Meet Lynaea Russom

We were lucky to catch up with Lynaea Russom recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lynaea, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Being grounded in the privilege of being a staff member of the school I graduated from, I am graced with the inspiration from the students, staff and faculty that inhibit the space daily. Growing through the pains of being a woman, being perceived as one, and questioning my womanhood, my strength lies in the comfort that my body will always be there for me. As a person first and an artist second, I have overcome financial, abusive, and mentally challenging obstacles. A line from Eileen Myles’s ‘American Poem’ has always stuck with me in times of doubt. It is absurd, chin scratching, but it makes the most sense when nothing else will; “I am not alone tonight because we are all Kennedys. And I am your President.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a person first and and artist second (this was an important realization.) As a person, I am of average height, average shoe size, and average likeliness to have a lighter on hand (unlikely.) As an artist, I am a screenprinter of almost ten years, a painter of sorts, and a firm believer of something better out there for me than being a painter. Oh, I am also a graphic designer (I suppose) but need to work on my type skills. I feel excited right now about having a bedroom with a door that closes and lights that keep it moody. I have put the ‘making’ of the whole ‘being an artist’ thing on the back burner to work on curation projects with some folks I do and don’t know. I don’t know if I like being called a ‘curator’…perhaps call me ‘an instigator of artistic gatherings’ or ‘curator of a good time.’ I think my current work is being a little more absurd and taking my work a little less seriously (which too, is an important realization.)

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?

In my artist/being a person journey (continuous), the things you learn as an artist bleed into the life lessons important to being a good person (and vice versa.) I look to you, singularly, and question the pit in your stomach. As an artist and as a person, there is always going to be something giving us less sleep, less enjoyment, and less friend time. As an artist/good person, it is in your best interest to take whatever is holding you back as an opportunity to educate yourself first in it and others second. When you are done being anxious, take deep to your heart that connection cannot happen without introduction. If you are sour over your favorite gallery not responding to you, if you are sour over not getting a job in your field, if you are just plain sour, talk to people. Make phone calls. Be annoyingly persistent. If you cannot engage first, consistently engage, and keep engaging after you get an answer, you will not get the things you want.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents supported me doing what I wanted to do and it’s all I could’ve ever asked for. Both my mother and my father have consistently worked for their money, their kids, and their loved ones. Growing up with job uncertainty, uncertainty of pursuing an arts degree, uncertainty of financial support, I understood at an early age the weight a dollar held and the heavier weight of my parent’s support. Being able to hold a Bachelor’s under my belt with the support of my parents when scholarships didn’t cover everything, I knew I had to work my absolute hardest, both in school, and forever in a post grad world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lynaear.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lyn.aea