Meet Emma Bandos

We recently connected with Emma Bandos and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.

I overcome creativity blocks with my art by stepping away from what I am doing, trying something new and the returning back to the original task. Sometimes this is trying a new art material or just switching the material I am using. It could be researching an artist or new technique and trying to create something inspired by these. And then see how I could apply this to my art. Or even going on a walk, to an art class, spending time with friends and family and by trying a new experience to clear and refocus my mind. Sometimes the best thing for getting past a block is to come back to it and look at it with a new perspective or in a new light.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an artist and a high school art teacher. I love creating art that is personal to me as it allows me to express myself. I love learning about new artists, art materials and techniques and bringing these new findings into my work. I love getting to share this passion for art with my students.
I love working in all kinds of media but typically in 2D works whether it is drawing, painting, digital work, or with film photography. I love mixing different materials and finding different ways to combine them and experiment with them in my work. I use a lot of bright, bold and fun colors and patterns in my work.
I grew up with a passion for art. It was the class that I always looked forward to in school and an outlet for me to express my feelings. It was not until high school that I realized that it was what I wanted to pursue a career in art, and took as many art classes as I could. I went to Western Michigan University and graduated with a degree in Art Education with an Emphasis in Photography. I am currently working on getting my Masters of Art in Art and Design at Lindenwood University. I love using a variety of media and changing up what I create. I love to use bright, bold colors and to add a bit of whimsy to my creations.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three areas of knowledge that were most impactful on my artistic journey were finding my artistic voice; not comparing myself to others, but celebrating everyone’s accomplishments; and continually improving, learning, growing and experimenting. Creativity and self-expression are really important to me and in my work. I love adding meaning, color and pattern to my work. I have always loved art but when I learned to not only copy and build on technique but to add meaning and self expression to my work that I felt truly connected to it. I love looking at work made by others but switching my mindset from comparing my art to theirs to celebrating everyone’s accomplishments really helped me to grow as an artist. We all see the world differently and it is important to capture our own unique experiences. When we compare our art we see all of the flaws. But when we celebrate each other’s accomplishments we focus on our strengths and building upon those. We are never done with our artistic journey and each piece just see how you can learn, grow, and challenge yourself to become an even better artist. When I go back and look at work I have made years ago, I can see how much I have improved and how my work has changed throughout the years and I am sure I will feel the same way when I look back at my work now. But with each piece I am proud of the accomplishments I made and see what I can improve upon next. If I gave up when I was younger and just accepted that it was all I would be able to create, I would have never gotten to the spit where I am at now. We are all on our own path and start from different abilities and our path will take us to different areas based on our personal interests. We should be proud of what we have been able to do so far by being ourselves and uplift each other and motivate one another to continually improve.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I would love to collaborate or partner with you to bring color pattern or design to any sort of space!
No matter who you are, whether if you have an art gallery, restaurant, business, group an artist or individual looking to display or work with colorful art let me know what you are looking for and I would be happy to work with you! Whether it is to display work I have already made, make custom work for you or your location, a certain space you want decorated (like a mural), for an art event, for giving art instruction or more please contact me at [email protected] or message me on instagram @quirkcreation!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://quirkcreation.com
• Instagram: @quirkcreation
• Other: Email: [email protected]