We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Susan Krause. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Susan below.

Susan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

RISK VS FEAR

Risk-taking is an inherent aspect of being an artist. However, identifying the appropriate challenges to pursue can be difficult, particularly when fear plays a significant role.

As a professional art educator for over 35 years, I have successfully created and taught innovative art education at a large institution. Despite this success, I realized after many years that I could continue to gallop up and over the cliffs of burn out quite rapidly, which prompted feelings of uneasiness and uncertainty at defining a new life plan. Teaching art education provides stability for many individuals, yet it can also discourage us from embracing personal opportunities to take healthy risks. During Covid I found myself asking the difficult questions about the future as many of us did during that time. I knew it was time for a change.
Typically, alumni seek recommendations and employment connections, and I strive to facilitate these connections whenever possible. However, this particular time, I felt compelled to recommend myself.
One afternoon, a former student contacted me with an inquiry regarding interest in teaching a figurative sculpture class in the evening at Cherrylion Studios, a success private studio in Atlanta owned by figurative sculptor Martin Dawe. With 20 years of experience offering studio classes to a robust clientele, Cherrylion Studios was seeking an instructor. Upon hearing the description, I instinctively knew that this was a path I needed to pursue. It was not necessarily a step up professionally or part of a calculated plan; rather, it felt like the logical next step at the time. The RIGHT STEP. What I began to realize was that it wasn’t that I needed to make a complete change of career but rather that I needed to take the risk to mentor a different demographic that I felt I could help generate a connection to creativity for, as well as for myself. I had no idea then how that would direct my life.
Coming from an academic background, it was logical for me to seek opportunities to develop additional classes related to my expertise and the studio. I was fortunate to have the wonderful support of Marty behind me in this endeavor. Based on the interest I observed among students over the years, I began teaching workshops while continuing to offer the figurative clay classes that had been provided for decades at Cherrylion. As the studio moved to a new location, it became evident that a larger space would be more suitable for teaching additional classes. Although I had never considered opening a teaching space of my own, it emerged as a sensible decision given the circumstances.
Without the incredible encouragement, mentorship, and support from Cherrylion, I would not have contemplated the risk of establishing my own teaching studio. If someone had suggested a year ago that I would be opening a studio, I would have shook my head and crossed my arms. However, now, a year later, I am pleased to report that Blue Merle Studios is thriving in its five-month infancy. I continue to teach the legacy class at Cherrylion on Thursday evenings, thereby maintaining the longest-standing clay figure modeling course in Atlanta.
Small risks can sometimes develop into significant plans. Being surrounded by individuals who recognize our potential and help us differentiate between actual obstacles and imaginary fears can improve our ability to handle risk situations effectively.

As I begin my new journey, I acknowledge a sense of nostalgia not for things confined to the past, but for applying past experiences in a different manner in the future. This unexpected risk has brought a renewed perspective and a sense of adventure I had not expected. All I have to know right now is that this is the RIGHT STEP moving forward.

Susan, 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?

Susan Krause is a 35 year award winning art educator who’s true passion lies in facilitating access to the magic of creative experiences for everyone that are truly life enhancing.

Susan holds an MFA from Yale University and has taught consistently on the college level from freshmen to graduate students for over 25 years. She was the Chair of sculpture for SCAD for over a decade and has held 100’s of diverse, fun, skill and career building workshops, talks, critiques and demonstrations all over the world for those with and without art experience.
Her “nuts and bolts” in teaching ranges from formal principles and techniques in sculpture, drawing and design to graduate level art theory.
Some of her ninja skills also include portfolio preparation and coaching for college admission for both undergraduates and graduate students. As well as, annual personal development training for art educators.

At her new venture Blue Merle Studio, they offer a range of 8-week instructional courses in drawing, painting and sculpture with extra studio time included. They also conduct a variety of workshops, unusual drawing sessions and events that support deeper formal comprehension on a regular basis and understand that creative development is not linear but rather a mixture of seemingly incoherent elements that each individual artist can utilize for their own specific artistic journey. It is the studio’s strong belief that creativity is fostered in a positive environment, where making mistakes and letting go of the stress of everyday life is a special time to recharge and reconnect with oneself.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think for many of us we think that our involvement in art starts with our own creativity. Yes, I too love to create, but what I truly find rewarding throughout my career is the connection that I have made with incredible people and their personal journeys. I know what learning and creativity does for me and I feel it is something more, that enriches our lives in ways that we can’t really verbally describe.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At 60 I’m very excited about starting my own business… strangely.
I guess I’ve always been a bit of a late bloomer, and this is an opportunity for me to provide a creative outlet in ways that I feel are the most beneficial to a general population who would like to learn different techniques and express themselves. When we think about our childhoods and our most creative times, they do bring joy to us, and to be able to facilitate that to an adult audience in the hectic times that we live in is my goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bluemerlestudio.com
• Instagram: Bluemerlestudios