We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Terry Ekasala a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Terry, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
It’s been a longtime, a long path. I was very young, maybe 10 or 12 when I really started spending time drawing. As I got older it became a “thing” for me, a purpose and I didn’t really know how lucky I was to have found a focal point at such a young age. I had a genuine drive although I believe it may have started as a competitive thing, more so at becoming really good at something for attention. I also wanted to be someone like people I admired, artists. It was a desire to investigate, to create solutions, so I was all about technique and improving technique. I studied commercial art at the Art Institute of Ft Lauderdale, received an associates Degree in Advertising, went on to work freelance in that business and quickly realized it was not for me. I decided to work in the restaurant business (which I was brought up in) and paint on my own. I consider myself a self taught painter. I definitely and consciously would never call myself an artist. I just wouldn’t. I would say things like “I’m a bartenter but I like to paint” Reflecting on that, there are probably a few reasons why but mainly, I guess, is because I didn’t study fine art and felt inferior and not able to title myself as a professional, even after years and years of painting! To be honest I didn’t even know there was such thing as Imposter Syndrome until a fellow artist, whom I had only met virtually on facebook came for a studio visit! I was really petrified that my work would not hold up and she would discover that I wasn’t worth the trip! This was after at least 30 years of painting, studios, shows and even selling paintings. My visitor and I really hit it off and I confided to her my fear, she laughed and told me about Imposter Syndrome.
So how did I overcome it? Finally something clicked and age probably has a lot to do with it! I’m a late bloomer in everything. I decided to own up and call myself an artist and things just keep getting better.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an artist, mostly painter, living in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. I work between abstract and representation. I primarily work with oils on linen until several years ago when I began to work acrylic on paper. This has brought much more to my practice. Less restraint, I have become much freer, experimental and spontaneous, always looking for new approaches to bring an image out. I am honored to have been the recipient of the 2023 Vermont Art Prize. I have exhibited at numerous institutions including the Hall Art Foundation in Reading Vt, Piermarq Gallery, Sydney Australia, Schonfeld Gallery, Belgium, Burlington City Arts, Vt, and Catamount Arts, Vt.
My work is in many private collections world wide.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For myself I believe the dedication was/is the biggest quality. Making the time and space in your life to actually do it! I, like most artists, have had many obstacles to climb over. I don’t think I ever considered giving up on painting, even if I had to stop for periods here and there.
Getting a space to work in, even if you start in your basement, I think it’s important to have a place to go to.
It’s all wide open, so many possibilities it can be crippling, tiring, fearful !!! Like Nike says “Just do it” the number one way I have found joy and a kind of feeling of success is in the actual pushing the paint around, of course the end result is important but the real success is being able to keep on painting.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Other Artists, many artists whom I admire whether painters, sculptors, writers, musicians, actors, just so many have inspired me! I am a big fan of documentaries and biographies. I find it fascinating to peek into the life of someone’s work I admire. That gives me encouragement and motivation. Reading some quote and identifying so completely or seeing a powerful piece of art feels like you are a part of that pulse, that energy. It’s comforting.
Contact Info:
- Website: terryekasala.com
- Instagram: terry_ekasala
- Facebook: Terry Ekasala
Image Credits
Terry Ekasala
