We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lisa Evans. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
My days start very slowly. Generally with coffee in a quiet space alone, clearing my mind and thinking about what the day will look like. It’s how I get myself mentally organized. If I skip this ritual my whole day feels off kilter.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a ceramic artist working from my home studio in Brunswick, Maine.
Over the past 20 years my focus on ceramics has steadily increased until in 2019 I was able to devote myself entirely to ceramics. I created porcelain objects that were functional sculptural pieces. During these years I traveled extensively to juried fine craft shows throughout New England and the MidAtlantic and also sold my work through online retail venues as well as my own website.
However, since my last interview with Canvas Rebel I have made some major decisions about my focus and how I run my practice. After a lot of contemplation I decided to change direction almost entirely, went back to school, and am now exploring purely sculptural multimedia installation work.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
This is an interesting and apropos question for me at this moment.
For the past 25 years I have worked as an entrepreneur creating several businesses, selling them, and taking increasingly more challenging paths. My past work has always involved design, an element of retail sales, customer service, and travel whether to trade shows, leading educational retreats, or attending juried contemporary fine craft shows. This way of working is fairly traditional which doesn’t mean easy, but there are prescribed methods and guides which I followed believing this was the way it had to be done. With so many demands on the independent artist this can become a life sucking existence.
For me what started as creating unique individual pieces turned into production work, tracking inventory, detailed measurements to fulfill online sales requirements, and constant self-promotion. This is antithetical to my pursuit of quiet, contemplative, and unique work. All of this took the joy out of creating work that I still love and may one day revisit on my own very different terms. So I stopped. I miss the community that surrounds the shows but I don’t miss the physically and emotionally demanding lifestyle.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
Following on the heels of the last question, my change in direction began roughly 2 years ago with the decision to take a 1 year sabbatical from my studio. This break afforded me the time to think deeply about my work and the artistic directions I wanted to explore yet was unable to previously. I began considering the ‘what ifs?’ This seemingly simple change in thinking allowed a lot of serendipity to flow in. Specific and timely workshops allowing me to pursue this work began to surface, and I met people who helped me bring structure to this change. I am very grateful for the ability to consider and implement this dramatic shift.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
In a word, yes. I am not very good at creating a persona and am to a fault honest about my experiences and opinions.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Yes, I believe I am following my own muse and anticipate my studio work will continue to grow and develop organically. Independence was modeled for me by my parents growing up and I have always tried to be true to myself by paying attention to how I felt about my direction. I don’t make changes quickly and try to be very thoughtful when I do so it has been a slow and incremental process.
This most recent change has been big and kind of scary. It made me question if I was making a massive mistake by abandoning everything I’d built to this point. In a moment of clarity I realized it wasn’t an ending, rather a culmination of everything I’d done. I could now feel free to delve into what is likely the most challenging pursuit of all, pursuing art for the sake of art without the burden of the commercial world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.LisaBEvans.com
- Instagram: lisabevans_ceramics
Image Credits
Josh Johnson
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