We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Grace Worley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Grace below.
Grace, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
When I got my MFA in grad school, my peers would ask almost daily if I ever went home because I was always at the studio. I usually planned to get to my studio around 7:30/8 am and would stay until I wanted to go home and make dinner, except for meetings or classes I was teaching. The most popular time for my peers to come to the studio was after dinner when all of the classes for the day were over and that was when I would return to the studio for round 2. I grew up in a very busy family, running to meeting after meeting with my mom for the many non-profit organizations she was a member of and back and forth to school and sports and dance classes. I haven’t ever been the type to enjoy calm moments where there is nothing to do, I always find myself trying to be productive in some capacity.
Self-discipline is certainly a quality that you develop or refine in the context of an MFA program as you are juggling many different responsibilities along with being a full-time student in a rigorous program. I became very good at identifying what my goals are and the steps needed to achieve them. I am also a chronic worrier so I tend to think through everything that could possibly go wrong before even starting projects so that I don’t have to worry about something going wrong down the road that could cause a delay or potentially not meet deadlines. This usually keeps me in line and working towards those goals so I don’t ever have to worry about letting someone else down which is my worst nightmare.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a painter born and raised in Akron, Ohio. I attended Wittenberg University where I graduated with my BA in Art Education, and recently graduated from Ohio University with my MFA in Painting + Drawing. As a visual artist, I am dedicated to harnessing the power of art to perform as a catalyst for collective reflection and dialogue that transcends individual perspectives. My liquid charcoal paintings delve into the intricate interplay between memory, the natural environment, and sentimentality, as well as nostalgia and solace. Drawing on the expressive power of charcoal, I explore the nuances of memory and the profound connection we have long shared with the natural world. Through a synthesis of representation and abstraction, my paintings capture the elusive and shifting nature of memories, evoking a sense of familiarity and emotional resonance while making a point of the ephemeral qualities that connect both the environment and memory. In doing so, my work seeks to invite viewers into a time of reflection, offering space to create new connections to nostalgia surrounding the natural environment as our memories withstand the grip of the digital age.
My work has been exhibited throughout Ohio and across the United States including the Swope Art Museum, Riffe Gallery, Medici Museum, Manifest Gallery, and the Springfield Museum of Art. I was awarded the People’s Choice Award in 2020 by The Contemporary Dayton Gallery and was a nominee for the Dedalus Foundation MFA Fellowship in 2022. I have also been featured in several interviews including Hyperallergic, Mineral House Media, and Canvas Rebel, as well as published in numerous publications such as Arts to Hearts Studio Visit Book (Vol. 1), Suboart Magazine (August 2023), and the Nitram Charcoal Inc. blog.
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?
I’d be lying if I said grad school was easy. I almost withdrew from my program on multiple occasions because I came to realize that I wasn’t ready. I always finish what I start so persistence is what kept me going in those times of self-doubt. I learned a lot about who I am and what I am setting out to achieve even beyond grad school. The ability to self-reflect and critique is important in the context of persistence because I would not have been able to succeed in my journey without being able to understand what my weaknesses are and how to use my strengths to build up those areas in which I was lacking. I also had to do a lot of thinking about what I was even doing in the first place and where I wanted to be in the future so that I could evaluate what I needed to change, refine, or seek out.
Another quality that was crucial to my journey was my ability to be optimistic. It sounds contradictory to say that you are someone who worries a lot yet you’re also optimistic but these two qualities kind of go hand in hand for me personally. While I always think about what could go wrong, I am hopeful that any such scenario will never happen but if something does, it will be okay. It’s also been helpful in giving myself some grace when I dig myself into a pit of self-doubt and imposter syndrome. I have been known to put others first which has been a great learning experience for me not just in finding out how to make sure I take care of myself too but also in learning how I can apply my own tips I give that help everyone else to be more confident. A lot of these qualities can be developed just by reflecting on situations and interactions more often and picking apart what made it challenging or frustrating. Learning how to know yourself is a lifelong task but as soon as you start actively trying to understand how you function and respond to things the better you’ll be at planning and catering opportunities to fit your goals and capabilities to ensure future success.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
My parents have played a huge role in this. I learned a lot about responsibility from them and I learned a lot about what it means to help others and why it’s important to dedicate time to community service. This spills into relationships with peers and colleagues and navigating competitive environments. My peers in my MFA program also helped me overcome some challenges and refine the skills needed to be successful in the program through open and honest conversations. We always say that it’s one of those things that a lot of people are probably struggling with but no one is saying anything so you feel weird saying anything or you spiral into thinking that something is wrong with you for feeling a certain way if no one else appears to be feeling that way too. It’s helped me and my peers get to know ourselves more through these honest conversations. We might help each other navigate individual challenges but we all come out of it with a better understanding of ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.graceworley.com
- Instagram: @graceworley.art
