We recently connected with Ivy Case and have shared our conversation below.
Ivy , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
The first thought that comes to mind when I think of “where” I developed my resilience from is less of a place and more of a person. I suspect my answer may be a common cliche’, but nonetheless, it’s the most honest. I believe that I developed a large part of my resilience from my mother; from watching her muddle herself and 4 children through the chaos that was our lives when we were young, largely on her own, and doing so with the driest, most inappropriate but necessary humor one can muster (which I can assure you, IS a necessity to surviving the hurdles of life.) Her resilience was more so an adaptation born of force rather than choice, but nonetheless, I believe it had an undoubted impact on how I would make choices. It’s shaped how I respond to pressure, how I attempt to understand and survive the hard parts of life, and how I form habits that I try my best to follow as an Artist. The tragedies that life has in store for each of us are usually unknown and have the potential to be absolutely devastating. However, if I’ve learned anything from my Mother, it’s that there’s not much use in taking any trauma too personally. Her favorite catchphrase to me if I’m spiraling on the “what-ifs” is, “well, if the worst thing that can happen is that you die, WHATEVER. Then you’re dead anyways!” For whatever reason, that jolts something in me where I can pull away from the made-up drama that life COULD be, into the present moment. And it makes me laugh at myself! I think resilience is born of that attitude, at least a little bit. So many things could and ought to go wrong, but yet… here we are. I don’t have it in me to allow the hard parts to harden my outlook or give up. Life is meant to be challenging, I think. But we all have a choice on how we let that define our attitude.
In terms of being an Artist (both in terms of dancing and painting), you HAVE to develop resiliency if you want to succeed, baby! One could argue that that is true of most professions, but I would say that creating Art as a career is on the harder end of the spectrum. To be an Artist, you have to be willing to not only bare your soul, but to develop your skills as a business person alongside being a creative. Art is subjective: which means you will experience dry spells that will make you doubt your dream and wonder if you are worth anything at all. However, you may ALSO have a few collectors or patrons who buy your work or see your performances again and again because it speaks to them on a deep and otherworldly level. I think the key is to keep creating. Create when a random tells you your work sucks, create when you’ve painted over the same piece 10 times and want to set it on fire. Create when the choreography still isn’t settling in your body, or when you’re feeling discouraged by how much better the other dancers at the audition are. As an Artist, it’s our responsibility to honor the little spirit in each of us that needs to make something beautiful that transcends regular life. Whenever I’m feeling particularly doubtful or sorry for myself, I remind myself of all the magical things that have happened as a consequence of me putting in the work anyways. Resilience is deciding to show up and try your best even when things fall apart… because the more you do it, the more you see that you’re capable of still thriving in the face of adversity.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
When clients or co-workers ask what all I do in the dance/fitness/art world, I usually respond with a laugh because it’s been so all-over-the-place for the last 10 years. Although my life is a little slower these days as I prepare for my first baby, I still wear many hats. Currently, my biggest goal is focusing more on my art business so I can work from home and spend time with my daughter. I have an aim to develop my skills as a muralist and work on bigger scale projects, and also plan to start teaching art workshops in my community in Reno, NV. Prior to this year, I was dancing professionally in several running shows in the Reno/Tahoe area, working with a modern dance company, teaching around 15 classes rotating between Pilates/Yoga/Dance, AND developing my art business! It’s been a wild ride to say the least, but I’m glad for this pivot to mainly painting, and a little bit of teaching. If the right shows present themselves, I would love to perform in this next year, but I know that no matter what, I will continue offering unique commissions and original works to collectors as I dive into this next adventure of my life!
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?
If I were to look back over the last 10 years of developing my skills as a painter, teacher, and dancer, these are the top 3 strategies that I would consider the most impactful on helping me succeed AND find my voice.
1) BE CONSISTENT. Being consistent means dedicating time to developing your technique in your craft. That can look like taking classes at a local studio, setting aside a window of time daily where you paint or draw, or setting a goal of having enough pieces for a scheduled show. I find that if I create deadlines for myself, I do MUCH better on implementing painting time rather than showing up when it “feels right.” There are days where I do not feel inspired or like creating whatsoever, but I choose to show up at my easel or at the dance studio anyways so I can release excess energy and connect with the creative force. Your dedication is what will carry you through the dry spells and hard times!
2) Connect with other Artists. Because painting can be so insular, it’s no wonder that so many of us fall into depressive states where nothing seems to be going right. That could be in terms of a painting, lack of sales, or just feeling uninspired by your current practice! I’ve had some of my best ideas after connecting with other artists at retreats, art shows, or group painting classes. Sharing your work with other artists is a great way of getting feedback and in drawing inspiration for your work. It also keeps you connected to different art opportunities that could be taking place in your community. Reach out to your fellow artists and if you find someone whose work speaks to you, let them know!
3) Diversify your skills. As a Creative, I have found that in order to have a stable art practice, I have often had to have multiple sources of income, ESPECIALLY during slow seasons. I’ve worked everything from receptionist to bartending, house-cleaning, fitness instructing, and in between. I knew that I WANTED to mainly work as a dancer and artist, but it would take a lot of trial and error to accomplish that dream. From my early twenties and on, I worked hard to learn everything I could about teaching, performing, and developing a business as an independent contractor. This included college classes, international trainings, online classes – really whatever piqued my interest and felt like information that could help me understand how to develop my skills. I’m still learning, even now. It’s taken me a long time to feel like I somewhat have my feet underneath me, but I imagine I will always feel like there’s areas I could be doing better at.
I think it helps to remember that everyone is figuring out what works best for their vision as they go! Trust your instincts and believe you are capable of making your dreams happen.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
The answer to this question is YES!! I feel like I’m at this beautiful spot with my Art where I want to learn more about what I don’t know – specifically branching out into painting large scale murals and getting into a little bit of clothing design (ie, hand painted/bleached/dyed clothing.) I’ve done a little bit with both, but I’d love to have the opportunity to work with another artist in real life as an assistant. There’s nothing like getting to collaborate on big, beautiful projects with a group of people. It’s so much fun, and I feel like the in-person, real-time critiques can level up your art game so quickly! Similarly in combining art with dance, I think it’d be so cool to combine painting with modern dance choreography for either a live performance or video shoot. The possibilities are endless! If you’d like to collaborate on a project, you can reach me via email at [email protected] OR via dm through my instagram @ivycasestudios
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ivycasestudios.com/
- Instagram: @ivycasestudios
- Facebook: Https;//facebook.com/ivy.harbour
Image Credits
Justin Case, Trisha French
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