Meet Scott Erwert

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Scott Erwert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Scott, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My work ethic comes from my upbringing and the hard-working values that came from my parents and siblings. From an early age I was taught the importance of work and earning a living of some kind. My father, who recently passed, was a model of that work ethic. In addition to working for a utility for 40+ years, he had a home life that centered around providing a self sustaining living for the family: raising produce, logging lumber for heat in the winter, metal working, construction and many other skills which made him a constant mentor to myself and my siblings.

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 an independent fine artist, illustrator and graphic designer living in Portland, Oregon. I love the variety of creative projects that I am fortunate enough to work on day to day: It may be everything from lush coffee table books for the publishing industry, or commissioned art for independent and commercial clients, or painting for myself for future exhibitions at galleries and other art spaces.

I’ve recently been accepted into the Portland Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery which opens the door to a larger audience of patrons and art lovers.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I believe engraining yourself in the history of a particular interest is crucial. In my case, that was art history and the study of painting. I took as many classes about art history as I could manage, and then based trips around the world to see those same master paintings in person to be able to really study them up close and personal.

Secondly, I think it’s very important to practice your skill/interest every day and try to improve and don’t be afraid of making mistakes and experimentation. For me this was keeping a sketch book and filling the pages with ideas, studies and thoughts. I still have several sketch books I work in day to day and these are the ideas that hopefully become paintings or future projects.

In this modern world we are constantly bombarded with information that could, over time, wear a person down. You may be overwhelmed and try to compare yourself to what you are seeing all over social media. I think it’s important, more than ever before, that we as individuals try to stay true to our own calling and not be too influenced by the potential noise that is always around us. It’s ok to be aware of it and participate, but hopefully each of us can have a balance and follow our own path that speaks to us and us alone.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed I try to simplify. For instance, if I’m feeling like I am stuck or have too many ideas or tasks to accomplish under a given schedule, I will break each task down to its basic element. I will write down a plan of attack for each task and do thumbnail sketches that illustrate on paper what I need to accomplish. This helps my brain feel more centered and able to bite off little parts of the whole until I have a good idea of how to solve the given problem.

Physically writing down notes and outlines is great advice to anyone facing overwhelming feelings. It’s sometimes difficult to take the time to plan, but in the end I find that the pre-planning I do is a huge time saver in the big picture.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erwert.com, www.scotterwert.wixsite.com/arts
• Instagram: @erwert
• Other: https://www.saatchiart.com/erwert