We were lucky to catch up with Saige Edwards recently and have shared our conversation below.
Saige, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
Generally, yes, I am happy. I live to create, and I believe that art in all its forms and the communities it comes from and creates are what really make life worth living – but unfortunately the society we live in does not cater towards creatives. As an artist and art student, there is always a voice in the back of my head questioning if I am wasting my time or if my efforts will be fruitless no matter how much work I put in, simply because my passion and skills do not offer the same guarantees as, say, those of a mathematician. A few months ago I almost put art on the sidelines and considered switching my sights and major to astronomy – one of my other passions, but not necessarily a field I’d want as a career. I was concerned for my future; financial stability is something everyone wants but is tricky to come by as an artist, so I thought it may be safer to pursue a science. I toyed with the idea for a few weeks. I asked friends and family for advice, researched the stories of other artists and astronomers, and even made a pros and cons list. Ultimately it was a decision between a high risk and high reward and a low risk and low reward, to put it in the simplest of terms. Art is my life, and choosing to pursue anything besides it would go against who I am as a person, but it could lead to a life of uncertainty and hardship. Pursuing astronomy may guarantee me a more stable job and contentment, yet my life would feel incomplete.
I chose art. And believe me, that is not as final a decision as I made it sound: Art is something I chose everyday and will continue to choose everyday as long as it speaks to me, and I think many creatives would agree that it takes constant self-affirmation and growth to continue in this field. Maybe I will have a “regular” job in the future, and making art will no longer be as crucial to my life as it is now. But that is not for me to know. Right now, as I am, I am happier as an artist because it is what I truly fulfills me, and I will take the risk to pursue it further.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am an Arizona-based artist and I specialize in illustration and painting, as well as sewing and jewelry-making. I have been drawing all my life, ever since my parents made the unfortunate decision to give me paints to play with indoors as a toddler. As I grew and decided to pursue art more seriously, I made it a point to draw everyday and try my hand at new skills whenever an opportunity presented itself. Composition, color theory, and anatomy are specific topics I research as I am working my way into the concept art industry, yet I am of the opinion that visual artists should try to learn anything and everything, if anything and everything is what you are trying to draw.
Currently, I work as a commission artist and display my work in exhibitions, and I am also a student in the art school at the University of Arizona. Maintaining communication with clients throughout the commission process is vital to a successful exchange, as it is my job to understand their vision while also predicting issues or accounting for details that may not have come up yet. Commission work has taught me well about asking the right questions to discern how I can best put what is in the client’s brain onto a canvas.
Additionally, I have worked in the art department with several film directors, and I can say that helping bring their visions to life is what makes me the most proud. During one film I worked on, “Pizza Guy Returns”, I found myself making a gigantic portrait of an alien cult leader. I love working with other visionaries, especially when we collaborate on something bizarre. Breaking the typical rules of art and focusing on strange or even taboo subjects interests me greatly, and seeing the crew happy with my work and adding to the integrity of the film meant so much to me.
For my personal work, I am drawn to creating fantastical landscapes. I adore contrasting colors and mixed media, anything that grabs the viewers attention and lets them get something new out of the piece with every look (think Eye Spy books that you would find in a scholastic book fair). Character design is also very prominent in my work, and it is what you will find in most of my sketchbooks and ideations.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Simply put, society recognizing how vital artists are to humanity as a whole is the first step to supporting their livelihood and integrating them into world as not only important, but necessary. For example, think of a bland, concrete-filled suburban city with fast food chains and gas stations on every corner, complete with minimalistic architecture that does not have an ounce of creative input. Compare that to a city with curated architecture and wildlife, with theaters and libraries and studios, one that values both practicality and beauty and how that can influence the mood of the people which live and pass through there. The arts ignite passion, and they are a big part of what brings life to a community.
Once society understands the vitality of artists, they can encourage that influence by facilitating more learning and job opportunities with fair wages, further incorporating the voice of creatives in the planning of events, construction, laws, etc., and holding the arts to the same prestige as sciences and business.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
CaFÉ, EntryThingy, and NYFA are all websites which list exhibition and other artistic opportunities, and provide links to applications. These websites were shown to me by one of my media professors at the University of Arizona. and they have proved to be a great resource for consolidating a wide range of events for beginning and advanced artists. Additionally, I can say that Adobe programs are very useful and are good for working at an industry-standard level, but they do require a subscription.
I also recommend looking into graphic magazines such as Eye or Creative Review for inspiration. Personally, I have the urge to creative and start getting more ideas when I see other creative media, so resources like these can be great for getting out of art block or getting started on a new project!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: gutz.gurl
