An Exciting Journey as a Self Taught Artist, with Erin Spencer

What does it look like to build a career as a self taught artist? What are the unique challenges and thrilling rewards of forging a path on your own? Can you really succeed and thrive as a self taught artist? My guest is self taught, landscape and cityscape artist Erin Spencer. Her work is greatly influenced by her time spent in Holland. In our conversation, Erin and I talk about her early start selling her art on Etsy, struggling with the imposter syndrome, making the time to paint with a young family, and much more. I can’t wait for you to get a peek into Erin’s exciting journey and the fascinating perspective she brings to the table. Taking the leap into the unknown as a self taught artist. What has been your journey as an artist? Have you been through formal education or does your story look more like Erin Spencer’s? What does that leap into the unknown look like? How do you navigate it? While the journey wasn’t always easy, Erin says that as she looks back, she knows that this path was meant for her to travel in her own unique way. Erin describes her journey as going through a lot of trial and error, studying art at museums and shows, and reading about her craft. While she doesn’t describe her path as easy, Erin is passionate about how much the process has meant to her and her growth along the way. Make sure to check out images of Erin’s landscape and cityscape work located at the end of this post! Knowing your own limits and setting goals for growth. How often do you push yourself in your abilities as an artist? Do you find it easy to stretch yourself or is it painful and difficult for you? If you struggle with going past your personal limitations, you aren’t alone! Artist Erin Spencer revealed to me in our conversation how much she struggles with the idea of going to art workshops to work around and learn from other artists. I applaud Erin for knowing her own limits and boundaries and finding the determination to set a goal for stretching past those limits in the future. What can you learn from Erin’s story? Making the time to paint as an artist and a parent to young children. How do artists with children find the time to focus on their artwork when the demands of parenthood constantly rear its head? Is it possible to do both without failing at one? My guest, Erin Spencer spoke with me about how she has been able to make time in her day to focus on her painting. She also talks about how her children have grown up in her environment as an artist and they’ve learned to understand and adapt to her space and creative work. If you’d like to get a good understanding of what life as an artist and parent looks like, you’ll enjoy hearing from Erin’s honest viewpoint. Accepting opportunities and discovering your roots. When was the last time that you accepted a challenging opportunity? How did that go for you? Can you think of a time when you followed an impulse or a whim to find yourself embarking on a new and exciting project? In our conversation, Erin Spencer was candid enough to share with me what she is currently working on and a fun personal journey she is taking to explore her roots. Both projects capture Erin’s imagination in different ways, the first project is stretching her abilities and the second project is taking her on a creative journey with her family background. I hope you catch the excitement and passion that Erin exudes as she talks about both of these projects. Outline of This Episode [1:05] I introduce my guest, Erin Spencer. [2:30] How did Erin get started as an artist? [5:30] Taking the leap as a self-taught artist. [11:30] What have been some of the more difficult techniques for Erin to learn? [17:30] Where does Erin sell her art? [19:00] Struggling with the imposter syndrome. [27:00] Why workshops are intimidating for Erin. [30:30] A moment of personal success for Erin. [39:00] Dealing with challenges along the way. [46:30] What is Erin working on right now? Other artists mentioned on this episode Paul Ferney Resources Mentioned on this episode http://www.erinspencerart.com/ http://foursquareart.com/ www.savvypainter.com/trekell Connect With Antrese On Facebook On Pinterest On Instagram On Twitter