We were lucky to catch up with Yen Azzaro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Yen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Over the last twelve years I’ve had exactly two full time positions that came with a title, health benefits, paid vacations. In both instances, the culture or content of the work led me to question, “Is this where I’m supposed be right now? Is this valuable to others, myself?” Both times I left.

I used to be afraid of what it would be like to be solely freelance or tell people “I’m an artist” at a dinner party. Nowadays I relish in that. I set my own schedule, accept or deny projects/clients, decide whether I want to apply for a residency or fellowship and create personally-fulfilling work, or focus on a lucrative career serving clients on short term projects.

The joy and financial freedom that my career affords me is greater than anything I have ever done before and I recognize what an incredible gift that is.

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.

I have always been steeped in art since I was kid. Because we moved around a lot, I didn’t find stability in academics (although I did find escape in reading). Starting in 1st grade I was winning local art and later state art contests and found that I enjoyed the recognition for something that many of my peers couldn’t do as easily. By the time high school rolled around I knew that I wanted to attend art school and started at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (fashion turned out to be pretty cut throat) and eventually transferred home to the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design. I didn’t name a major but instead got familiar with 2, 3 and 4-dimensional mediums. I adored sound editing and performance, both which would later play in a role in working with students.

After college, I handled marketing and later became Director of Madron Gallery, an American Impressionist gallery. I got to curate historical exhibitions, traveled to New York seasonally for auction and met paintings in clients’ homes. It was a lofty job which I enjoyed thoroughly. After moving back to Michigan, my husband (who is also an artist) and I had to start over again. We started our own consulting company, Chin-Azzaro in 2011 and from it we have offered commercial art consulting and photography. But the most lucrative and fulfilling aspect of our company has been my graphic recording. I travel to meet clients nationwide and illustrate and capture text during conferences and meetings. My artwork is cast from an iPad in real time, sometimes up to the size of a movie theater screen. It makes me feel so proud when people are “ooh-ing and aah-ing” over my work.

When I’m not traveling and working on commercial projects, I try to think about what social and/or political message I want to put out in the world. That sparks me to apply for residencies, grants, and exhibits. This past fall I exhibited ALTAR
ALTER, an installation and performance piece about the anti-Asian hate crimes that occurred during Covid. This sparked the interest of a local art gallery owner and I will be collaborating with the incredible artist, Paloma Núñez-Regueiro, in Spring 2024 to exhibit a series of works surrounding the immigration/emigration experience.

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

On a micro level, everyday practices like going to exhibits, buying work from artists and galleries, sharing work on social media of artists that you admire, cultivating creative activities for your family and friends and generally supporting art movements and events is a great way to make a difference in how we socialize around art. On a macro level, we need more policies and legislation to support artists in our country. Like many gig workers, artists and creatives are missing affordable healthcare, live and studio space. There has been discussion of a collective healthcare offering for artists in my county for many years but it’s never taken off. That would be one large, shifting policy change that benefit many.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I tell people that I’m a graphic recorder, many have never heard of such a thing. I didn’t learn about it until I was approached to do it (although it’s been around since the 1970s). One of the best resources I’ve ever utilized was the career advisor at my college. He told me about graphic recording and has shared dozens of usable tidbits of information and actions over the years we’ve stayed in touch. Not everyone has access to a career advisor or counselor at school but look for free resources in and around your community that focus on entrepreneurship and careers. Go to art fairs and see different mediums than you’re used to, go to museums and explore artists you’ve never heard of. The more we educate ourselves about what’s creatively possible, the more likely we are to latch on to something that we hadn’t thought of before.

Contact Info:

• Website: YenAzzaro.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yen.azzaro
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yenazzaroart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yenazzaro
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yenazzaro845