We recently connected with Susie Zol and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Susie, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

I was a business owner so there were many lessons I had to learn in order to succeed. One of the most important lessons was simply to show up. Show up for what you have to do, show up for what you said you would do, show up for what you want to do.

Susie, 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?

I’ve always been a naturally creative person, curious and inspired by my surroundings. I was born and raised in the countryside of Vermont so I have many pleasant memories from my childhood involving nature and its changing seasons. I feel most at home when I’m in nature and find it frequently emerging as a theme in my paintings. Now, I’m also a professionally trained artist. I received my certificate in Art and the Creative Process from the University of California, San Diego and have been painting and selling my art for over 10 years.

Before I received my art education at UCSD I always enjoyed learning different art techniques and styles at workshops in a variety of mediums. I was working during this time as well. My husband and I owned an insurance brokerage firm here in San Diego and I was quite busy with the demands of that. I used my creativity as an escape from the routine of work. It was during one particular workshop on visual journaling when I found myself intrigued and fascinated with the concept of creative process. The idea that something as complex as creative process could be distilled down to the simple idea of expressing myself in a journal really captivated my imagination. It was through visual journaling that I began healing many of my oldest wounds. I was delighted to find a way to allow and accept my truest self.

With many years of visual journaling experience and my certificate from UCSD, I followed my creative impulse to paint larger works, outside my journal, on canvas. I found a gifted and nurturing mentor to guide me on my journey and in good time my paintings were being juried into gallery shows and displayed in public and private collections in San Diego.

In 2019 my husband and I sold our business and retired and in 2020, I was looking for the personal interaction and camaraderie of other artists so I created an artist group. It was a simple concept to bring a group of professional artists together to support each other with ideas, help each other with solutions and encourage each other to work toward achieving goals. At first we met online using zoom and over time we eventually were able to meetup in person. The group evolved to become F1VEart and is a model for other artist groups.

With the encouragement, support and friendship of my artist group, I dove head first into one of my biggest goals: to show my work in galleries. I have shown work at Ashton Gallery in San Diego where I received numerous awards including juror’s choice, first place and honorable mention. In addition my work has been juried into in-person shows at Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad, Las Laguna Gallery and Five3 Gallery in Laguna Beach, Brittany Davis Gallery in Los Angeles and Sylvia White’s Realart Gallery in Agoura Hills. Online, I have been juried into shows at Art-Fluent.com and VisionaryArtCollective.com. I currently have work displayed in both public and private collections in San Diego, CA and throughout the United States.

I have an art studio in my home and I share studio space at F1VEart Studio & Gallery in the Arts District at Liberty Station in San Diego. I honor both spaces by painting and creating a variety of work in each. This year I was selected to be part of Jen Tough Gallery’s Spring Collective and have shown work at their gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico and in their publication, Contemporary Artist magazine. As part of Jen Tough’s gallery, I also had work in ArtExpo NY and Art Santa Fe. Another goal of mine is to meet with the many art collectors who resonate with my work. To achieve this I am excited to participate in ArtWalk Little Italy, ArtWalk at Liberty Station, La Jolla Art & Wine Festival and Paso Robles Art in the Park just to name a few. I plan to continue entering my work in a variety of venues and shows, and to keep my website up to date with announcements and events.

I wrote this artist statement years ago and it still resonates with me today:

“Every time I approach the canvas or journal page, I am ready to learn and understand my emotional and intellectual connection with life. There is always a reflection from within which brings me a gift of clarity and purpose. I paint intuitively, letting layers of paint, fabric, collage and paper interact and unfold into a story. When I discover the story within the painting, its meaning comes into focus. When the meaning has been revealed, my painting is complete.”

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Building my confidence, in everything! I think it’s crucially important to go through the process of learning to become confident. You want to be confident in your technique, in your craft but also in talking to people, sharing your art and parts of yourself that feel vulnerable. Going through the learning process, experiencing the ups and downs, and understanding the lessons it brings builds confidence that easily spills into other areas of your life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My overall goal is to live a fulfilling and rewarding life. My life as a creative lets me constantly move in the direction of my goal.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.susiezol.com
• Instagram: @susie_zol
• Facebook: Susie Zol Art
• Other: Pinterest: Susie Zol Art