We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Bonnett recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I’ve spent most of my life wondering if being an artist is the right decision. The concept of turning this hobby into a career was one that was pushed on me before I could really understand what it really meant to be an artist professionally. I grew up hearing, “To not pursue a career in arts would be such a waste of talent.” And as much of a contrarian as I was as a kid, I decided early on that I didn’t want to pursue a career in the arts.

That is until, I realized there was nothing I loved more than creating and inspiring others to create. I have contemplated many times, going to school to become an archeologist, or seeing about becoming a librarian, but I know, deep down that I wouldn’t find the same fulfillment from either of those things that I would from art. I would enjoy them greatly, but I think I would always feel a longing for the feeling of creating.

Art as a career is hard, especially if self-employed. It can be exhausting and many, many tears have been shed in the course of this journey for myself, but I know it’s just because I love it and cherish it in a way I don’t think I’m capable of loving anything else.

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?

My name is Stephanie Bonnètt. I am 27 years old and have been drawing since I can remember. Art was something that was really encouraged by my mom growing up. She too was an artist and I remember looking through her beautiful works as a kid and feeling inspired. The first things that truly inspired me was horses. When I was four my mom got her first horses, and as soon as I developed the dexterity to draw them, that was my happy place. I have the distinct memory of competing with my older sister to see who could draw a more realistic horse. I don’t remember who won, but I remember being really proud of what I created.

It was in 2009 that I really got into art though. I have always been desperately obsessed with the details of people’s faces, and 2009 brought me my very first human muse, Adam Lambert. Through the year or two that I drew him, I found myself obsessing more over the simple act of drawing, than of the muse himself. Art became an outlet like no other. Everyday after school I would be eager to settle down somewhere cozy and neglect my homework to draw. I haven’t really looked back since.

I’m not sure what my purpose is as an artist, but I know that I love what I do, and I hope to inspire others to pursue art, if only a hobby. Art is beautiful and transformative, both internally and externally. It changes us as much as it changes the outside world. It might seem silly, but truly, if only one person can see what I do and feel inspired to leave their mark on the world with art, then I feel I’ve done my job.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

There was a book, called ‘A Giacometti Portrait’ by James Lord, that has been my rock through this journey I’m on. In early 2018 I decided to call off art. I was feeling stagnant and uninspired, and more importantly, that I lacked the skill to create things that meant something. I was struggling with creating anything that wasn’t a simple 1:1 drawing of a reference, and every time I tried to create anything without a reference I felt like a failure. So I had given art up and was dead set on never returning to it again.

However, in late 2019, nearly two years later, I picked up this book, through a series of events that felt like fate in hindsight, and it absolutely changed my perspective on creating and art. The book is about the author, James Lord, sitting for a portrait by the great Alberto Giacometti and Lord reflects on the oddities of Giacometti’s work process. And throughout reading it, I found myself, my own thoughts and feelings, reflected in the way Giacometti thought of his own work, his own struggles. And I realized, that it wasn’t me that was a broken artist, it was simply a part of being a creative. And knowing that someone as skilled and remarkable as Giacometti struggled with the same things that I did, really brought me back to earth and inspired me to try again. And if I failed, I would be failing like Giacometti…and that wasn’t so bad.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As my skillset is growing and I’m finding myself more capable in my craft, I’ve found the most fulfilling thing is to be able to speak when words don’t cut it. Sometimes I’m feeling something or thinking something, and I can put it on paper (or ipad) and looking at it back, is like a time capsule of that feeling. Crammed into a piece of art can be a multitude of feelings or the breath of a story. I can look back at many pieces I’ve done and be transported to the moment that inspired it that ability to evoke in myself such emotion is really special to me. I would love to be able to evoke the same emotions in others that viewed my work, and I’m eager to continue to learn and grow and perhaps achieve that one day. And that in and of itself is so rewarding. Knowing that I have this little power in me that can be used to say something and evoke feelings deep inside, and it’s always growing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephaniegbonnett
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/stephaniegbonnett

Image Credits

Stephanie Bonnètt