Meet Susan Budge

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Susan Budge. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Susan below.

Susan , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

Early on, I learned that you only get one chance to make a first impression. Due to that reality, I have tried to look my best in most situations. Coming of age in the seventies-eighties, as a woman in Texas influenced my choices of hairstyle and makeup. People can not help judging one another by the way one looks. I guess the trick is figuring out what judgement you want your appearance to evoke. As I entered the art market, it surprised me when a patron in a gallery exclaimed “but you don’t look like an artist!” Up until that point, I had not thought about what an artist is expected to look like. I laughed and he bought my work. In fact, he became one of my best collectors. Around the same time period I was applying for college teaching positions. A department chair told me that I was the only person who had applied for the ceramics teaching position wearing a skirt and high heels. My credentials were what the committee was looking for, and I was hired to head the ceramics program at San Antonio College where I earned tenure, a NISOD teaching award and full professor prior to my retirement.. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I want to make a memorable impression. That I want to present myself in a way so that people will remember something about me. When I go out in public, I try to be in the right frame of mind to interact with the people I come in contact with. To make a good impression does not just reflect your appearance, it includes how you interact with and engage people. I came to realize I am an introvert, so sometimes I have to psyche myself up for social occasions. I have also come to realize that my age is affecting my appearance, which in turn effects the judgement I evoke. Now I ‘m making some of my artworks for personal adornment. Accessorizing myself with my art work makes conversation starters for continuous marketing. Focusing on drawing attention to my work is another way to share it with you. As my work has always been my life’s driving force, I must share it. That’s why it has become so important for me to have my work in museum collections, and public art installations. “How to be effective/successful even when you are the only one in the room that looks like you”… present yourself in the best-most professional manner that is comfortable for you. You have to be comfortable in your own skin and remain true to yourself.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My art work is the culmination of life experiences filtered through my psyche and processed in the studio. These works reference recent and childhood memories. Surviving trauma creates a desire for protection. Facing the end of fertility activated my psyche to reference Paleolithic goddess figures linked to motherhood. When facing the responsibility of being a single parent, the realistic eye emerged as a reminder of being watched. My biomorphic forms are influenced by ancient artists, like the creator of the Venus of Dolni Vestonice , and the Venus of Wilendorf which inspire at once, the duality of sensuality and maternity. Toys assists in retaining joy even when life offers continuous challenges. Respect for nature and the need for spiritual grounding infiltrate forms. My studio work is challenging, meditative, cathartic, all necessary practices to maintain sanity in a constantly evolving society and world.

My preferred creative process is spontaneous, as was likely the case of ancient artists. With the Surrealists, I celebrate the unexpected, the element of surprise, and paradox. By working intuitively, we allow subconscious thoughts to surface. According to André Breton, we “resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality into an absolute reality, a super-reality” or surreality. Like Kandinsky, I imagine things having a secret soul that is silent though it speaks. Art imitates life and life is fulfilled through art. With my work, aspects of life continue to be explored and shared through the medium of clay, bronze and stainless steel.

To see my work and upcoming events, please visit my website, susanbudge.com

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Tenacity

2. Education

3. Tenacity

Find what you love to do and figure out a way to keep doing it. I supported my art career with a lot of different jobs. Education does not have to be formal, although I have three degrees from different universities. You learn through experiences and travel. I was not the most talented student in my classes, but I am the one who stuck with it… tenacity.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When facing a monumental task, my mom told me just do a little bit at a time. Take breaks, walk away, then come back and do a little more. For me, the breaks can be, taking a walk, being in nature, reading, playing with the animals, anything that gets you away from the stress of the task at hand. Each time you go back to it and see a little progress, it gives encouragement to proceed. Then, once you really get into it, push on-

Contact Info:

• Website: https://susanbudge.com
• Instagram: budgeceramic7
• Facebook: .facebook.com/susanbudge777
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@susanbudge4781

Image Credits

Bach and Petrie
Hester
Budge
Hall