Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Wendy Costa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Wendy, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
I find this is a theme that has woven itself along my path for decades now–people hating your persistence and creative voice. I think as a creative woman it’s particularly hard, and harder as I age. In recent years cancel culture has permeated the art world and that has a particular cowardly darkness. Ever since I was a very young child, I had the ability to close out reality in a sense. I remember peeling back old wall paper in our dining room the old fashion way…with a metal scraper tool on a little step ladder, bit by bit…I wanted to get to the cool part…the bare wall…so my parents could paint it. I was always incredibly patient. That patience has served me well in art making. For those that play the long game of art, you understand a kind of stillness, a waiting, an enjoyment of the ripening of things, the relationship to the creation Goddess that has made all of this. For me, I am connected to the nature of creating when I practice these laws of nature. To fail is to have a sense of humor and to cultivate the witness as Deepak Chopra teaches. The image of the peeled back wallpaper was a metaphor I used years later as a young adult when I tried to explain my creative process. I always held an image of myself peeling back wallpaper and going into another dimension. By practicing drawing early on, I feel I accessed another realm, a new language, a voiceless picture place connected back in time, and defying time. I am still in a sense accessing that same first portal. As I have developed my art practice now in my 60th year, I have studied what helps me to work. Morning energy is preferred to night time, little or no food is better, music with no words is best, so I don’t write lyrics into the work. A person nearby who I trust, but who does not talk to me as I paint. All of these triggers help me to create. In the last 5 years or so, I paint without a sketch or concept. I have returned to my early childhood way of working where I wait for the creative spirit to work with me, or through me. I believe in this way of working I am accessing the quantum field of symbols. This personal and intuitive way of working is like a rush of nourishment to my soul, and at the same time it teaches me about my path. Because this way of working is so personal, there really is no room for hatred or jealousy. This is an invisible, ecstatic, protected cocoon between me and the universe. Jealousy and low vibration energies are observed like bubbles in ginger ale, that rise, dance and dissipate. As I learn to practice detachment more and more in my life and career, I am only pulling in carefully curated relationships and energies that are watered and cultivated with my mind and brushes.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an artist working in the design world featuring my illustrative style transformed into home and fashion accessories I have produced for nearly 4 decades. I am also a fine art painter and writer, working on a series of intuitive paintings, installations and picture books.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say patience, consistency, and vision. If you do not have a vision of your success, the universe seems to speak for you. I believe in manifestation by speaking, writing, painting your path and desires. With patience and consistent work you create habits, and the brain is wired for this repetitive behavior.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am moving back to New York to connect myself with other like-minded people. I am seeking community, kindness, creativity and building a creative space where I can thrive, and learn from other creative people without the energy of competitiveness. I am looking to create a studio space that welcomes other artists for collaborations, especially musicians and sculptors who can compliment my 2D work. I have not found this yet, and I want my next chapter to really explore it. I am also looking to create a scholarship fund for a woman artist of my choosing each year.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wendycosta.com
- Instagram: wendycostastudio
- Facebook: wendy costa studio
Image Credits
Wendy Costa
