We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adrienne Kinsella. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adrienne below.
Adrienne, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love it if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
My pleasure. I can be generous to a fault. I think I can attribute this tendency to be generous first to my parents, who modeled this for me in how they were always doing things for other people. When I truly care about someone, I tend to give. Call it a “love language” or a tendency, it makes me happy to do things for the ones I love. Secondly, mentors who were generous with me with their time, instruction and encouragement have taught me to practice the same. In the context of career, I’m a firm believer in lifting up colleagues rather than tearing them down. Generosity in promoting others, sharing opportunities, and even recommending someone else for a job you know they could likely do better than yourself are practices I’ve found to be so personally rewarding. I think this comes from having a settledness in who we are and in our own abilities that can enable us to be okay with promoting the people around us. We live in a time where self-promotion is the default, but maybe something can also be gained by helping others. There is something so beautiful in that, and I believe that in practicing kindness and generosity, it will eventually be returned. Even when it’s not reciprocated, I remain hopeful that eventually things will come around and get better.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’d be happy to. I am an artist and educator, receiving my MFA in spring of 2021. Graduate school confirmed to me that I was pursuing exactly what I was meant to do. I’ve described the experience as learning to fly – and I am ever indebted to those that taught me to do so.
My fine art practice focuses on a search for belonging and contemplates interiors and exteriors both literally and psychologically. My recent research and work focus on concepts of healing and how we cope with the things life deals us. Both painting and drawing make up the core of my practice, with the figure playing a key role in how these themes are communicated. I began using myself as a model during the lockdown, and this self-portraiture has continued. It’s a vulnerable position to repeatedly place myself in, and yet I hope the viewer may feel known through my willingness to portray moments one may not typically want to share. I’m also thinking about the female experience, about times when we are frozen as if in a jello – on display for all to see and yet stuck situationally or mentally.
I think to be an emerging visual artist takes a lot of grit to keep going, to keep making and to keep showing up when things get difficult. Someone told me once that “if you don’t have a pile of rejection letters on your desk, you’re not applying to enough shows.” This was a profound encouragement. Facing rejections and difficulties in life has produced a fire in me to push myself forward, and though there are certainly challenges, I keep going.
One of the most inspiring things that keeps me going is my students. For me, teaching is as key to who I am as being a visual artist. I count myself incredibly fortunate to have these two facets of my career so compliment one another. I teach at California State University, Northridge and Otis College of Art & Design. To inspire the next generation of artists, is such a precious trust. I am continually encouraged by my students’ creativity and life.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In looking back, it’s interesting to consider what makes impacts. Life is full of positive and negative impacts, and I think it’s how we choose to respond to these things that can create bitterness in us or become a chance for growth. I think of my heritage as a descendant of the Tongva Tribe of Los Angeles. Atrocities and injustices must be acknowledged…and yet, in order to move forward in healing, I find bringing awareness and knowledge of who we are is something that is positive. There is so much work to be done, but I am grateful to be living in a time where there is more of an attempt to understand those we consider “other.”
Another impact was my son being diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. This has produced a great degree of empathy in me for those within this misunderstood community, as well as made me a more patient person.
Another impact was attending graduate school. This season brought one of the most fulfilling times in my life, and yet one of the most challenging, as we were a class that was deeply impacted by the Pandemic. I’ve described the abruptness of having to leave my studio, employment on campus and the joy I was experiencing to be akin to being thrown from a moving vehicle. I think our culture experienced a collective “car crash” during that time. Those that encouraged me to keep making and keep going, even as things became so dark, taught me to hope and that I could keep producing no matter the circumstance.
The struggles we face can truly bring strength on our journeys, and the encouraging words, smiles and laughs we share with others along the way are invaluable. I would encourage those just starting out to make plans and work hard but understand that life tends to throw curve balls. When difficulties arise, as they inevitably do, it’s our response that is key. I am no stranger to discouragement, but if you can stay hopeful, and keep going, something will hit sooner or later. I am also realizing more and more that it is the people along the paths of our journeys that really count, and the work is the mechanism that gets us to them. If we can combine our productiveness with a building of friendships along the way then life can be pretty rich.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I’ve done a lot of thinking about this in the past three years. When I feel overwhelmed, I first take inventory of my self-care. Am I sleeping enough? (Probably not!) Am I taking time to rest? (What is that?) I am a hard worker, but I’ve learned a lot about taking time to recharge. I run, hike, practice yoga, and make time with friends at least once a week…the whole idea of self-care was foreign to me for years, but I think keeping this as part of your overall lifestyle is key. This also came out of the Pandemic days, where I couldn’t quite process the emotions I was experiencing and began to study what helps people feel “okay.” Simply taking a walk, getting some sunlight, or calling a trusted friend can help put things into perspective.
When I am overwhelmed, I tend to make lists to organize my thoughts and visualize what I actually have to do and find some peace as things slowly get checked off as completed. I try to always find a way to be working on something, whether it be class prep, website maintenance, research or planning for new works. These things can eclipse actual time in the studio, though, so I also find it helpful to carve out time for studio work and try my best to guard it. It’s all a process, but I will say that staying organized is something that really helps things not become too overwhelming.
I also think understanding your most productive hours is unique to each of us and incredibly vital to own. We all work differently.
Lastly, I’d say to stay current with your respective market, and let it encourage you to join the conversation rather than make you want to give up. Instead of giving in to intimidation, let the amazing work of other artists be something that inspires you. Overall, I think finding what uniquely motivates you is a vital thing to discover. Knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing will propel you through some of the deepest challenges you may face.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.adriennekinsella.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennekinsella/ @AdrienneKinsella
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-kinsella-486808177/
Image Credits
Samuel Kinsella
