Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rachel Gardner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
For as long as I can remember, I was always creating and loved to do so. However, I was a highly competitive soccer player for much of my life and most of my time and energy was doing that. When I was in college, I started taking art classes and falling in love with the creative process more and more. During that time, I had a bad injury that ended my college soccer career. By my senior year of college, my passion and focus shifted from soccer to art. From that point on, I knew I wanted to pursue art as a career.
Rachel, 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?
I consider myself a mixed media artist. I work through both 2D and 3D forms with various materials. I have devoted my art to the exploration of wild nature and the cycles of life that connect our human lives to our natural world. It is my goal to create scenes that connect myself and the viewer to something greater than themselves.
I am also a college art professor at Houston Christian University. I teach a variety of classes, but one I believe is most important is called Gallery and Museum Practices. Through this class, it is my goal is help artists understand the business side of art. I always share with them that the number one thing for them to do is to create their work. The second most important thing for them to do is to learn and understand the business.
I love the balance between making my work and helping others find their own creative voice.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that we get to create things that didn’t exist before make them. I love that there are no rules when it comes to creating and that as an artist we get to share our own unique story through our work.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal in creating my art is to connect with others and ultimately something greater than myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachelgardnerart.com
- Instagram: rgardner87
- Facebook: Rachel Schwind Gardner
Image Credits
Photo provided by the artist