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

Tina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started out going to Fort Lauderdale Art Institute as an 18-year-old just out of high school. I only spent 3 months there before life happened and I quit. I got married, had a family and went to work for the US Postal Service. Again, life happened and 5 years later I got divorced. Within the institution of the USPS, I discovered the position of Postal Illustrator and the person holding that job was retiring. I was able to get assigned as a temporary Artist for that position and solidified it by going back to school. Graduating 2 years later from the Miami Lakes Technical School with a certificate in Commercial Art. I became the most qualified applicant and was awarded the job of Postal Illustrator for the Miami District Postal Service. I created signs and local camera-ready promotions, banners, posters, and all things art for the post offices from Key West to Pompano for almost 20 years.

I remarried and added to my family. In 2004 we moved to the North Florida area. There were no special positions in that post office when I transferred so I went back to working within the mail system of the USPS. During this time, I delved back into my first love, Fine Art Painting. I joined Gainesville Fine Arts Association (GFAA) and in 2006 help start the High Springs Art Coop with 7 other local artists. I started selling local landscapes there and also began participating in various Fine Art Festivals, locally in Gainesville, and elsewhere in Florida.

I finally reached the point of retirement in the USPS, 2014, and that opened the door to all things art. I left the High Springs Coop, became a board member of GFAA for the next 6 years, and opened my own studio, gallery and art supply store in downtown High Springs. I am its home working artist, but I also show and sell the works of over 20 other local artists & artisans. During this time also began my favorite adventure, an avid Plein Air Painter. I regularly paint & sell in those events locally and other places.

At this point in my evolving artistic career, I love painting our local springs, beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Northern Florida, along with other adventures for plein air. This past year brought me to Floyd Virginia, Thomasville and Savannah Georgia, and New Smyrna Beach, Fl.

My business Lanza Gallery & Art Supplies has grown and become a respected local business for the last 7 years in our small town. People come from many areas to shop in my place. Learning the art supply business has also been part of my journey. I have learned that life sometimes helps you grow towards your goals. My last 2 years of my postal service I was a postmaster in a small town in Alachua County, LaCrosse Fl. This contributed to my ability to handle finances, the public and the business end of running a store. Today my sweet art store/art gallery serves the local art community with art workshops, quality art supplies and supports local artists.

Tina, 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?

In the art store end of my business I try to bring in great art products at fair prices. It is tough to come up against online big box store but what I offer my customers is personal service and knowledge. I guide them to the right art products and take an interest in how they want to grow creatively, giving them guidance in their art. I bring in professional artist to teach workshops and occasionally teach myself. When guiding my emerging artists that support me I try to help them navigate thru what they need without spending a ton of money on what they don’t need. All my customers and patrons have value and I give them respect and my time.

I also do a yearly plein air painting event that celebrates our local springs and landscapes inviting over 22 local and out of town artists.

In this adventure I want to personally become the best artist I can be, share my knowledge and spend time with other artists, customers and patrons who have become part of my art life. I am blessed by this journey.

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

For me the most rewarding is the creation process and the comradery of painting with friends, (Plein Air Painting). The ability to go outside and see all creation and capture a moment of it in color and paint. It is a life calling for me. I learned how to paint at 12 and never looked back as to what I wanted to do for a living. Now with discovering plein air it is so rewarding to share the experience with other artists of like mind. Plein air is creating with a social aspect. We share processes, ideas and experiences, plus artists from all walks of life participate. It is a blessing every time I go outside to paint.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

This is a touchy subject. Those who do not call themselves “artists” really don’t understand. They don’t get the “calling” of the want and need to create that comes from your soul. They think what we do is a “hobby”, mainly because of the difficultly of making a profit. We as those creatives have to create a balance between those in our lives who don’t really get it, especially if they are in our circle of loved ones.

In one scenario I changed the narrative. When I get a phone call from family and they ask, “what are you doing?” I used to answer, “I am painting with my friends.” Then my family thought I was partying and not serious, so I changed how I talked. I started to answer, ” I am working,” to that question “what are you doing?”. They started to think of my painting adventure as a career and it was easier to balance family and career.

Unfortunately, we as creatives have to constantly work at our calling. It is a lifelong growth. I feel we have a responsibility to grow in our art. Especially if we want it to be more than a hobby. The more we practice and study, the better of an artist we become. Most people don’t come out of the womb gifted to create art that would sell to support ourselves. If we decide to try and make a living from it, we have to be smart about it. It may lead us to working in a structured company for its monetary and long-term contribute to our support. I tell young artists develop your digital art and try and work in an art department of a company with benefits. Art most of the time won’t feed you. It is a constant journey and it takes a lifetime of adjustments to “arrive” at a successful art career. Sometimes you have to think out of the box and it is constantly a work in progress.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tinacorbett.com and www.lanzagallery.com
• Instagram: lanzagallery and tinafineart97
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lanzagallery and www.facebook.com/tina.corbett1
• Youtube: Lanza Gallery & Art Supplies
• Other: www.tinacorbett.com/blog

Image Credits
All the pics were taken by me and are my original paintings by Tina Corbett. The 3 pics are my store and gallery and of me.