Meet Elizabeth Marie

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Marie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Resilience is an incredibly powerful word. Not just a word, it has a specific purpose and process. We all have difficulties and challenges in life no matter our genetics, culture, environment and relationship dynamics. Some have experiences that bring trauma, physical and mental health adversities. It’s how we choose to embrace the experience is what makes some of us resilient.

I have to say, my resiliency began in the womb. Before my mother’s pregnancy with me she suffered a late first trimester miscarriage. Her pregnancy with me had tale-tell signs of a negative outcome also with her having abnormal bleeding which led the doctors to prescribe various drugs. In the 50s and 60s various new drugs were given to women who had severe side effect such as nausea and bleeding. My mother said back in those days, you did what the doctors told you, took the prescriptions and followed their orders. Sadly, to the horror of parents and doctors the side effects produced many physical abnormalities and mental disabilities.

I was born looking like a typical baby to the joy of parents and siblings. My mother recalls telling the doctor, she’s the ugliest baby she’s ever seen. The doctor smiled and told her, those turn out to be the most beautiful. I did have a partially clubbed right foot and as I developed, cognitive challenges appeared, which in those day words like dyslectic, autism, ADHD weren’t in the vocabularies of the medical world.

I gravitated to reading upside down, which created a load of problems, since I had to conform to school training, which meant I would grab two books, one that looked like I was reading like very one else in the class yet what I saw was the second book hidden and upside down behind the other to read out loud from. In college I was the last to finish tests because I’d have to turn the paper upside down to read and write my answers write side up. Names like stupid and slow were thrown at me. Teachers would report that I was unfocused, not paying attention and disobedient.

My parents did the best they could given their upbringing and the parenting tools they had. It was stressful for them and their four children. I was third child who they had to provide overwhelming amount of attention to due to the process of fixing the clubbed foot with specialty shoes with a bar between for when I slept, and during the day leg braces. I cried at the movie Forrest Gump, seeing him in those braces; that was my life. And the scene of braces coming off and him running, that is how I see my resiliency.

I didn’t know it at the time of these moments that I self-taught myself to see the lessons, be a problem solver, rely on my intuition, creativity and communication abilities to thrive. That choices matter and I wasn’t a victim. My power is in the beauty of the hardships to fulfill my destiny and purpose with each wisdom and discerning choice I make to flourish and prosper.

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 one of those folks that likes to be doing. Especially in the creation of a thought or vision. In these times though, with the challenges of the economy and the open market of social media, being solely a creative is a game of marketing for the consumer dollar. Many creatives have to supplement their income with a job, I jokingly say it’s an acronym for as just over broke for my wage, insurance and other benefits.

When I’m not tethered to three computer monitors for work, I’m producing art; paintings, merchandise, and books. Much of my work is on my art website and social media pages. Producing creatively for me is one of an inspired moment. I rarely work from a sketched out design, opting for that voice in me that says, hey Elizabeth start with yellow here and then add blue there. It’s exciting to see what happens and the finished product. Each painting is truly an inspired work of art from out of nowhere.

Currently, I’m heavily involved in Richmond Texas with the arts. I’m the president of The Historic Richmond Association where we create community festivals and awareness to promote the historic area, support the community and bring people together, which elevates my spirit to be philanthropic with my time and professional attributes. As Co-Chair of Art In The Bend festival, my part includes securing sponsorships, vendors, social media and marketing and our featured artist for each year’s event. This is my favorite, to find that local artist and celebrate their talents in our marketing campaigns. And through a couple of city projects, my artwork will be featured on utility boxes at intersections of this quaint and rapid growing city.

I exhibit and sale at Art Machine Gallery in Houston Texas at Sawyer Yards in the Silos, which for three years now has been voted The Best of The Best gallery in Houston. Art is a living object that evokes a feeling. To have art collectors purchase my works is a great affirmation that what I create brings value and joy; goals of mine as an artist.

And I’m excited to rebrand my books An Eagle Soars and Leaving The Nest from a young children’s book series to stories that enlighten the younger adult about their choices, their environment and diving purpose. Rediscovering their inner child; heal the past and empower their now. My passion is storytelling. Oh the stories I have to tell about perseverance, spirituality, and as this article open, the choice to be resilient.

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?

The qualities and skills that have provided for my lessons and success are: curiosity and wonder, observing and listening, and trusting divine guidance in my uniqueness. The combination has given me confidence, knowledge and empathy to work with my interpersonal challenges and dreams, people’s eccentricities, and the ever-changing world.

To be a business person especially as a creative, we have to be aware of the window of opportunity opening; seeing the trends and being a trend setter, knowing it’ll run its course. To the dismay of many, they become aware of it when the window is closing.

The first and most important on an early journey is to know, without a shadow of a doubt that your vision is a viable vision for the customer you are seeking to sell to. There is a huge difference in the fantasy which is the yummy side of the vision and the real-world application of the vision. This is where the hard work comes in to start, creating a business and marketing plan. For some this is exciting because it clarifies everything, which is empowering; to others it’s dreadful because is washes the fantasy away.

As an artist my advice is check your ego. Being an artist, is a business guided with laws, taxes and marketing rules to follow. It, especially as a visual artist, has the need for financial income support your living as well as to maintain an inventory and space to store your inventory. It requires fresh and new ideas in a subjective world of art collector tastes. Unlike musicians, dancers, and the performing arts, where the inventory is not one of a material capacity, your songs, dance and theatrical acting can be repeated to the delight of the audience and customer generating residual income. As a visual artist, we must create a new work of art after every sale. Realistic expectations of your finances, your space, your marketing and influence skills are all a must when stepping into this creative journey.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am! I’m seeking to move from the self-publishing world into a meaningful and prosperous partnership with a book publishing company that has a successful author resume highlighting my previously published books and the ones in wait. The big dream is to work with a production company to bring my books to the visual entertainment world such as a TV or movie.

On a community level, I’m looking for artists for when a call comes to me needing a specific skill set for a community project, I would be able to draw from fellow artists to refer.

The most desirable is to have a career change that brings my creative skills, professional strengths, intuitive insights to a team that is positive, influential, guided by faith into my life. I’ll know more as the vision is honed and the magic of this team is revealed.

I look forward to hearing from integrity driven folks! I can be reached at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emarieart.com
• Instagram: elizabethmariefineart
• Facebook: elizabethmariefineart