We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Teresa Korber a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Teresa, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience stems from the coping mechanism I developed as a child to survive a very tough upbringing. This mechanism is useful for dealing with hardships and traumatic situations, but not so effective for everyday life.
The habit of resilience, while it was helpful in times of survival, is hard to shake off now as an adult. Therefore, I am constantly relearning how to slow down and be more present which is what painting helps me to do. To be present, to let go and to trust.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As a full-time artist, I am lucky to have diverse types of work available to me in my field.
For instance, while I create various pieces of artwork from my home studio on canvas, the majority of work with my paintings comes from commissioned specific requests from clients and designers for interior spaces. (Often repeat customers).
My work also involves murals, theatrical scenery & woodworking. Some days I’ll work on custom finishes and interiors in homes but I may also collaborate with nonprofits & local restaurants. I have also exhibited in many Starbucks locations – displaying and selling my works.
Another day you’ll find me restoring antiques, repairing and refinishing furniture, and sometimes rebuilding old pieces and bringing them back to their glory days.
I enjoy doing and creating many different things as part of my work. The diversity of skills and the ability to work with my hands in so many different forms is not only useful, but also entirely too much fun!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the qualities that has helped me pursue my creative path is to recognize and embrace that I need to create to be the happiest and most fulfilled person I can be.
It seems simple, but it took me many years of working in fields that brought me no joy, or that contradicted who I am, to accept my innate need to live a creative life.
This does not mean that the many paths I have taken in my life were useless. I think having a diverse experience in life and work is beneficial, not only for acquiring a variety of skills, some of which you think will never be useful and in fact, they become useful later in life, but also for learning and eliminating the things that do not serve you or fill your cup.
I am fortunate that both of my parents are artists, so I was exposed to that at a very young age and was able to absorb some of my creative surroundings. I also mentioned resilience. I think that being in a creative field requires a bit of resilience because it is not always an easy path. Even though I face challenges as an artist, I also know that I am living my truth and therefore, as long as I do what feels good to me, I know that I am fulfilling my soul’s purpose.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is my all-time favorite book.
I have revisited this book countless times, and every time I read it, it feels like a new discovery.
So, in closing, , I would like to share a valuable and simple lesson from the book:
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tkorber.com
- Instagram: @t.korber.art
- Facebook: T. Korber Art
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/teresakorber
- Twitter: @korber_t
- Other: TikTok: @tkorber
