We were lucky to catch up with Joan Fabian recently and have shared our conversation below.
Joan, 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?
As a small child growing up I had to deal with many personal challenges. I was bullied and my family life wasn’t always calm and supportive. My mother worked in a factory to support us. I believe I looked to my mother as a strong resilient woman and that made a big impression on me. She gave me the strength to overcome obstacles. If she could do that I could also.
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?
I am a contemporary artist working in painting and collage. I also do Public Art Commissions. I grew up in Chicago and received my BFA at the School of the Art Institute. I wanted to further my credibility as an artist and then received a MFA ar the University of Texas at San Antonio. My art creating has taken me on many adventures. I received a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach and create new art at the National Collage of Art in Lahore, Pakistan. I wanted to experience another culture and art different from my own up close. I lived there and made many friends with fellow artists and students. It fueled my art making in ways that travel does in looking at totally new surroundings. My work is about making marks that testify to the human experience. Though we are all unique, we share the need to express and add to the visual dialogue. My work draws inspiration from how people live, movement and memories. The older I get the wealthier I become because I have many experiences that helped shape me and define my role as an artist.
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?
Being a flexible person when setting my goals has key. Making it in the art world is very hard and one gets mostly rejection. Not taking it all personally is hard so being realistic of your successes means keep plugging ahead knowing it’s just part of the process. You get knocked down but you get back up. Being kind to yourself and having a good support system helps. Knowing the art field is fickle and always changing can help.
Due to a challenging childhood I think my motto of “I have nothing to loose” in trying to be a successful artist. Just keep resilient.
I believe that really listening to oneself is super important. If you are trying to be like someone else thinking you will have success if you take the same paths. Why not create new paths. Your style, technique or vision is you and if what you are creating doesn’t feel honest to you it will hold you back. Find away to do the art you desire to make and keep your vision. We have so much power as creative individuals that we can tap into. If you can’t find a gallery to show your art, find or make a venue all your own and don’t be afraid to ask others for help.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents had many struggles but instilled in me a strong self independence. My father was a graphic artist and told me that I had to do the best to succeed in the field. I wanted to be a fine artist working with my own personal vision rather than sell a product or idea for someone else. He told me that if I went in the pursuit of being a fine artist I needed a means to support myself. We were not wealthy so that meant for me to learn not art skills such as business sense, computer knowledge and writing well. These skills helped me along the way in addition to helping me get jobs to support me and my art. I also was encouraged by my parents to read and found resources in the public libraries where I was luckily able to find employment for a period of my life. This helped me keep curious about the world as I continue a quest for knowledge. Having self- independence has helped me with confidence I could do what I want to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://joanfabian.com
- Instagram: @joanfabianof_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joan.fabian1?
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian47/
Image Credits
All images courtesy of Joan Fabian
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