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

Nancy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

My art involves using things that people see as unusable. I live in a small community, the Art Colony of the Midwest. As residents got to know me and my art I would find many treasures at my door. No questions asked. I was able to create many lovely and unusual pieces from those things. It helped not only finacially but encouraged me to do what I love.

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

Fun is my favorite word and my art reflects that. I am called many things; upcycler, utilitarian folk artist, recycler, refinisher, painter. But my most favorite is just artist. My work is done almost entirely with found or at least previously loved objects. Making a useful piece of art from something that is no longer being used gives me a sense of saving the world one ice pick, enamel pan, or whatever, at a time. My first memory of what I do was making a dollhouse out of Polaroid boxes. My sisters got the cameras, I wanted the boxes. Thomas Edison said: To invent you need a little imagination and a pile of junk. I certainly have both and I tell people “That is what my brain looks like”.
The goal of my art is to touch the “happy”emotion and the thought that things are not always what they are or what they have been.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

First, everyone is creative. Lawyers have to be creative about how to defend their clients, accountants have to be creative with numbers to make things work sometimes. So I don’t think there are non-creatives. When you are an artist, you can’t not do art. (yes I know this is a double negative) Artist have to do what they are. I know painters with hundreds of paintings. They can’t stop just because they haven’t sold.
Second, art is worth it! So stop buying crap at big box stores and buy just a little original art now and then until you have a collection. It will bring more joy to you than some mass produced piece ever would.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Buy art! People don’t seem to have a problem spending hundreds to watch someone play a game but then turn up their noses at how much a piece of art costs.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: 4th Sister Vintage

Image Credits
Nancy Crocker