We recently connected with Stephanie Kirkland and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Stephanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I spent 10 years building a career in communications. As I moved up in my organization, my role became increasingly revered and more lucrative. And yet, something was missing. Most people might “stick it out” and finish the career they started, but I chose a different path. I took a risk and decided to take a step back from building that career, and instead I followed the path that my heart had always called me—art. It can seem risky to change careers mid-way through and to pursue something as fluid and unexpected like art instead. But the risk was absolutely worth it for me. Deep down, I have always been a creative. My deepest calling is expression and reflecting human experience and wisdom through art, whether that’s through writing or painting. It feels good to finally be on my own path, however “risky” and unusual it may be.

Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As an artist, I’m an abstract expressionist, which means that my work is rooted in emotion and the use of color and abstract brushstrokes to convey mood and experience. My paintings, prints, commissions, and murals are all outdoor inspired and informed by the many miles I’ve hiked in remote places across the globe. I’m interested in nature as metaphor and using outdoor-inspired color palettes, textures, and compositions to communicate feeling and experience. My paintings often explores themes of authenticity, imperfection, and finding beauty in challenge.

My writing is similarly expressive and rooted in honesty though in a different medium. I write mostly essays (though I’m also working on a novel) using storytelling and vivid prose to communicate deep, unexpected, and universal messages about life. Currently, I share my essays through Substack (stephaniekirkland.substack.com) and dream of publishing multiple books.

What I love most about writing is how accessible it is. While a painting may cost thousands of dollars because of the materials and other costs associated with being an artist, writing requires time and paper…. that’s it. And anyone can afford a $15 book or subscribing to essays for the cost of a latte on a blog—and that book or those essays can change your life. That’s how I see my role as a writer and an artist—I’m here to reflect back your experience, your deepest desires, and your values, and my work is here to give you permission and courage to follow your gut, take risks, and bet on yourself.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think we can all be more intentional about the companies, people, items, and organizations that we invest in. It’s easy to make a quick purchase (or dozens of quick purchases) through big-box stores and retail giants like Amazon or Target (which, because of their business practices and prioritization of efficiency, allow them to offer countless goods at low prices). It’s much harder and takes more thought and intention to invest in a $2,000 original painting—but that decision is truly that, an investment. An investment in the vision. An investment in the artist to be able to continue to share their message and create more work. An investment in mutually shared values that you want to see spread. An investment in humane labor practices, environmental sustainability, thoughtfulness, intention, and care. Artists need investing in—because artists can’t survive without financial stability and the time and space to create more work. And we need their work, because it’s artists who give life beauty and who move humanity forward.

We would all have a much greater capacity to invest in independent artists if we paused and reminded ourselves of these things, if we paused to consider the impact of our decisions, and if we decided to invest in fewer but higher-quality and more meaningful things.

Artists and creatives thrive when our work is seen as MORE valuable and better investments than those quick and easy, instant-gratification wins. Artist and creatives thrive when we invest in them, both financially and through spreading their message and work in our networks. Artists and creatives thrive when we don’t just say that they matter, but we SHOW them that they matter.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

People rarely show the “lowlights” on social media, but rest assured—everyone has plenty. I can think of countless art shows where I sold nothing, or they felt like a total bust and waste of time, or times when I got rejected from something I really wanted… the list goes on. One art show in particular stands out. It was one of my very first, from 2018, my first full year in business, and for all intents and purposes, it made me feel like a failure. I left the show in a heap of tears wondering what was the point. I look back at that newbie artist and smile at so many things. She would learn so much in the years to come.⁣

Two years later, I had a solo show in a gallery in my hometown, and at the show’s opening, I reconnected with a woman who I had met at that early show two years prior. We hadn’t seen each other or spoken since then, but she came to my solo exhibit with her husband (because she had joined my email newsletter two years prior), and they left as the proud new owners of one of my newest paintings.

And I can’t help but think: What if I had never met her at that early show? What if I had crumbled beneath that pile of tears and given up? Well, she never would have been there. I never would have been there.⁣

Life is so funny and surreal at times. Something you think was a failure often leads to some of your greatest successes. You just have to keep going and be patient.⁣

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephaniekirklandart.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/stephaniekirklandart
• Facebook: facebook.com/stephaniekirklandart
• Other: stephaniekirkland.substack.com

Image Credits
MKC Photography