We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Christine Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel Christine, 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?

Actually, I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live in a world that acknowledged that it is a “real job,” and a very necessary one at that. A world that was nurturing and encouraging and supportive of artists. You do have to be a very particular person, that has a vision and is tenacious enough to stick with it and think outside of the limited “starving artist” and other stereotypical boxes. Being an artist, to me, is nurturing the soul aspect of life that ultimately runs through everyone’s veins — whether they’re appreciating a painting, watching a movie, experiencing a deep, profound emotion, or reading a book. Art is really life, expressed and shared. It’s glue connecting us together in our experiences. It mirrors to us what we are.. I am absolutely happy and honored to live as an artist and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rachel Christine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Well, some back story about me: I’m originally from Kansas City, Missouri and the biggest thing that got me into art was my aunt Patty, who passed away when I was 12, but she was an amazing artist who mainly worked in watercolor. Walking into her house – her walls were painted like a Pissarro or Monet, hand painted details on the stove, furniture, floors, windows. This made a huge impression on me. I’d started going to therapy shortly after college and had dreams of painting on the walls of houses – like my aunt. One day my therapist asked me, when are you going to start doing your art? I, of course, had no idea what she was talking about.

When I really owned that I was an artist, it felt audacious to come out with it, like I chose it and it was the worst possible life choice but it put me through a mental ringer that ultimately made it completely clear to me that I had no other choice – and there’s no looking back now.

As far as what I do: I do a lot of encaustic, some acrylic, and some mixed media. My process is somewhat meditative and mostly responding in the moment without a plan- intuitive painting. Which sometimes my clients can’t believe – I have them do a lot of things that requires letting go of control. For me, sticking with the intuitive process has been my biggest teacher, and I like to hold space for others to explore that as well in my private art therapy practice (I am a registered Art Therapist (ATR) and intuitive coach). Art can hold space for anything — any emotion, any expression. The process has really developed me as a person – by demadning I find a sense of my own voice, my own self, by making one small choice after the other. That’s the big thing with painting abstract – you have no one or thing telling you what shapes, colors, or where to put it down, no form to guide you. You just have to make it all up from square one, which takes some inner coaching and practice to do consistently, especially when you’re not used to that much freedom to decide. One abstract piece might be easy, but make them over and over and over and you’ll see what I mean. You have to develop a relationship with your inner well or inner source of knowing and in large part my art practice completely mirrors my relationship to myself, my securities or insecurites, etc. Since day one I’ve thought, art has taught me more about life than anything else. I can’t get away from myself or hide, with my art.

What I have to offer others is really simple: it’s presence. Whether its expressed through painting or sitting with you in a room (art therapy/coaching). My practice is continuously returning back home to myself. The present moment has everything, and is the only place I’ll find anything I’m looking for and is the line of thinking I guide my clients with.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Society or individuals can come to an acceptance that there are humans that are born this way – as artists – and knowing that it is just as important as any other human aspect of identity or field of work. It’s unhelpful to perpetuate the starving artist myth. So, I suppose instead of denying art as a valid way of making a living, being more encouraging to the human soul who identifies as an artist, knowing that their LIFE is about innovation (not just making paintings). Perhaps changing the expectations of a living artist into something positive could be a first step. I think as “society” becomes more conscious artists will have no problem thriving. And that is an inner job just as much as it is societal.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Good question. I think, art is what connects me to my own humanity. It keeps me on track — because I want so much to flow with it, I have to find alignment with myself to even be able to do it (or do it satisfactorily). My mission is to live a good life, one that’s rich and deep in meaning, and art is the chaperone and vehicle to that. So my goal is to continue to follow the yellow brick road, so to speak. Or I think the road would need *some* hot pink if I’m gonna follow it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @rachelnelsonuncurated
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelNelsonArt/

Image Credits

The primary photo (image of me with hands in front of it) is taken by Janny Taylor.