We recently connected with Precious Burger and have shared our conversation below.
Precious , appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
For almost 3 decades, I was a proud educator and taught over 15K children! I lived, breathed, and felt everything education! I served on committees, boards, and teams. I led the profession as a union leader, a thought leader, and a trainer for my profession! I spoke at school board hearings, met with state legislators regularly, and even lobbied for 2 years on Capital Hill to give my students and colleagues the voice that was missing from the education conversation.
But in 2015, I became ill and I continued to decline without really knowing what was happening to my body. After what seemed like thousands of tests and doctor appointments, Lupus finally revealed itself in May 2022. My doctor put me out on leave in August of 2022 after much resistance from me but I knew she was right… my health had been steadily declining and it would continue to do so over the coming year. In January of 2023, I was told I needed to retire. At first I fought it, because all I had ever known was teaching, advocating, and serving the families I loved! It was my whole identity… or so I thought.
I prayed to the universe and one day I felt this overwhelming understanding that it was indeed the right thing to do so that I could focus on my health. Something spoke to me that made me feel calm in a mountain of uncertainties… because at 50 I was not old enough to receive my retirement and I had no idea who I might be without teaching.
I took a huge leap of faith and sent in my paperwork in finally. It was a huge lift off of my shoulders and for the first time in a long time I breathed a little more freely. Since retiring, my health has improved some and my way of life is more focused on rest and keeping my health a priority! But my risk-taking didn’t stop there…
Last year I started investing and reinventing myself… I did a training program with a wonderful company, Hay There Social Media, to become a Social Media Manager. I worked with my doctor and soon I was able to work 10 hours a week at home while I continued to try to build my strength and get my health in order. BUT…
At age 51, I am reinventing myself again… this time- as an artist! I have always been an artist but as an art educator… there was simply no time to create or really focus on my art as a business. I never saw myself as a real artist until the pandemic… but it was then I realized the JOY and PEACE I felt each time I painted or created! Even though I love art and wanted to create everyday, life always got in the way. So now I am focusing on building a solid business as a practicing artist!
I had no way of knowing that my health issues would lead to an opportunity to do the thing that brings me so much joy and heals my soul and body! Living a creative life is a risk worth taking… even if I don’t know how it will all turn out!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Strangely I never saw myself as an artist for most of my career as an educator. I somehow thought I couldn’t be a real artist because my art just wasn’t that good. It was during the pandemic that my calling was revealed, but my priority remained with my students until the universe stepped in and slowed us all down and show us where priorities should be! Life has a funny way of opening doors to reveal the magic that exists in all of us, doesn’t it? As an entrepreneur, I work part-time as a social media strategist helping others creatively solve their social media needs. I love taking tons of info, reflecting on and analyzing it, and then encapsulating it into meaningful solutions. I have designed logos, merchandise, flyers, and postcards while also creating strategy for content copy and visuals on social media. I love doing consultative work to help clients learn about the ins and outs of social media!
The other hat I am leaning into as an entrepreneur is that of a practicing artist! I have had this dream since childhood… I mean who doesn’t?! But I was always told that I would be a starving artist with nothing if I focused my career around art. But the last few years, I have really understood that I AM an artist and I am ready to show up authentically!
My work comes from a place of passion and connection to others and the world! I have had so many challenging and at times traumatic life experiences throughout my entire life. I was told early on that what happens in this house stays in this house. So most of my childhood and young adult life I was a very awkward individual. I had the desire to connect with others, the need to ask the hard questions, and the need to express myself. I NEEDED human connection to make sense of the world in the world I was in… and finally in my thirties I found my voice and started to do just that through writing and art. But I kept in hidden for the most part.
My boyfriend, now husband, encouraged me to start creating regularly and share my work in 2017 but it was so scary… I mean honestly, sharing your art and having others judge you is like walking down the street naked. But I eventually started to realize my potential, my true love (other than my husband), and a calling I had ignored most of my years of life!
I don’t have a style per se… I paint intuitively most of the time. I see the world through color so I usually begin with saturated vibrant colors and then respond to the colors and shapes I see in my work. As objects and images begin to emerge I focus on listening and revealing what I see in the work! Rarely do I sit down to create something specific as I once did.
With my health and the last year of my life being so turbulent, I learned a lot about resilience and inner strength! I created a series of paintings called, “Rise Up: a Story of How Struggle and Hope Co-Exist!” It was created intuitively and all six paintings are unique but yet they are unified at the same time. The playlist I made on Spotify last year was the source of inspiration too! I curated my life through songs and imagery, but the stories are universal. Most of us live in a place in between where hope and struggle collide, creating resilience in us!Art is a place we can connect and relate to one another … a place we see ourselves and feel inspired to be who we are, grow, or remember where we have come from. I believe this is where my art comes into play. I create for myself, but also I create for others to help them feel joy, see hope, and be in a place of peace or celebration!
I offer classes for adults now to help them find their playful, curious artist within and soon I will be offering businesses training opportunities using art to build team work, collaboration, creativity, and a more productive workplace environment!
Although it was a long road to here… it feels good to be in a place where I can focus on my health, my art, and still serve others!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I think the biggest lessons, I have had to unlearn are that playing isn’t frivolous, no one’s opinion matters more than your own when it comes to your art, and I am not an imposter!! As creative individuals, we tend to be our own worst critic and judge ourselves so hard but our families, friends, and society don’t always help either!
Play and wonder are key to living a creative life, however when we grow up, most of us no longer play, we compare ourselves to others (what I call the Comparison Creeps), we seek approval from others, and the voices in our heads get pretty loud sometimes. I would be lying if I said I don’t struggle with these from time to time, but I am aware of them more now than ever and shut them down pretty quickly when they rear their ugly heads!
I have always loved to create and come alive when I do so! However, I was not encouraged to pursue a creative field nor did I see it as a viable path for a career. Being an art educator provided me the opportunity to teach what I truly love… but creating art for myself was far and few between for the majority of my career. Life as a teacher definitely got in the way for what I thought was child’s play. I was also the kid who grew up seeking approval from my parents, family members, and teachers. I grew up always feeling less than and inadequate. It carried into my life as an adult until I hit my forties, but then something started to change in me slowly.
I still have people who will say that I will be a starving artist if I continue this path, or maybe I should paint a certain way or lower my prices to craft fair prices to meet others’ expectations. But in my heart, I know that I can and will make this happen for me. I have a voice (a strong one) and someone out there needs the art that I am making because either it brings them joy, peace, or reminds them of something they want or need to cherish. Now that I paint intuitively I feel freer and more creative, I am finding more people who are attracted to my work and connect to it in a whole new way!
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Art impacts and changes lives!
I’ve watched the difference art made in the lives of the children and adults I worked with as an art educator and facilitator for conferences and trainings I led. Art has the power to lift us up, give us peace, and bring us joy in ways that we can only imagine because each person’s journey with art is so different! Creating art helps us work through things, express ourselves, and become more resilient, open-minded, and playful!
I want to help others feel wonder and awe in their life again… and while I love when people respond to my work in a meaningful way, my mission goes beyond sharing my own work. My mission is to empower others to live a more joyful, peaceful, and creative life themselves and connect with others through art and art-making!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.preciousburger.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treehousestudiova/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treehousestudiova
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/precious-burger
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@preciousburgerartist
Image Credits
photos taken by Todd Burger