We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Trudy Stubson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Trudy, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

How did I learn to do what I do? Whew! That’s a loaded question. I suppose in the beginning there was a lot of trial and error. As a teacher I have noticed that this stage of the process divides those who will and who won’t. Are you one of the few who is willing to try over and over without success? If so, you may have a future in the arts! After years of learning from my mistakes I developed a level of skill that was appreciated by my peers and I was happy with. From there I applied to art school for formal training and haven’t stopped practicing since.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

How did I get into the arts? I suppose I have always been involved in the arts. As a kid I would joke that I would sell my paintings “OUT OF A VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER!” (A Chris Farley reference.) So, I did not just fall into art. I did not drop my career midlife to become an artist. I always had making art my goal, even when I was a child. There isn’t anything wrong with those stories and I love hearing about the transformative power of art; it’s just not my story.
From a young age, I studied things around me very closely. I wanted to capture them with accuracy and whimsy. I was and am still obsessed with color and lighting. As a youth I would stare into the sun, studying it. I wanted to capture its rays and brightness one day. In fact, I may have spent too much time looking directly at the sun because my vision was classified as legally blind by the time I was a teenager. (An example of my persistent nature.) My art studies are steady and consistent, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am not an overnight success, and I think that is the case for many artists. Behind our businesses there are years of training, practice, failures, and then successes.
I am currently an artist in Fargo, ND. I am primarily an oil painter (though I work in a variety of mediums) who captures moments that bring me a sense of wonder. I paint with bold and vivid colors, still capturing light and still creating moments of whimsy. Sometimes I capture whimsy through mark making and sometimes through color. I am not a one-dimensional artist, and I have a variety of interests in my art making. I have several more abstracted and experimental series’ where I tell stories or make statements with my art, often with a surrealistic twist. I am currently a member artist at Dakota Fine Art, an artist collective in downtown Fargo and I am most proud of my tenacity.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

What story best represents my resilience? I honestly don’t think there is any one story. I think it’s really an accumulation of setbacks that are building blocks to help you reach your goals. Every person is met with obstacles and how we handle those obstacles is the key to success. So take those failures, stack them, and build a staircase to your dream.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

What can society do to best support artists and creatives? I think funding is important. I also think creating a place for artists to exist and be visible is important. I think providing affordable studio spaces in areas with a lot of foot traffic would benefit a lot of artists. I also think that making shopping for local art less intimidating would bring in people who purchase generic art. A lot of people don’t know where to go to support local artists, and these people end up buying low quality replicas with high price points instead of supporting local artists. I know if artists had more visibility to the public this would be a lesser issue.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trudystubson.com
• Instagram: @stubson_studio
• Facebook: Trudy Stubson Studio