We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Stauffer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My purpose as an artist has evolved over the years as my mental and emotional health has changed. Initially, I returned to the arts as an outlet during a time in my life when I was otherwise professionally stagnant and trapped in unfulfilling work. Later, during my time as a stay-at-home mother to a neurodivergent child, my art practice was a source of predictability in a time that was otherwise chaotic. In both circumstances during these years, art was a way of protecting my own mental health and an avenue for working towards goals of self-improvement that couldn’t be met in other ways. In a way, my purpose was simply survival – how does one move past a period of languishing and then the stress of raising a child with special needs? Now, as a full-time artist and mother to an older child who has grown into himself and become more mature, my purpose as an artist has shifted beyond my own needs. I feel a strong call to leave the world a more beautiful place than I found it. How can I create a body of meaningful work that will leave a legacy that reaches beyond me in time and space?
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?
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with the natural world and when it came time to choose a major in college, biology was the only reasonable choice. I dreamed of doing research, any research. How can we achieve a greater understanding of this world in all its vibrancy and beauty? A flower opens itself to the sun and a hummingbird migrates thousands of miles to meet it in that moment. What are the mechanisms that underly this complicated dance we call life?
While life did not ultimately lead me to the lab I will never stop being a scientist at heart and it has been remarked that I approach my work with the patience of a scientist. Some might say the arts and science are opposing fields of study, but I believe that view to be shortsighted. Both are driven by passion and a desire to understand. Without art, science is only theory, and without science, art is only emotion. Together, they help capture the full breadth of the world and as so many of my colleagues in the wildlife art community can attest, one naturally flows into the other. As I’ve spent so much of my life studying animals, I’m driven to share their stories. What does it mean to be a leopard that has to kill to make its living, and what does it mean to be an elephant who’s witnessed the decimation caused by human poaching? My art, rendered using the meticulous medium of scratchboard in simple black and white, attempts to portray every species with the same sensitivity usually reserved for human subjects. I hope to inspire people to meet these creatures where they are, for who they are, as unique individuals with their own stories to tell. Their struggle to survive, protect their homes, and care for their young is a journey shared by us all. If I can inspire you to see in another animal’s eyes a kinship and a shared experience, then I have done my job.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As a wildlife artist, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of knowing and researching your subjects. Many new or aspiring artists who come to me for critique might have excellent technique, but they do not understand their subject in a way that goes beyond copying their references. You cannot be a slave to your material and if some part of the anatomy does not read accurately, you need to be able to see that. I have a large collection of reference material and anatomy books are always open in my studio.
Persistence is vital. Some successful people are there because of opportunities or privilege that they did not earn. Seeing this, it can be too easy to compare yourself to others and feel defeated by the mountain set before you. Sometimes the gap between where you are and where you want to be feels insurmountable, but every mountain no matter how tall is climbed one step at a time. Don’t allow your present limitations define your future and don’t let your past dictate how your story ends.
It is also vital to find a community of like-minded individuals. Early in my artistic journey, I found my local art league to be very helpful in learning the basics – framing, competition entries, working with galleries, etc. I will be forever grateful to the people I met there. As my work expanded, I sought out groups unique to my medium and genre, and other professionals who I admired. Find the people who are where you want to be and learn at their feet. A good mentor is worth their weight in gold.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I’m choosing to answer this question because my journey has not been typical, but I know I am not alone. I was raised in an environment that checks many of the boxes for dysfunction. My parents divorced when I was young and I didn’t see my father again for twenty years. My mother remarried, divorced again, and fell ill from cancer twice. There were years when she was very sick and I was sent to live with extended family, there was abuse, and there were years spent on welfare. She passed away before I turned twenty and I found myself on my own when I was barely out of high school. It wasn’t until years later than I fully understood that my experience of childhood was not typical and learn to recognize the way it’s impacted who I’ve become.
It’s wonderful to hear stories of parents who lovingly give their children every advantage. The sacrifices made for Olympic medalists, the college funds, and the sleepless nights. That is the type of parent I hope I can be for my son. The unfortunate reality is that many people today are growing up in environments where they don’t have that kind of support by their parents, or their community, or anyone, for any number of reasons. It is a tragedy how much human potential is never realized because of injustice. It can be so easy to compare yourself to others and see only what you lack, or the doors that feel closed to you. To feel only the weight of the trauma you carry. I want to tell those people, who might feel like the world is standing against their dreams, to not give up. You can do great things and be an inspiration not in spite of what you’ve been through, but because of it. I am inspired to use my life to make the world a more beautiful place precisely because I witnessed so much that is not. Sometimes you can only appreciate the sun because you’ve been through the rain.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amystauffer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alstaufferartist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alstaufferartist/
