Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Esther Moorehead. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Esther , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I always knew I would follow a creative path. It has taken many years to come to a place where I feel grounded in my purpose, but looking back, every little detail has led to where I am and I’m grateful for my messy journey of life. Although I have considered myself an artist for a long time, it wasn’t until 2020 that I began to have a full realization of my “why.”
My family had moved from Canada to Charlotte in 2018. We had a tough few years prior to that. My husband needed to find different work, I was recovering from cancer, we were trying to raise two young daughters. We needed a fresh start. We were just beginning to get our bearings in Charlotte when COVID-19 hit. Our futures were in question, our families separated, some forever from us, and the collective descent into depression, addiction, violence, and hopelessness was tangible. There had to be some way I could be helpful. There had to be something more I could do. But I wasn’t a healthcare worker or on the front lines—I wasn’t considered “essential.” Like many people during this time, I had to address a crisis of purpose and faith. It was like a catalyst that brought me to my knees about many existential things. I agonized through difficult questions of doubt, bitterness, rationality, and the reality of suffering coexisting with beauty. I found answers when I came to the end of myself and came face to face with God’s goodness through Jesus. It was the first time I could see the impact of His sacrifice in offering hope that transcends everything. A light turned on for me and everything made sense. A living faith has helped me understand the worth of pursuing beauty, light, and hope. I kept hearing a phrase repeat in my head that my grandfather and dad said often—where there’s life, there’s hope. I had what I needed to move forward.
I began to finally to realize the full significance that art and its makers have on the world. Even if we approach making art with different perspectives, artists have the ability to change the way people see, to help open them to different ways of thinking, or simply help them to temporarily pause reality and revel in the beauty of a single memory or object or moment in time. But they offer the world something even more: they offer an emotional response to what it is to be human, to be active participants in the miracle of life. I saw that my contribution could be just as important as physical aid workers because mental, emotional and spiritual health are equally as important for humanity to thrive. I began to paint furiously, with deep intention, finally finding my voice. The first body of new works that emerged in 2020 I titled “Passengers.” I was creating crowds of figures, usually in cities and crosswalks, metaphors for the collective human experience. Since then, each image I create is a microcosm of narratives and experiences. What do these encounters tell us? How are they significant? Who are these people and what are their stories? What can we share with them? What can they teach us? I do not want to overlook the value we can find in shared moments of life.
Where there’s life, there’s hope. Throughout art history, a memento mori is a recurring symbol pointing to life’s brevity and our impending death. But my purpose is grounded in the reverse: memento vivere. Though we will die, remember to live.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The last couple years have been incredibly transformative for me. Since I finally felt grounded in my purpose as a creative, I began to have the confidence to treat my practice professionally. I began to truly value my work and immerse myself in the Charlotte creative scene. There are so many wonderful opportunities for creatives to grow here. I applied to exhibitions, showed in a variety of venues and galleries, won awards, and found many new collectors. I also expanded my portfolio to paint wall murals. I moved into a studio in Charlotte’s west end and have been working tirelessly to elevate my skill and grow a dynamic body of works. I typically use acrylic paints on canvas or wood, but I have been exploring mixed media and 3-dimensional ideas recently. I am never happier than when I’m immersed in the universe of a painting.
All of my work is about seeing the light in life–whether it’s in a tiny detail or a moment shared, or the collective journey of humanity through time and space. I choose to depict my ideas through anonymous figures so they can act as mirrors for introspection. They are meant to symbolize what it means to be human, to remind us of character qualities every person can be better for. The people I paint all have different stories to tell, but yet are all in transit, together.
In 2023 I was juried into the ArtPop Street Gallery Class and had my work displayed all over the USA and Canada on billboards and digital signs. ArtPop was a wonderful way for me to connect to many more artists and creatives. I painted a mural in the huge collaborative mural project called Luminous Lane in the heart of uptown that features over 40 local artists. Then I also had the opportunity to travel to Germany to exhibit work on behalf of the North Carolina Zeitgeist Foundation.
This year I have been working with art consultants and advisors to help me curate my path forward to explore new ideas and position myself to what is next for me in my career. I was just accepted to two residency programs in Europe so I can’t wait to dive even deeper!
I have a some affiliate galleries for exclusive collections of my work in Mooresville, NC and New Hampshire. Currently, most of my work can be purchased directly from my studio in Charlotte. I am open to commissions and murals for 2024!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Curiosity–as an artist, being curious is crucial to my success. The act of being in wonder at something is such a gift because it can turn the most mundane of things into a multi-faceted jewel. This has helped in my everyday experience of life as well as in pursuing art as a career. Along with curiosity is the idea of openness to things. Practically, that has helped me in connecting with new creative people and opportunities. When I moved to Charlotte I didn’t know anyone. I decided I had nothing to lose, so I started reaching out to artists I followed on Instagram, asking if they’d have coffee and tell me about their experience or give advice on how to connect in the city. From there, it became a snowball effect of creative meetups, learning about exhibitions to attend, finding out about important people and organizations to follow, and applying to shows, etc.
Empathy– to be able to see things from another’s perspective is something I’ve found to be important to my journey. Things aren’t always black and white as we think. Life is full of different colors and shades and tints! Reality is concrete, but our perspective can certainly change the way we experience it. And being able to understand that someone else may view life from a different lens is extremely helpful in learning how to work together and have more patience and kindness with them.
Resolve — (can also be read “stubbornness”!!) Being an artist is not a career to follow if you want your ego stroked! There are so many personal defeats, feeling imposter syndrome and insecurity, being misunderstood, being thought of as a freak or flake, untold application denials, projects that fall through, being underpaid, undervalued, underestimated, being told your life’s purpose is nothing more than a side hobby, the list goes on. So the test of a true artist is their fortitude in the face of these challenges. Being an artist is truly a life calling, not a career choice. We MUST create. But, as many of us are empaths and often very intuitive people, it can be so crushing to bear these realities. A healthy dose of stubbornness has gotten me through some of these things more often than I realize!
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Being part of ArtPop Street Gallery was a catalyst to help validate my practice to me professionally. That, combined with traveling overseas to exhibit my work, really helped expand my perspective and build many more connections that are proving to be incredibly helpful as I map out my next steps!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.esthermoorehead.com
- Instagram: @esthermooreheadart
- Facebook: @esthermooreheadfineart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-moorehead-7161a6151/
Image Credits
Robb Webb Michael Kowalczyk
