Meet Monica Wickeler

We recently connected with Monica Wickeler and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Being raised in Canada, on the shores of a Great Lake by new immigrant parents, I recognized that my upbringing was unique, my parents dancing to their own beat. My father was from a small farming town in Luxembourg and my Mother was from Berlin. My siblings and I were given so much freedom to roam as children. My mother hung a big, brass bell from the porch and rang it loudly when we were to come home for dinner, we could hear that bell for miles, and all of our friends would shout “Wickelers time for dinner!”. we drove dune buggies and motorbikes on the beach from a young age. we built tree forts and had total access to my Fathers workshop. Mom was a ceramic artist and it wasn’t unusual to have her studio full of students attending her workshops. We explored building in wood and clay, reconstructing all of our store-bought toys into custom-build fun. As an artist now in my fifties I don’t hesitate to one moment take up a welding torch and the next climb onto a scissor lift, Even tho I work in mainly male-dominant industries I feel at home with my abilities.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a public artist who paints large-scale community murals and three-dimensional public art installations. My first experience learning large-scale painting was in the outdoor advertising industry, working in a crew hand painting photo-realism at giant ads on the side of buildings in downtown Toronto.
I have moved away from advertising and now I hand paint public murals for the community, often sharing messages of kindness and joy. I am motivated by the impact public art can have on people’s everyday lives,
the way public art can transform an underused urbane space, reclaiming it and giving it a positive spin so people want to spend more time together.
I value collaborations and see how working together can create a richer experience and a more dynamic artwork.

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?
Looking back, there are a few things that I feel that have had the most impact on my journey. Having the confidence to take on new challenges even if I don’t yet have the skill base. Creating art can be experiential and we can develop any skill as we are producing art.
To let go of the ego and work as a team without taking individual credit for the work. Collaborative work has always led to more dynamic, richer, more interesting artworks, which usually speak to a wider audience. I have discovered that the importance of the work doesn’t always lie in who the author is but more in what impact it has on the audience.
and lastly, but most importantly, I think the greatest skill is to work with integrity. To be your authentic self and create from the heart.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Years ago after getting funding for a project, I was standing in front of the wall I was going to produce a piece for and I recognized in the moment that something was missing. I had a feeling of lack even though I had everything I needed. What I was missing was the collective, I was working solo and only expressing a singular point of view. I recognised I needed to be working as a team, to be able to brainstorm and collaborate. From that project on I have always worked into the budget room for another artist and found an immense satisfaction in those collaborations. Look at my website for examples of amazing collaborations with ‘The Laneway Project”, with “Nyle Miigizi Johnston”, with many other artist who bring such depth and richness to a project. If any artists are looking to collaborate please reach out to me, I am open to ideas.

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