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

Alright, Nila Jane thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

For most of my 30 years teaching art in a public school setting I ached to be a full time artist, to be able to quit my full-time job and just do art everyday, all day. I didn’t realize how valuable the life lessons I learned as a school teacher would be to my future full-time art career. Teaching Art taught me art. Anything I wanted to teach my students, anything at all I wanted to learn was at my fingertips. If I wanted to learn how to create a beautiful stained glass window for example, all I had to do was buy the supplies with school monies, and teach myself as I taught my students. What you teach, you learn, better than any of your students! So the list is long of the art applications I was able to teach and learn. About 14 years before I would be ready to retire I began focusing on what it meant to be an entrepreneur, and how to market my artwork. And yes, I taught my students what I was learning. I took workshops, classes at the University, and read a lot of books and blogs. The art world is huge, and the avenues you can take are so varied.
Painfully, one of the University classes I took asked us to share our business card. Yes! I had one, so I passed it around. The critique was this: “You appear to be a master of all sorts of mediums, you must choose one, and focus.” I still rebel against that concept, I love all types of art, and love to experiment and try new stuff all the time. But I have decided to be an Oil Painter above all else, and spend my precious time painting with oils, although my subject matter is still varied, I especially love to paint flowers.
Sunny St. George housed an event for Utah Art teachers called ‘Art in the Utah Sun’ yearly in February. Yep, it’s a lot warmer there than here. I joined a group that went to ‘Snow Canyon’ and painted on location, ‘en plain aire’. There I had a conversation with another artist I had met at a marketing workshop. Our conversation started with me lamenting that she was a full-time artist and she was so lucky. She touched my arm, “Oh, honey, you have the very best of both worlds. You have a steady income, you are immersed in the Art world and you get to talk about art all day long.” My attitude immediately switched. “Oh, I never looked at it that way!”

Covid threw my teaching style out the window. I felt like a brand new teacher…and since I had my 30 years in, I decided it was time to start living my dream, and truly be a full-time artist. Wheee!

My point is…it’s all about attitude and perspective. Learn all you can in every life situation. No matter how hard or unpleasant, make it a learning experience and be grateful.

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

Eternal Oils ~ by Jane is my business name. Yes, sometimes people read it fast and think I sell essential oils…but not so. Oil Paint has an eternal quality, and always will. I want to express, through Artwork, my awareness of a higher power, and the belief that we can all be spectacular, if we will just look up. Prayer and meditation is a huge part of my business. I desire that every painting I put out there in the world will bless all of humanity, and the individual soul, because we are all divine and it’s time we start acting like it! I want the images I create to bring peace, joy and beauty to those who surround themselves with my work. Underlying all my success is my belief in God, and that I am divine and have a divine destiny, and specific assignments I accepted before coming to this earth. My spiritual foundation permeates all I do. Sometimes I look at all the knowledge I do not yet have, and feel overwhelmed. I want to learn it all. Breath deeply, and repeat “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, one at a time.” That’s my Mantra. As an artist, I am a ‘Beauty Hunter’, finding my way in this world in which we are all interconnected, woven together with the heavens and the earth, the flowers, and all that lies between.  I feel I need more than just this one lifetime to explore all that is before me as an artist.

In addition to many other hats and hobbies, I love being a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a musician. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a balanced life. It’s controlled chaos all around me and inside of me. Sometimes chaos reigns, then control must step up to the plate. Focusing on a painting, one at a time, allows me to enter the art zone, calming the inner chaos.

Gratitude for and faith in an amazing support structure grounds me.

There is great peace in realizing that chaos is inevitable, and within is always an assurance that what I’m trying to express is crucial, ‘A Visual Love Letter to the World’, and must be expressed.

A ‘Beauty Hunter’ and ‘Old Fashioned’, these are terms my colleagues have assigned to me, and I embrace them. In standing apart as an Artist, I refuse the modern search to say something weird and new, and long to embolden and emblazon the values and morals of the past deeply into the core of my artwork. Learning from the great masters of the past has taught me reverence and respect for the entire art process. Acute observation and patience has been a direct result of studying the Masters.

I am a happy painter. There is nowhere I’d rather be than in the middle of a painting. I paint in Oils, mostly. I also teach art in my home and hope to pass on the legacy I have been given.

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?

Do you consider yourself a non-creative? I want to share something I learned from John Pontius. He’s a writer for whom I have the utmost respect and confidence. He teaches that we each have 3 voices in our head. 1: A dark voice that tells us we’re not good enough. It screams and yells. It demands our attention, even uses eloquent language and false promises,
2: that simple, sweet voice of light that whispers and never forces any issue, (I call it the light of Christ, every person born to this earth gets this precious light)
3: and our own voice. Our own voice typically asks questions. The other 2 offer answers. It’s our job to sort out the voices and chose which one to follow.

I believe in the very depths of my heart that we are all born to be creative. It is the very core of our soul. Perhaps you’re not interested in painting a pretty picture, or sculpting an enormous masterpiece to adorn your city square, but consider how inventive you are as you problem solve…your problems or the problems of those you love. Consider the way you keep house, or your garden, or the way you manage your financial challenges. There is room in this vast Earth for every creative thing anyone does. Creativity is problem solving. I chose to give myself a set of problems involving paint and canvas, and then marketing my efforts.
Find someone who needs help, and your creative juices will flow as you brainstorm and search for solutions. The world needs your creativity. Be brave! If it’s art you want to be creative with, find an art teacher, or just start. If you want to write, just go do it. There’s room for everyone’s contribution in this big beautiful world.

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

Transcendent beauty surrounds me. Power to create music and art, and the opportunity to share both. 10,000 hours of music practice, and 10,000 hours of miles on my brush. And more. I must conquer the inner self before the outer self can shine. There’s always more to learn and the opportunity to become better with each passing day, hour, minute. Knowing that everything I do, whether it’s to care for my people, or myself, if I’m creating, painting, struggling with a drawing, managing to fit in a power nap, learning how to go about my day with faith, consecrating all that I have and are to bless and build up people and helping other people along their way, all these aspects of life empower me.

People. People are my favorite creation. Well, and flowers. The purpose of flowers is to convey God’s love for people. He gives flowers to everyone. and so do I. I may be a ‘Beauty Hunter’, but even more I am a ‘Beauty Sharer’. The more gratitude and beauty I surround myself with the more power I possess to create happiness all around me. Am I naive? Do I live with my head buried in the sand? Yep! by choice. My power is my knowledge that I am beloved. I surround myself with beauty and joy that makes hard times bearable, and good times utterly delightful.

Contact Info:

• Website: nilajaneautry.com
• Instagram: @nila_jane_autry
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EternalOilsbyJane/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzmEA2eexsw

Image Credits
April Gailey took the personal photo.