We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Leone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catherine below.
Catherine, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hops that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Mental health awareness and acceptance has become normalized in the years since I began my artistic journey. This acceptance and support has benefitted my art and my relationship with creating by changing my perspective of the creative process. In my early artistic journey, I used painting and drawing as a way to cope with depression and anxiety, a lot of my work revolved around getting my feelings out so I didn’t have to talk to anyone. As I have grown and utilized resources such as medication and therapy, I no longer need to rely on depressive episodes in order to create. My relationship with art has shifted from a coping mechanism into a support system that thrives off honesty, self awareness, and self exploration. I am only human and still experience the ebs and flows of mental health struggles, however I encourage myself to do some form of art no matter what emotions I am currently feeling, even its just a small sketch or listing ideas for future pieces. By doing so, this has normalized the art process for myself so I no longer rely on negativity in order to create.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I create in a variety of mediums such as traditional painting, digital illustration, resin, and yarn. I like to constantly be trying new mediums to keep myself interested in the creative process and in hopes of finding something new that brings me joy. I am currently studying Game Art and Development in hopes of one day running an animation studio where I can produce video games, animated shows, and game art for other companies. This year marks the first year that I am attending large conventions as a vendor around Colorado. This is a super exciting adventure for me as I have loved meeting other artists and the community I am surrounded by and I hope to be able to travel outside of Colorado in the next year or two. As requested by many customers, I have recently launched a clothing shop on Etsy and a handmade merchandise section on my website.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
It is a huge misconception that artists have to be inherently talented, that artistry is natural and you have to be born with it. This couldn’t be more discouraging to new artists. Sure, some people seamlessly create with ease but, for the most part, practice makes better. I encourage people who are early in their artistic journey to just keep going and try to make something as often as you can. it is incredibly easy to become discouraged by other artists, but they got to where they are by constantly creating. Whether you are creating little doodles or full sized paintings, your art matters so don’t neglect it.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is truly anyone who wants a piece of my art. I love when people come to me with a very specific vision as this gives me parameters to work within, I thrive on deadlines and specifics so this is a very comfortable arrangement for me. I also love when people come to me with a very open ended request because this lets me just go for it and incorporate any of my random ideas that I think would be well received by this type of client. Any time someone wants to have a piece of my art, I am truly honored to be able to provide that for them. At the end of the day, I love being challenged and providing art to anyone who wants it.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://leonetheartist.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonetheartistofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonetheartist
- Other: https://linktr.ee/leonetheartist
