Anne Ward shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Anne, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Helping people make more time for their art makes me so happy! Recently I’ve been building digital tools to help artists better recognize which of their own images will make good paintings. The process has taken months and months of trial and error and coding. When a student tested out the process, and created a beautiful painting from her own photo, I cried to see it ‘working’.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Anne Ward, a painter, author, and educator who has been creating and exhibiting art for over three decades. I recently had a solo museum show with 55 paintings created over two and a half years. Alongside my studio practice, I’ve developed books and tools like Own the Big Picture and Painted Seasons that share my creative process and help others step into their own art with more confidence and joy.
An art practice is a way to quiet the noise, find calm and create more beauty. I love helping people make more time for their art . My courses focus on simplifying design, seeing in shapes, and using tools like the iPad to make art every day. My goal is to help students move past overwhelm, build consistency, and discover how to bring their vision into focus — whether they’re just beginning or refining their practice at a deeper level.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I think I was born a card carrying contrarian…most artists are! Art is a way of seeing creatively around limitation and expectation. I am one of 6 kids and I think my Mom was/has always been an artist. It’s a way of thinking. She always created beauty with whatever odds and ends relative to scraps of time and materials were at hand. If we couldn’t afford a dress, she found a way to make me one. I have a funny picture of myself on rollerskates in a dress she made for me which I loved. She taught me that art is a way of thinking outside ‘the box’ of limitation. The boxes are the rigid conventions about how one is ‘supposed’ to do things and the art is imagining what might be possible if one weren’t subscribing to the ‘the box’. So I was taught to question ‘the box’. I may have been the only person not allowed to have a Barbie because we didn’t subscribe to that box BUT I could learn to make a doll myself. She taught me to recognize ‘the box’ and also stand tall in owning the decision to think unconventionally. I’m so grateful to have had this gift of a Mom who thought this way.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes! Art requires so much discipline to show up consistently but also to find the inner validation when success is not immediate. That’s the true work…the inner work of knowing what lights you up, making peace with uncertainty and following the joy without the expectation of ‘success’. The journey is the joy. Four years ago, I nearly quit because the lag between effort and outcome felt too great. I decided I would go out with a bang…if I was going to quit then I would create some personal paintings I’d been considering that didn’t make commercial sense but were meaningful to me. I posted them. And Santa Paula Museum of Art asked me about the possibility of doing a solo show. What an incredible and unexpected opportunity arrived when I was ready to quit…SO close the end zone. And the other surprise…so many incredible collectors. So I guess the take away would be don’t give up too soon…you may be closer to the end zone than you imagine.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I really want to help artists bridge the gap between skills and vision. And I mean literal artists and I mean people being the artists of their lives. The biggest art supply to leverage is to fully OWN ATTENTION. When we better choose what we are giving attention to we have the possibility of ‘painting’ beautiful days for ourselves. So to me, an art practice is a means to owning attention and being in alignment with now and appreciation of beauty. So for people looking to create more inner peace, I created a free mindfulness app called i+intend and I’ve also created a workbook on Amazon called Own the Big Picture. It’s a fifteen minute practice of curating attention through mindful drawing, journaling and gratitude. It’s a wonderful way to align thoughts, energy and attention.
And for artists stuck in the loop of acquiring more technical skills but never able to stretch their wings to fly..I’ve created classes to share my structured shortcut using shape pattern and color to win more at art. I really want to help artists to know that in an age of digital overwhelm and ai the MOST important ‘skill’ there is is knowing the value of what you’re creating and why. Authenticity and owning attention are the most important skills to work on.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I reminded them how special they were and how important their stories were to tell. To never overlook the small and seemingly insignificant things in nature. That I showed them a door to calm grounded clarity through art and books and paintings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anneward.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anneward.art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annewardpainter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@anneward7900
