We were lucky to catch up with Rae Cerulean recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rae, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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.
Honestly, just deciding to be in a creative field felt like a huge risk to me. When I graduated high school I didn’t think it was possible for me to be a full time creative. Music and art were a huge part of my life from a young age but I was discouraged to pursue this professionally. So, I went to college to major in Nutritional Biochemistry with the goal of becoming a doctor and pursuing creativity in my free time. Three years into my degree, I didn’t have time to create or even be in the school orchestra due to my busy class schedule. I was miserable. I was overtaken by mental illness. I spent so much of my time fantasizing about pursuing a creative career. Come March of my Junior year I took the risk; I withdrew from college with no real plan except to heal my mind and find a path in life I would enjoy. Six months later I was interning at a Talent Agency in New York City and soon after I enrolled at Hofstra University to study Music Business. At Hofstra, I started getting hired for on campus performances, and soon after, off campus performances. I began building a private music studio and discovered my love for music education. I couldn’t believe people were paying me to perform music and teach music. After my undergrad I was accepted with almost a full ride into a Graduate Artist Diploma Program in Viola Performance. But, within about 2 months into my first semester, COVID-19 shut down the world and my performance program was moved online. I began teaching via zoom but nonetheless lost a significant number of students. With all this new found time on my hands and my emotions on an all time high, I threw myself into making art and started sharing my work on instagram. After about a month of sharing my artwork, a friend commissioned me to make a piece for her. Soon, other friends and family began asking for commissions or to purchase prints of existing artwork, then friends of friends, and eventually complete strangers. With performances, and in person lessons indefinitely on pause, I decided to take a chance in the visual art world. I never thought in a million years someone who isn’t a friend or family member would want to look at my artwork, let alone purchase a piece of art I made. So, I took another risk and ended my Diploma Program a year early and received a Graduate Performers Certificate instead. I was ready to just dive in and carve my unique own path in the creative world. I got a part time job as a nanny to provide a steady income and worked hard to market my artwork, sell at local events, build my private music studio, and once in person performances came back, applying to gigs. Now, 3 years later, I work full time in creative fields as an artist, musician, and music educator.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a freelance artist, violist and violinist, and a private music teacher. My various artistic styles developed through the lifelong discovery of my queer and trans identity and struggles with mental illnesses. I use art and music as a way to regulate my emotions and uncover intricate details about myself. I try to reject the idea of perfection by beginning most pieces without a plan and letting my emotions guide the process. I use mediums freely in non-traditional ways, crumbling and smashing pastels, exploding paint pens then smearing the mess with my fingers, and haphazardly moving between mediums to create a plethora of textures.
As a musician, I also love using music to inspire my artwork. I sing and dance along to songs or simply improvise while simultaneously marking the page, switching mediums or colors based on rhythm, lyrics, or whenever it feels ‘right.’ As a violist and violinist, I frequently gig throughout Long Island and NYC performing in solo, chamber, and theatrical settings. I enjoy exploring a wide variety of genres and constantly experimenting with new techniques. Running a private music studio teaching violin, viola, cello, and piano is so important to me. Creating a supportive and fun environment for aspiring musicians to learn is so healing for my inner child and I love helping to build all of my student’s confidence, self awareness, and unique musical voices.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Show up for living artists, especially those in your local community. We need people to support and care about the arts and not just in monetary ways. Tell your friends about a local artist you found displaying at a coffee shop. Fight for music and art education to stay in schools and be appropriately funded. Follow artists on socials and engage with their content. When you see a mural on the side of the building that you like, take the time to find the artist’s information and look them up. If you hear a song in a tv show that resonates with you, add it to your playlist or share it with your friends. Attend local art markets and open mic nights and speak with the artists whose work you enjoyed – tell them what stood out to you or that their work inspired you to go home and make art of your own. Creativity fuels our world and we need non-creatives to value our work just as much as the world values other career paths.
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?
Artists don’t make art because we want money. We make art because we need to. If I didn’t create, the world would be unbearable. Over my years of working in the creative world, my income has increased but my feeling of success has not really budged. If anything, the more money I make from my creative pursuits, the more I question my authenticity in my actions. My success as a creative cannot be defined by the amount of money I make, and money cannot, and is not the reason I create.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rae.cerulean
- Other: Tik Tok: @rae.cerulean
Image Credits
Danielle Sheridan
Colored Colors
The Mood Fits