall from the skies. No imaginary fairy drops of canvases, sketchbooks, paint, and Prismacolor pencils. Do I make my art for me? Absolutely yes. But it all costs money. So when/if I get contacted by a potential client through social media and I quote them… To have them try to dicker me down, or flat out say it’s not worth that much is ridiculous, Creatives like me all over social media post screenshots of people being horrid when they are simply quoted a price.

We put a piece of ourselves into everything we make. This isn’t something made in bulk you can buy at Marshalls or Hobby Lobby or Target. If that’s what you want, please spare us creatives the arguments and unkind words. Being a creative is our chosen profession. You wouldn’t try to down your mechanic into a discount, would you? So why is it okay to do with us?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.workshoots.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InkblotArt

Image Credits

Katlyn Kaat photographer for the artist portrait. All other images are taken by myself.