Meet tanya clarke

We were lucky to catch up with Tanya Clarke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tanya, 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?
I tend to bounce between several projects at the same time. If I get stuck in one, I usually step away and restart another project that I had paused for the same reason. At the moment I’m fixated on this one project that is different than anything I’ve done before and I’m really having a hard time getting it to come together. I really should walk away and come back… but this time, for some reason, I just can’t. And it’s draining. Ok. Now that I’ve said this out loud, I know I have to. For now, anyway.

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?

Liquid Lights are designed to evoke conversations about water.
Custom-built, industrial designed light installations, they experiment with the fusion of art and function.  Hand-sculpted glass drops, plumbing, found-objects and low-voltage lights are incorporated in contribution of the zero footprint movement in the form of Liquid Light.

Raised in Ottawa, Canada I’m the daughter of leading political and environmental activist, Tony Clarke.
I recently moved from the beach in California where I’d collect things & put them together, to the mountains of North Vancouver. Liquid Light is an expression of my changing environment and my upbringing.

‘Liquid Lights’ have been featured in galleries, museums and private collections in the U.S. & around the world.

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?
Ah. Interesting question. I think because I stumbled on this, I had no preconceived expectations. This made it easier to follow my instincts with the work, rather than rational. Time was not of the essence and I approached creating these pieces from a place of curiosity. When I first began,, I was making a living as an actress. Building lights by myself in my garage gave me incredible amounts of joy as it provided the isolation from people that I often need.
I realize, in hindsight, what a privileged time that was. When building the lights became more of a business, I felt my interest beginning to wane., Learning to maintain a balance in both the playfulness of creating and the merchandising of the pieces has sometimes been a challenge, but a necessary one.
I suppose it also circles back to me feeling most alive when I have my hands in several pots. It keeps me from taking anything too seriously.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My father, who has been my constant inspiration in resilience and in carving out a voice for the voiceless.
Also, my dear friend, the painter/photographer Lisa Gizara. I have often felt insecure about my lack of formal training in this field, and she has been a constant support system for me through those dark days as well as by my side in celebration.

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