Today we’d like to introduce you to Susanna Booth
Hi Susanna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been a creative person. Not a skilled creator, but I enjoy creativity in many different forms. I always enjoyed drawing, performing, self expression, creative thinking of any kind.. as a child I drew a lot. I mostly liked to draw women in clothes I designed. I really loved old movies and the glamour and all of my creative expressions, whether it was drawing or writing or performing, were colored by my love of old Hollywood glamour. As an adult, I would have little creative hobbies: making jewelry or sketching. My mom died when I was still in my 20s. My husband and I had recently moved back to Michigan from NY. I felt overwhelmed, dealing with the loss of my mother and adjusting to leaving a life I loved. I decided to start painting. For many years I only did it from time to time. I valued self expression and creativity over skill. During the pandemic however, I felt my lack of skill was limiting my self expression, so I went back to the drawing board, literally, and taught myself to draw what I see. I then got into oil painting. I took an hour tutorial on an oil painting technique from an artist I admire and finally felt like I had found my medium. My husband has been supportive of my creative endeavors and I really have to credit him with a big part of why I can regularly create. I still don’t believe I have reached my full potential or even my niche within art, but I think that’s exciting. The future is full and bright and the possibilities are endless
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think life is a journey to understand ourselves better, improve our skills and become genuinely who we are meant to be. I believe we become more ourselves the older we get. In the same way I believe our art continues to become more unique to us the more we do it. This process becomes more enjoyable as we improve. Starting out on a creative journey has its pains. It’s a bit of a lonely road starting out, we love a good, skilled artist, but we don’t start that way-there isn’t a lot of support initially, while going through the growing pains of just figuring stuff out. Mostly it’s meant overcoming negative inner dialogue. I would question why I keep doing this, I’m not very good at painting, I’m wasting time.. but as I kept with it and improved and kept curating my art to become more of a reflection of who I am, the more rewarding it is. I believe the more we are genuinely ourselves, the more people that are meant to be drawn to us will be drawn to us. In the same way I believe as I continue to hone my work and make it more my own it may not have broad appeal but I have succeeded in my goal of using art as self expression and as a bonus, maybe it will be meaningful to a few people.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love oil painting. Mostly I paint portraits of animals and people, often together with a colorful, nostalgic vibe. Sometimes I create surreal paintings. I like a piece to have a meaningful message, and it’s ok if people interpret it in their own way. I’m most proud of myself for sticking with it
No one in my family was an artist, so I did it of my own initiative and desire. I’m happy to see myself improve over time. Artists are philosophers. When you consume a creative piece you are experiencing the philosophy of that artist.
What sets my work apart from others is it is mine. I’m unique. Just like everyone is unique. No one has my brain or lived my life. I love art for that reason. You are seeing a part of who a person is when you enjoy their art. I love to see everyone’s creativity for that reason. It’s like they are sharing a bit of their inner world. I do however believe creative pieces, in whatever their form are more palatable if skill is involved.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I believe risk is subjective and based off of our personal fears. I don’t view myself as a risk taker. However in regards to my art, I have always really put everything I’ve done out there visibly. Throughout my creative journey I have shared my art, whatever skill level I was at. I also tend to follow through on any ideas I have, and not every idea is a winner. That’s just part of the process for me. I have impulsively walked into businesses asking for opportunities to display my art (again whatever skill level I was at), risking being turned down. I have also approached strangers requesting to take a picture, because I found them inspiring for one reason or another. This can be awkward. In summary, the risks I have taken in regards to my art is- transparently putting myself out there, sharing everything and risking embarrassment or judgment from others. The risk is small in comparison to making a connection with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://susannaboothdesigns.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susannabooth.art?igsh=YzFhZ3BsMDQwYjMz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004767618799
