Today we’d like to introduce you to Michaela Moffett.
Hi Michaela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Art has always been an enormous part of my life, having spent ten years at an art school through childhood, six years studying drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton, and one year in Florence, Italy. However, I didn’t start out thinking I wanted to be an artist. Even as I got into middle school and early high school, I didn’t think a career in art was not only possible and I never felt like I had anything important enough to say. However, during junior and senior years of high school at my art class, my teacher frequently shared her own artwork with the whole class. What always struck me was her bravery to display her story on the canvas, not worrying if her story was powerful enough or important enough, but what made it powerful was its raw, genuine honesty. Because of that realization, I decided to become an art major and figure out what it would look like for me to do the same. After college, I spent the next several years teaching traditional drawing and painting and I loved it. Unfortunately, the studio where I worked suffered from the effects of COVID-19 by having to close, teach online and lose over half of our students. During that time when my hours were drastically cut, I spent every moment I had in my studio painting. Over the next several months, I began receiving countless orders for custom artwork and purchases, so I continued to pursue this market to make some extra money. After a year, I was able to quit my job just in May of 2021 to finally pursue a full-time job in my studio!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I don’t think any creative path is, but I think there’s excitement and anticipation in that. There has been many struggles through the years, but one of which I have been confronted with recently is the realization that, at least in my experience, art school does not prepare you adequately to be a full-time artist. After I graduated with my art degree, I figured I had everything I would need to start a life in art. However, as most people know, knowing HOW to create art is only a small fraction of what is actually necessary to pursue a creative professional life. “Being an artist” is basically creating a small business, sometimes without much business knowledge. I spent hours pouring over books, courses and podcasts on online marketing, business, online galleries, websites, coding, social media, SEO, email marketing, none of which I had any previous understanding. Through this process, it felt quite isolating and overwhelming to absorb so much information. Embracing the reality that I don’t have all the answers and finding courage to ask hundreds of questions to artists, business people and friends, pushed me to grow even more. Step by step, I learned and failed over and over again until I was able to build up my art business to where it is today. I still have so much to learn, but it is exciting to look back and see how far I’ve come.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Through the years of art school and practice, I have learned how to accurately represent and traditionally draw and paint. However, I have been fascinated with the idea of simplifying my environment to shapes and color relationships. Through this approach, my focus is understanding color relationships and being able to push and pull color to create different perceptions of environments or people. In my personal life, I find myself constantly analyzing, compartmentalizing, and organizing my thoughts and my environment as a way to feel controlled and calm. Recently, I discovered these particularities of my personality was emerging in my painting, manifesting itself in internalization of my world, deliberate shape-making and ensuring each block of color I create has a specific color identity and I have become obsessed with it. Essentially, the love of painting is what continues to motivate me to explore and take unexpected turns. As my professor, Joe Forkan would say, “let your studio be a laboratory, not a factory.” I have ambitions and a voice, but what I focus on day-to-day is just getting to my studio and making stuff and making my stuff better and better each day.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Firstly, throw out the idea that you have to please everyone in order to be validated in your work. “Being an artist” looks as diverse as each individual. Some will venture out into the world of the MoMAs and Gugenheims, and some will live their life happily painting mountainscapes in the middle of Yellowstone National Park. There is no one way to be an artist. Find what makes you happy and don’t let anyone discourage you from pursuing just that. You will be more motivated and successful in what you want to express if you do it genuinely and without force. In addition, find like-minded, kind-hearted artists who can support you and push you even if it’s uncomfortable. Having a community of artists is invaluable to be able to learn about their practice, techniques, tips and suggestions.
Contact Info:
- Email: michaelamoffett1@gmail.com
- Website: www.michaelamoffett.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moffettstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoffettArtStudio/
