We recently connected with Brooke Ebeling and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brooke, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
As both an artist and art educator, I center my practice around creative confidence. Feeling good about your work is a skill that takes practice and a lot of grace. A large factor in being able to develop that skill is giving yourself permission to experiment and make “bad art”. It took years of painting tiny studies nearly every day before something finally *clicked*. There were times where I was frustrated or maybe less satisfied with the final product than I had hoped, but I kept going, kept practicing, and never beat myself up for making a “failed” painting. Every single session in front of the easel is an opportunity to improve. I can look at the work I create now and compare it to the work I’ve made in the past, and I can appreciate the growth in not only my skill, but in my love of the process.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My career is divided into two main segments – my studio practice and my teaching. In the studio, I create bright and playful figurative oil paintings. My current series revolves around LGBTQ+ identities, and explores the many ways in which we express ourselves and share these identities with the world. These paintings celebrate the joy, humor, and of discovering who you are, and of finding your place in a much larger, and equally unique, community.
As a teaching artist, I work with students from early childhood to adults, striving to create and encouraging, low-pressure environment for students to create freely. I teach the basic skills and techniques, then give the students space to experiment and play. My goal as an educator is never to generate a classroom full of artists who paint just like me, but rather to give these budding artists the tools they need to find out what *they* like to create, *how* they like to create it, and how to do it with joy and confidence.
I feel that in both aspects of my career, I am making a space for people to celebrate the act of creating, and the many ways that we can use our creativity to explore our identities and share our joy with the world.
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?
As I’ve mentioned before, just being able to give yourself permission to “fail” is such a huge skill to have. I put the word “fail” in quotes, because I feel that any attempt at creating is just another step towards your goal. There are always opportunities to learn and grow, even if that opportunity doesn’t look exactly like how you pictured it in your head. Being kind to yourself in those moments allows you to appreciate them, and move on.
On the technical side of things, having some understanding of the materials you’re using can do wonders for the quality of your work, and the ease at which you create it. Artists by no means need to have the most expensive brands of supplies lining the shelves in their studios (I’ve seen some absolutely incredible pieces made with Crayola!), but knowing which materials will work best with the way *you* create will be instrumental in developing your skill.
And finally, taking the time to discover what you actually like to create will do wonders for the consistency of your practice. I realize that sounds obvious, but I’ll use myself as an example. When I graduated from art school, I knew I wanted to paint and I knew *how* to do it, but I had no idea *what* I wanted to paint. So, I went on Instagram and saw how most contemporary painters were painting these really beautiful and colorful paintings of food — candy and coffees and brightly colored pastries. So I did the same. And about 100 food paintings later I realized…I don’t like painting food! I had such a hard time getting into the studio some days, but it’s because I wasn’t excited about the work at all. Now I am primarily a figurative painter, and I feel much more devoted to my practice and thrilled to create. As an artist, you should be willing to experiment and try out different subjects and styles to find what you like. But to quote the wise meme, “If it sucks…hit da bricks!” and try something else!
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Right now the biggest obstacle I’m facing is one that I’m sure a lot of artists are struggling with. Everything is so much more expensive than it was even just a few years ago. It’s already difficult to maintain a practice while working a day job, but when you have to work more hours to make ends meet, or even find another job, that leaves much less time for creating (or even energy to create when there *is* time). It’s been hard to maintain a steady, consistent practice while juggling the weight of financial stresses and fatigue from working to combat it.
I think as artists, it’s important to remind ourselves that even when we spend less time in the studio, we are no less artists than if we spend all day every day sitting in front of an easel. I do what I can to paint as often as I’m able, but I still give myself permission to rest if needed, and the grace to know that tomorrow is another day to try again.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.brookeebelingart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brookeebelingart/
- Other: Tiktok: Brooke Ebeling Art
