Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rebecca Noelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Rebecca, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Although I didn’t know the term until recently, imposter syndrome is something I’ve thought about throughout my life. I have often been labeled as “talented” but I myself have never seen it as anything more than obsessive interest and perseverance. People get angry when I tell them that and say I should be “grateful for this God-given talent.” I guess there’s something to that, as some people do excel at certain art forms more easily and naturally…but I have always believed that passion and fire for the creative process are worth more than any amount of talent. Or maybe they are one and the same?
It’s difficult for artists to stop and appreciate where we are and how far we’ve come. It’s hard for us to see the beauty of our work because we constantly look toward the ways in which we want to improve and the new things we want to express. I spent most of my dance and theatre career believing that I had to live up to others’ expectations of talent and genius, so when I made mistakes or failed I took it personally. Some dancers I knew actually punched and slapped themselves when they made mistakes, which made me sad, but I was doing the same thing to myself internally. I cursed at myself under my breath, cried when shows or auditions didn’t go well and was on top of the world when things went smoothly. For me, it was a constant roller coaster of emotion that was completely dependent on my performance that day.
After 20 years of operating this way, a theatre mentor took me under her wing and gave me some advice that changed everything. I was crying to her one night after a performance, and she stopped me. She shared with me a quote that transformed my life and told me to hang it up and read it to myself every day. The quote is too long to share here, but it was a conversation between choreographers Martha Graham and Agnes de Mille and it begins, “There’s a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you…” I highly recommend looking up the full text—it is lifesaving for the mind and heart of an artist. Basically, she says that being an artist is painful because we are never fully happy with our work, but what really matters is that we keep going, keep working, and keep the “channel open.” I experienced a fundamental shift in my thought process that day and in my opinion of myself and my work. I have learned to live with what Martha Graham calls a “divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the rest.” This was the first step in realizing that creative genius is not about being brilliant all the time, but about following our own unique inspiration, being an open channel for unique expression to move through, and continuing to work from that perspective every day.
A few years after I had been living with this quote, another great influence came to me in the form of a TED Talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat Pray Love.” She talks about the “elusive creative genius” and the mental health of creative minds through time. According to Liz, the ancient Greek and Roman philosophy on creative genius was that it was an outside source, almost like a fairy, that would visit artists while they were working. This changed during the Renaissance when the artists themselves began to be seen as the genius. Liz compares artists taking on the identity of genius with “asking someone to swallow the sun.” She says, “It completely warps and distorts egos and creates all these unmanageable expectations about performance, and I think [that is] the pressure of that has been killing off our artists for the last 500 years.” She tells the story of poet Ruth Stone, who heard poems rolling through the landscape at her, and who would have to try to catch them before they left in search of another poet. There’s that idea again—that creativity isn’t a genius within us, but rather a force that moves around waiting to be captured by the right artist. Hearing this was another great awakening for me. Putting creative inspiration and genius into a new psychological construct allowed me to separate myself from the fears and expectations of artistry. Removing my ego from the work and becoming a channel has set me free from the question of whether or not I have talent or genius. Who cares? I have the work and an open heart, and that keeps me creating.
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?
Oil painting is my passion and I’m especially excited by landscapes and florals. Some people say that my work is somewhere between realism and impressionism, but it’s hard for me to put labels on what comes out. Studying with master garden and plein air (real-time outdoor) painters has taught me a lot about recreating what I see accurately, but I remain obsessed with the idea of painting the “spirit of the landscape” like the more expressionist plein air painters such as Emily Carr and The Group of Seven. I love nature and adore plein air because it allows me to experience the elements with all my senses. I sell my art at galleries, street fairs, on my website, and in my Etsy shop. Teaching is another passion of mine and I’ve been teaching plein air painting classes in Balboa Park since 2021. Soon I’ll be starting online classes as well, so keep an eye out if you live outside the area and would like to learn! If you look at my Instagram, you will also see that baking is another huge inspiration for me. When I’m not painting, I’m baking, and I find it incredibly artistic, technical, and rewarding. I love sharing that part of myself and I include all my creative inspirations as part of my “brand.”
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?
First of all, I think we all need to prioritize having inquisitive, open minds like the greatest masters, who continue to learn until the day they die. Michelangelo reportedly said at age 87, “Ancoro Imparo…I am still learning” and my favorite Socrates quote is “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” To believe that we have arrived at some pinnacle of knowledge or skill would be foolish and would keep us from realizing the extent of our artistic evolution. We must be students of art and of the world, always asking questions and consciously opening our minds and hearts.
Secondly, I believe in the power of humor. If we can laugh at ourselves, then it won’t be so terrifying to make mistakes. Humor and laughter improve our health, strengthen our relationships, increase our energy, and allow us to become clear, more open channels in our creative work.
Lastly I believe that perseverance is everything. If you’re not automatically good at something, keep learning and practicing and that will change. Don’t let your fear of failing hold you back from trying. Look at it as practice, as simply a step in the process of you following your passion. And of course, nothing teaches like a failed attempt, so get comfortable with those, too. Figure out how to not let that mistake happen again and you are one step farther than you were before. Don’t let rejection break you—let it guide you. Let it show you what you are willing to change to please others, and who your true fans really are. Not everything you make will be great and not everyone will love you, so the best you can do is stay focused on your own creative inspiration and expression. A lot of stuff won’t happen for you, but if you keep going, the right stuff will.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I have recently delved further into my channeling journey with mediumship rituals that feed into the creative process. Having always been inspired by Hilma Af Klint, a Swedish theosophist who channeled spiritual abstract paintings and is now recognized as the “mother” of abstract painting itself, this work has been calling me for years. I was never quite sure how to begin this practice in my own life until recently, when I was lucky enough to study mediumship and sacred ritual with two grandmothers in the Amazon. I have now been given beautiful practices that open the chakras and allow connection with the elements, the Divine, and all beings. Hilma Af Klint formed “The Five,” a group of women who channeled and painted together, and I would love to create something similar. So, if there are any painters out there who are also interested in or skilled in mediumship and channeling and would like to talk about painting collaborations, please reach out to me by email! I would love to learn from you and share what I’ve learned with you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RNoelle.com
- Instagram: @divine_punk
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rnoellepainter/
- Linkedin: Rebecca Noelle
- Youtube: Rebecca Noelle
Image Credits:
First photo by Bill Protzmann. Photos of the work by Rebecca Noelle.
