We were lucky to catch up with Sandra Duran Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sandra, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Understanding where your creative spark lives and how to nurture it is the most important journey you can take. We are all different in our creative tendencies. Some people find it in music, dance, writing, painting or cooking. What we all have in common is that creativity must be nurtured and practiced. I have had people remark what a gift I have. I don’t agree with this view. Usually what they mean by the statement is that it comes easily to me and not to them. It is a gift that is given to some and not others. We all have talents, they are just in different forms. But, even talent must be nurtured and practiced.
The way I nurture my talent is to do something creative every day. I may paint, write or take a walk and look at my surroundings with curiosity. This is the way to keep creativity alive. Maybe you can’t paint everyday or practice your chosen art, but you have your mind to and senses to make sense of your surroundings. Let your imagination float free. Shadows on objects tell a story. The tiny plants along the path you are on wake up your senses. Reflections on water, ripples on a lake, sounds around you, patterns. Pay attention and let all you encounter keep your creativity alive. I see potential paintings in everything around me. Look with fresh eyes and you will see new possibilities.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I come from a long line of artists and scientists and I have always seen that these two points of view feed each other. My first lessons in art were at the elbow of my great aunt, Santa Duran. We painted oil landscapes from the age of six. I was taught drawing and sculpture as well, but it was when I looked through my fathers’ microscope that an entirely new world opened before my eyes. Then it was telescopes and later it was chemistry. All of these pursuits have come together to inform my abstract mixed media painting and sculptures.
My other passion is travel. I have brought painting together with travel and I take others on creative journeys around the world. From my studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico to the riads in Morocco, villas of Italy or the mountains of Spain or the Greek islands. Travel is a sure way to inspire you because everything you see is fresh and new. I have a last minute spot in my Morocco trip and a couple of places in my other journeys. Check out my website for more information. The best part of what I do with people on these trips is allow novices to experience art trips that usually are only available to more experienced artists.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that have guided me are curiosity, tenacity and bravery. Curiosity keeps me searching and expanding my art.
Tenacity is essential for a creative because you will get many more rejections than acceptances.
Bravery is most important because when I am afraid to get up again or try again, I gather bravery around me like a cloak and carry on even when I am afraid.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
My guiding word for this year is collaboration. I am looking for opportunities to develop installation projects that can educate and inspire others. I have done residencies around the globe and I would love to collaborate with others that are looking to create visual installations. i have written six art books and have dozens of videos on my YouTube channel. Please contact me through my website www.SandraDuranWilson.com or email Sandra@SandraDuranWilson.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sandraduranwilson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandraduranwilson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandraduranwilsonartist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sandraduranwilson
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/sandraduranwilson
Image Credits
all photos by Sandra Duran Wilson