Meet Heather Heckel

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Heckel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.

Heather, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I keep my creativity alive by finding inspiration outside of myself. I participate in artist residency opportunities and freelance commissions. Making art about a certain theme or to meet certain client requirements sparks my problem solving skills.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am lucky to have a dual career as an artist and art educator. I love my job because I inspire others and teach them to be creative, while also engaging in my own creative process. The school year provides several breaks where I can travel and work on my artwork, and the process is reciprocal–I learn from my students while they are learning from me. I have taught public school art for 11 years so far at the high school and middle school levels, and am looking forward to the next school year. This summer I have been awarded 3 artist residencies through the National Park Service–at Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Massachusetts, Ninety Six National Historic Site in South Carolina, and Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico.

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?

Three qualities that were most impactful on my journey were my artistic skills, curiosity, and a positive attitude. I earned my BFA in Illustration from the Ringling College of Art and Design, my MAT in Art Education from the School of Visual Arts, my MFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and my EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of the Cumberlands. These programs and institutions of higher learning gave me an excellent education through developing my artistic skills, and teaching me how to share that knowledge and nurture growth in my art classroom. Curiosity inspired me to apply to jobs and opportunities that were beyond my comfort zone, and a positive attitude allowed me to keep persevering and make the most of what I was doing even when I didn’t know what the outcome would be. As an artist, we often have to travel a meandering path to arrive at a collection of jobs or a career that lets us be an artist but also make a living.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed I prioritize and break my timeline down into manageable bites. Often with freelance jobs when it rains, it pours–it’s either a feast or famine. This excess is a good thing because I never turn down a job, but it can be overwhelming when there are multiple deadlines and a finite amount of time. Once I decide the order of those deadlines I look for ways that I can chip away at what needs to get done first. I have a long commute on public transit, so I often spend time on the commuter train working on projects. I have a couple free periods a day when I’m teaching, so I spend those continuing to work on those projects. I also find that I have 4 – 5 hours of creative energy each day, then I hit a creative wall where I physically can’t do anymore work. I know this about myself, so it’s about finding the time in my day to access those usable hours. It’s also important to find time to relax and practice self-care, even though that takes time they help me to be the most productive.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photograph of Heather taken by Phillip Roncoroni

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