We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reven Marie Swanson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reven Marie below.
Reven Marie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
I was working as a Creative Director for a cable company located in the Cherry Creek district. My dad invited me to join him for lunch. He pulled out a napkin and wrote in black ink, “Always pay yourself first.” That advice has stuck with me throughout my career.
On that day, I opened an account with Janus Funds. I set up an automatic monthly draw. I was 27-years-old at the time. I still continue the same monthly draw now that I’m in my 50’s.
As my artistic career grew, earnings and commissions blossomed. I kept the practice of paying myself first with every bit of income. I skimmed 10-40% of the proceeds to a savings account. When the account grew, I paid off my house, cars and loans to purchase studio equipment.
It’s essential to a creative lifestyle that there be security emotionally and financially. Not having a mortgage or rent due provides stability and a tremendous amount of freedom.
Reven Marie, 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 am a native Coloradan and professional sculptor following graduation from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1988. My first introduction to sculpture was working with Madeline Weiner at the Arts Student League. I chased a career as stone carver to live Italy for a year. In 1993, I apprenticed to the monumental sculptor, Robert Mangold, assisting with sculptures for the Chicago Pier Walk and The Whitehouse. He introduced the world of metal arts and kinetic sculptures.
I create one-of-a-kind contemporary works in metal and glass. The public art sculpture holds a high regard for site, community and local culture.
Highlighted commissions are throughout the Rocky Mountain region and the West including the Trust for Public Lands, National Endowment for the Arts and the Museum of Outdoor Arts. The newest and largest commission is located in Lakewood’s Lamar Station Crossing, funded by 40West Arts District and MetroWest Housing Solutions.
Growing up in a rural Colorado setting, as a young girl, I built forts in ditches, swung on the backs of wild ponies and chased lizards with my sister, Channing. It was a childhood experience that ran closely with the rhythms of the Natural World. The sculptures inspire peeping through a colorful canopy, gazing at a prairie moon or marveling at a mountainous horizon. Using kinetic motion, the work invites us to observe the invisible wind currents. For me, creating sculpture is like “leaving pieces of sunshine where ever I go”.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
To share my story with other creatives, I think it’s a travesty to ignore the role of anxiety. It plays a role in an artist’s success and failure. Anxiety, a key moment that either propels an artist forward or sabotages leading to a catatonic state.
You can’t be blind to all the failed proposals or rejection letters. There’s no accounting for the results of an art committee’s recommendation. Sometimes they are as predictable as earthquakes. It’s a easier to accept those rejections because they are impersonal.
Anxiety that comes from taking risks to create something that has never existing before — something new that has to take life beyond your studio walls — is the most challenging. I sometimes lay awake at night with thoughts turning into a mental tornado. They are so intense it manifests into my health and relationships.
The advice and lesson I have learned is to rest. Give space between the thoughts using breath. You have to imagine you’re the sky. The sky is the sky, in that you are a creative being. If a storm passes, tornadoes drop and hurricanes wreak havoc, you are still the sky. Let anxiety be a part of the process. It too will pass.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The practice of Mindfulness creates a space between moments and responses. Three years ago I started working with a therapist from SonderMind, Todd Brossart. Together we sort through the intricacies of being a creative in context of a modern world with its expectations. Throughout our tenure, I have read “Comfortable with Uncertainty” by Pema Chodron and a host of recommended material by Mr. Brossart. Mindfulness and he fosters the development of tools to be more open and willing to live a meaningful life.
Being Mindful isn’t a religious act or a “feel good” attempt to be positive. In fact, it allows the opportunity for observation and slows the moment to a digestible portion. If anything, it has taught me to be kind to myself. If I am kind to myself, it gives me more steadfastness. It helps to navigate the complexity of art commissions and clients by morphing them into opportunities and greater understanding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.revenswanson.com
- Instagram: revenmarie
- Facebook: Reven Marie Swanson
Image Credits
Photographer: Robert Alexander Mutch