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

Terra, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’m happiest being an artist. I have held several coordinating and curation positions. While they provided consistent pay and I learned a great deal from them, I had less agency, authorship, and creative expression within these positions. There is also a fatigue that comes from working at a desk that is difficult for me to sustain. I need to move my body around to feel healthy and engaged. The studio offers this kind of movement. There is also nothing like always having a foot in your creative head space. In any case, I’m glad that I had these coordinating experiences in the art field, because I know what administrators need from me as an artist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Latinx artist that produces sculpture, installation, and works on paper that are inspired by Mesoamerican mythology. I began to mine this subject matter while I was studying sculpture in graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design. I was living far from my family, friends, and home, the southwest, and I started to look into subjects related to Mexican and MesoAmerican myths. It seemed to sooth my longing for home and over time became more of a process that helped me reconnect with my cultural heritage. My current work is abstract and depicts figures that are in the midst of transfiguration. I’m particularly excited about the most recent exhibit that I completed, The Shape of Dusk at Ivester Contemporary in Austin Texas. It was a solo exhibit and it showcased a series of sculptural works that were inspired by postcolonial narratives about shapeshifting in MesoAmerican myth. The whole tone of the exhibit was based on dusk, the time of day that the shapeshifting (nahual) character is said to emerge. I was able to embody the entire space as well as the individual works, which is a unique opportunity and one that I hope to do more and more. The technique that I used was unconventional and unique to the narratives that inspire the work. I bent, stretched, and contorted the clay to make it take on its form, which is indicative of the cathartic, transformative process of shapeshifting.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Some of the goals that drive my work are to continue to explore topics that are tied to identity and self conception in the United States. I’m particularly interested in these topics as they are tied to cultural heritage and gender. Over time, I also want to grow the scale of my work.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is freedom and authorship. I am the sole author of my work. I decide what materials to use, how to use them, and why. Also, as an artist, I am a small business owner so I am steering the trajectory of my career. There is no one telling me where or who to be or what to do. It is all up to me. I find that really motivating and empowering.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.terragoolsby.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terragoolsby/

Image Credits
Photo Credit of Artwork: Scott David Gordon