— The featured artist of Issue 46 of Living the Photo Artistic Life magazine, Colorado-based AWAKE artist Barbara A Lane has enjoyed an extraordinary year and turned out a wonderful array of work. I’m convinced we are going to see some great achievements from her in the years ahead. Enjoy my interview with her here on Quill and Camera!
Q. Can you tell us a little about your artistic background?
I come from several generations of artists. My mother has been a successful experiential watercolor artist, and she always encouraged me to use my creativity when I was a young child. I have fond memories of designing paper doll clothes and creating art with colored pencils and crayons … and I suppose that’s where it all began.
When I was in high school, I was the art assistant for our art teacher. Looking back, I always seemed to encourage others to create but never participated in the classes myself. One day the teacher asked me to create an abstract art piece, which I did on a whim . . . And he then entered it in the Alabama State Fair without telling me. When I saw that I had won 2nd prize at the state level, I was stunned!
In college, I was the model for the art department for three years. Again I was immersed in the artistic endeavors of others, but still felt inadequate to create any art of my own. It was only many years later, in my career in broadcasting media, that I began to participate using my creativity. It was there that I won several Addy Awards for writing radio copy, and I began to blossom by selling my ideas. I enjoyed creating ideas, writing presentations, and using my creativity to land clients and then watch their business grow.
Around this time I also started to create beaded jewelry, began to participate in ATC swaps, and decided to teach myself punch needle embroidery.
My start digitally, however, began with my love for sacred geometry, mandalas, prisms, kaleidoscopes, and fractals. I love to learn a variety of skills and apply them to new creations. But it was not until I discovered the Photoshop Artistry course that I finally found my voice and chose to focus on digital art. It has since become my passion.
The urge to create lies deep within what I feel to be my Renaissance Soul. I create expressively with intuition, and I feel my artworks are finally a reflection of my inner soul. With each piece of art, I see my own evolving journey as a creative artist.
Q. What would you say feeds your artistic vision?
I have surrounded myself by beautiful art. Living in Colorado (yet within a few hours of the galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico), my home is a collection of Southwest Art by artists such as Arlene Hayes, J D Challenger, Bev Doolittle, and many large pieces by Frank Howell.
My walls are also adorned with art from my family of artists, and these encourage me to live out our artist legacy. (Some of these are so old that it is now time to restore their art so as to preserve it for generations to come.)
I not only collect physical art but frequently go through my collection of art in my “Inspiration and Ideas” folder on my computer. I receive lots of inspiration from our “AWAKE” artists, and visiting our private Facebook group each day excites me, seeing what others are creating and sharing with us. I am intrigued and impressed by all the artists and their creativity. And often “wowwed.”
Q. What does your artistic life mean to you?
Living an artistic life means giving myself the permission to live from my deep inner soul. It has become a spiritual practice to be able to create from my authentic self … and allow myself to share that beauty with others.
There is so much to explore, learn, and express through art.
I love the spark of an idea … and how that idea can then explode as I allow my imagination to guide me on each new adventure. And I love finalizing each piece with some mystical element, even if it’s as simple as adding sparkles or fairy dust to my creations.
Q. What are your next steps as an artist? Where does your journey take you now?
I want to sit at the edge of a forest, or lay on the sand at the beach, and just experience more sounds and colors of nature.
Living in Colorado gives me the opportunity to view the beautiful Rocky Mountains each day, but I want to experience and live more within that beauty and draw from it the inspiration and sensations I crave.
Letting go and opening your mind allows a creative person to accept themselves — and to also encourage others. Because of this, I feel a strong urge to encourage and teach people to use their creativity to share their souls with the world. My “AWAKE” coach has been an important influence, helping me develop as an artist. I know I’d now also like to coach other artists and mentor them to grow into their full artistic ability.
Approaching interior designers, local restaurants, and coffee shops to display my art is something I will be pursuing as well. I want to bring my digital art to life on canvas and want to share it within my local community. I also want to print my art to exhibit in several galleries, not just in Colorado and New Mexico, but around the world.
Q. Any advice for aspiring digital artists?
Understand what motivates you and how you define success. There are certain things of real importance that motivate an artist to create. What are yours? Is it the artistic recognition, artistic excellence, or monetary gain? I feel the greatest success can come to an artist who achieves a balance of all three, and who knows that achieving success in all of these can take a long time. But that’s all right. Because it’s a life journey also.
Determining where your motivation lies helps you prioritize your efforts. I had to learn this as I matured as a creative artist. An artist who understands his or her primary artistic motivation — and is willing to put in the work — has a real shot at achieving those goals.
But focus on your own work and on finding your true artistic voice. I really like this quotation by Ayn Rand: “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” I truly believe you need to create and achieve for yourself, in pursuit of your own dreams. Only you can know what that looks like for you to be a success. Your motivation and passion will drive you when you understand what it means to you.
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