Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nerys Levy . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nerys , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I was born into an extended Welsh family in North Wales with a grandfather who was both a visual artist and a poet.He was always looking at or talking about the surrounding landscape and either painted it or had a verbal description of it.From a very young age I would watch with and listen to him.He always had a painting on his easel.From the age of three I I attended a Welsh language school where very afternoon was devoted to singing to the harp and creating.—and so creativity was embedded in my early upbringing.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a plein air visual artist specializing in landscapes and amplifying the issue of global climate change through my art. I have worked in both the Arctic and Antarctic and have been in exhibitions related to those regions and the issue of climate change.I am currently a member artist at FRANK Gallery ,Chapel Hill/ Carrboro NC – a non profit fine arts gallery with an educational mission-where I am in charge of the gallery’s outreach endeavors.Specifically, I have run that gallery’s Karen Refugee Youth Art Group for twelve years focusing on educational enrichment for Karen( Burmese ) youths born in Thai refugee camps who are now members of our local community.The Karens have a rich artistic culture based on weaving and color and Karen students have a deep artistic sensibility.The FRANK Gallery enrichment program to which over ninety Karen students have been exposed has a strong creative component resulting in some of our students entering the University to study fine arts.Others have benefitted from the rigors of art disciplines and have entered other levels of higher and further education.My personal website neryslevy.com has a Polar component from which many schools in the UK and USA have worked.My website is promoted by both the Disney Penguins educational platform and the UK’s Times Educational supplement website.Furthermore the English Schools inspectorate has recommended that elementary students work from my website.
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?
From early on I was convinced that art was my destiny.Even though I went to an academic high school and ended up with qualifications from London University in education, social administration and a PHD in Modern South Asian History, I always knew that I would eventually specialize in the arts.All my previous professional endeavors have prepared me for what I do now- arts activism.Furthermore I always trusted and benefitted from the opinions of those who perceived my strengths.While at the London School of Economics I was sent to India to get further insights into the Indian cultures of the immigrants and Ugandan Asian refugees with whom I was working in West London.This enabled me to be a better advocate on their behalf..And when later on I was in Venice Italy with my supportive ( and now departed) husband I realized that the arts were to be my future when offered a solo exhibition at a Venetian Gallery.I have also learned than nothing is accomplished unless one takes risks.Art is all about risk and about getting one’s message out there irrespective of possible opposition.But first one has to be clear about one’s voice and purpose.Life is short and wasting time can lead to not achieving one’s purpose.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
I would like to extend my Polar work by traveling the North West Passage and documenting climate issues in the Arctic en route – this is a costly endeavor and currently suc(h a meaningful voyage is outside my financial range.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.neryslevy.com
- Instagram: @neryslevy
- Facebook: Nerys Levy
- Linkedin: Nerys Levy
Image Credits
I have the rights and permission for reproduction of these images and certify that the images are all mine
