We were lucky to catch up with Rebekah Lanier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rebekah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

In college I had started drawing and painting again as just a hobby. I realized it was important for my happiness to maintain a creative practice. I was a part of a club that was fundraising, and I offered to paint a couple postcard-sized watercolors we could make prints of. I didn’t make any money off of them, but they turned out to be very popular. My art ended up being a large portion of the funds we raised. I had no idea my art was desirable like that. It was a really eye opening and encouraging experience for me that definitely led to me taking the leap in deciding to sell my work.

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

I am an oil painter living in Dallas, Texas. I have been drawing and painting my entire life. Until about 16 years old I was certain I would become a painter, but I changed my mind to follow a path that I believed was more responsible. Four years later, after studying neuroscience, international development, and environmental science at The Ohio State University I could not resist my initial calling anymore. I rededicated myself to becoming an artist. In the last few years, I have been called to paint myself more and more as I learn to confront and be at peace with who I am. At first, this process was very uncomfortable. I would dive into emotions I felt were intolerable and be forced to sit and face them as the image became more clear to me. Through this process, I have noticed a progression in my work where the expressions have become more neutral. The highs and lows have shifted to contentment. As well, the gaze of the figure has shifted from hiding to confronting the viewer. My more recent works look directly out of the painting. I have grown to be less fearful of myself through this process and accept the tides of emotion with peace and patience. In such a fast-moving world where we are constantly fed new information and stimuli through media, my paintings offer me and the viewer a slow contemplation. It is necessary to sit with the discomfort within ourselves and find out what it is trying to tell us.
I enjoy painting other women in my life and collaborating with their energies to express their relationship with themselves and their feelings. Because of this, my work has naturally fallen into an exploration of femininity and the magic women possess. Surrounding myself with women has strengthened my creative practice. Lately, I write poetry to complement my work and continue to find themes of nature permeating my art: Nurturing, growing, and blooming.
Although I draw with a realistic hand, my use of color is metaphorical. Deep and bright colors have shifted into neutrals and pastels. Yellows, pinks, and oranges warm my current work. I pick colors intuitively and with little understanding. Often, months or even years later I will understand my choices with more clarity. I see my work as visual poetry. It is created for me and my exploration of life. I share it with the world with the hope that it is seen fully and that others may see themselves in it.
My work can be viewed and purchased from my website or through Instagram.

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

I am always trying to get closer to a central truth in my life and my art. So in my creative practice, I aim to show up and remove all my masks. I approach my canvas raw and unfiltered so that when I am finished I have been stripped down to some pure part of myself. Then I can step back and look at what I was carrying inside me, acknowledge it, and perhaps let it go. It’s like a cleansing ritual or a meditation. I am constantly shedding myself. It takes a lot of trust in myself to surrender to my art like this. I fool myself into thinking that I won’t ever share it. However, I find that the more intimate paintings that I am afraid of sharing are the ones that move people the most. I want others to become more intimate with themselves. I think the world would be a better place if people were able to be honest and comfortable with themselves.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Honestly, being an artist has opened me up to meeting a ton of really cool and creative people. Once I claimed my identity as an artist, I began to attract others with such unique visions and perspectives. You get to meet so many characters. Becoming comfortable sharing my art with the world has invited those around me to open up as well. That has been such a cool transformation I have had the honor of witnessing. I used to have a pretty melancholic idea about the world and people, but I have really witnessed the beauty of humanity through my artistic journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebekahlanier.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebekahlanierart/

Image Credits
Kyra Ten Brink