We recently connected with Sophie Ruiz and have shared our conversation below.
Sophie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
“Extensions of My Heart” is how I often refer to my work. Working with my hands has been a primal need ever since I was young. My mother loves gardening; and as a young child, I would spend hours playing in the soil while she tended to the plants. These hours of silence and communion with nature evolved into a strong relationship as I grew older. I channel nature when I’m creating, and for me, this is the most meaningful expression of love. A sense of purity, honesty, and authenticity. A deep inner knowing of my truth. When my heart is open and present, I’m able to manifest meaningful creations. When my mind is distracted or the intent isn’t genuine, the projects are much less meaningful and less engaging. There has been plenty of times in my creative endeavors where I’ve taken on projects and orders that weren’t aligned with my authentic self. It becomes obvious when there’s a lack of alignment when you feel forced to do the work. Sometimes pushing past this can accelerate personal growth, and other times, it’s best to move forward and kindly find work somewhere else. I’ve been really tapping into my inner child with this new handbuilt work — Creating primal, abstract animals without any design planning, just intuitive play. It’s been rejuvenating and close to my heart.
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 feel such gratitude for where I was raised and how it has informed who I am today. Growing up in Encinitas, California, I had access to beautiful beaches, piñon pine forests, and the vast, quiet deserts. Nature has been my focus for as long as I can remember. For many years of my life, I studied Photography as it was my primary medium of self expression. I always had this deep interest and fascination with clay but it wasn’t until 2017 when I gifted myself open studio time at a local ceramic community studio. I dove head first into the not-so-glamorous world of ceramics (although Instagram makes it look very glamorous). From there on, I have been consistent with returning to clay as my favorite way to feel, express, and create. I studied Visual Arts at CSU San Marcos and am almost complete with my Master of Arts in Education at San Diego State University. I am an art educator and am passionate about sharing my love for art with others, especially the youth. I teach art at a public high school and feel gratitude to share that creative space with students. As for my creative work, I continuously create functional vessels (cups, mugs, bowls, plates, vases, etc) alongside my ever-evolving sculptural work.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
There is not an external goal driving my creative journey. My mission is very internal, emotional, and close to heart. As I embark on each of my creative endeavors, big or small, I feel closer to my authentic self and more able to express my inner world. My work might be strange, abstract shapes and funky animals, but to me, it’s perfect. Art heals and creative thinking encourages new thought patterns. It’s truly an experiment to be open to where the work wants to go, and how to not get in the way. It’s about showing up fully and exploring my inner landscape. This quote from my favorite book resonates with this topic– “Art is choosing to do something skillfully, caring about the details, bringing all of yourself to make the finest work you can. It’s beyond ego, vanity, self-glorification, and need for approval” – Rick Rubin, The Creative Act (2023).
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a creative is purely the simple ability to express myself and finding healing through art. It’s about having that creative release, self-expression, coping mechanism, and a peace within when I’m able to create. I may not be able to create my exact vision, but there is something so engaging and mesmerizing about the creative process itself. To be able to hold a vision and physically create it is an innate, magical power that humans have. One more extremely rewarding aspect of being an artist is to connect with other artist and share this “thing” — the need to create, the universal understanding of expression. It’s beautiful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sophieruiz.com
- Instagram: @sophie__ruiz