We recently connected with Sydney Teare and have shared our conversation below.
Sydney, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
If I could go back in time, I would have pushed myself out of my comfort zone much earlier. It would have greatly benefited my art career and helped it take off sooner. I have been drawing and painting since childhood and always knew I wanted to attend art school. When I arrived at Ball State University in 2016, I was surprised to see that many of my peers had already been submitting their work to local fairs and galleries. It wasn’t that they had been making art longer than I had, I just believed that I needed to keep practicing and improving before I was ready to show my work– but at some point, you have to start sharing your work with the world to truly grow. Even in college, I struggled with ‘putting myself out there.’ After graduating, I looked at my former classmates’ websites and realized they had been entering competitions and showcasing their work the entire time we were in school! Viewing the art you’re making now as a precursor to the ‘real art’ you’ll make in the future won’t lead to progress. What you’re creating right now is already real art.
Sydney, 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?
In 2016, I moved from Newburgh, Indiana, to the dorms at Ball State University in Muncie to begin my art education. I had my sights set on pursuing a degree in animation, but once I took a few classes, I realized it just wasn’t for me. Animation involved repetitively drawing the same things, often not even of my own design, and I craved more creative freedom and variety. I pivoted to focus on fine art, where I had the opportunity to learn from professors specializing in printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting. I’m so grateful for the chance to explore so many different mediums, as it helped me discover my love for the way they can work together.
I started creating collages, something I hadn’t tried before attending Ball State. I found that playing with and altering found images allowed me to ‘sketch’ out my ideas more easily, which led me to new creative discoveries. I collected books and magazines, tearing out images of perfectly styled women and transforming them to resemble myself and the women around me, exploring themes of identity, intimacy, and connection. During college, I came out as a lesbian and was able to share my relationship with those around me. My partner, along with my female friends and family, became inspirations for my collage work. Soon, I started combining the images of women with images of flowers, bones, mushrooms, and other natural elements, which laid the foundation for the work I create today.
Currently, I’m working on a series of images I call my ‘Orchids.’ These are acrylic paintings inspired by digital collages I made using photos of orchids found at local conservatories, animal bones, and human anatomy. I love seeing the reactions these pieces get—people have described them as sad, beautiful, unsettling, familiar, and alien. While creating them, I’ve been reflecting on how women are associated with both life and death, seen as fearful yet feared, beautiful yet repulsive. To me, these Orchids have become avatars for women. My hope is that women see themselves in these forms with empathy as well as awe.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I had connected with other artists earlier in my creative journey. Surrounding yourself with creatives of all ages and disciplines is one of the best things you can do for your growth. Having mentors and peers who inspire you to improve is an invaluable and underutilized resource. Attending art school is a privilege that many don’t have, and even for those who do, that community of artists is typically only accessible during your time at the school. After graduating, I quickly realized that I had taken being surrounded by other artists for granted; our critique sessions were what pushed me to do better and inspired me to try new things.
If you know other artists in your life, it is incredibly helpful to hold each other accountable, continue creating together, and share your work. Beyond that, it’s important to get out in your community and go to any local art events. Although I am very introverted, I found that overcoming the initial awkwardness of meeting new people and putting myself out there was well worth it. While we often create art for ourselves, it is ultimately meant to be shared and experienced by others. Seeing how people respond to your work and experiencing others’ art can boost your confidence and inspire you to pursue new and exciting directions.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My mission in my creative journey is to create work that makes women feel seen and understood. Starting out, I was making art that was purely just expressing how I feel, but I often struggled thinking about why others would care about my feelings or experiences. I feared that my art would alienate viewers, that they wouldn’t connect with or understand my message. As a lesbian woman, I worried that my work might only resonate with other lesbians. However, I soon realized that my experiences, hopes, and anxieties are much more universal than I had imagined.
Recently, I was speaking with another female artist about studying art history in college, where we learned about a lot of straight male artists. It occurred to us that those men had never once thought, “What if women don’t relate to my art?” They just made the art they felt compelled to make. I realized that all my worrying about being relatable was silly. Seeing women connect with my art and hearing them describe how it makes them feel understood has been an incredibly magical experience. My goal is to keep chasing that feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sydneyteare.wixsite.com/sydneyteare
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teare.art/
