We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ali Mariles-Golamb a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ali, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
It has taken many years to develop my confidence. When I was in college studying art, I had very little confidence about the art I produced, but I kept going because I knew that this is what I wanted to do. Even though I wasn’t confident about my work, I loved the creative process and that is what has made me continue to produce art. For many years, I worked in a ceramic studio as an assistant. The ceramic artist I worked for became a mentor and an amazing source of encouragement for me and helped me build my confidence.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was introduced to clay in high school and from then on I have loved it. After graduating from Arizona State University, I unfortunately didn’t have the support to really explore a career as an artist. So, I worked as a teacher’s aid and then a teacher for about 10 years. It is recently, in the past 4 years, that I have really started working on art again. I consider myself to be very young in the production of my art and it is still taking me baby steps to get to where I envisioned for myself. My days are filled with teaching ceramic classes at a local art center and working in my small space at home to build a product line I can hopefully start selling soon. Every once in a while I will participate in art festivals. I also show my work in galleries, mostly locally, but I have had a couple gallery shows nationally.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think that determination is really up there on the list of qualities one needs to have to be able to succeed in whatever journey they have taken on. Resilience and self-esteem are also qualities one should have to be successful. Many people around us can encourage and tell us how great we are, but if we don’t believe that for ourselves, it doesn’t matter how much other people tell us how great we are. To be successful in any area, one has to continue to grow in knowledge in their particular field. I, for example, continue to take classes and workshops in ceramics to continue my growth and to have experiences of learning from many artists that are much more knowledgeable in the field of ceramics.
My advice for other people would be to never stop seeking knowledge in the field they’re interested in. Be curious. Believe the praises of others because it will help build self-esteem.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
My challenge is the lack of space I have to work on my ceramics. I work out of my garage, which is in great need of redoing and organizing. Another challenge I face is financial. Art materials are increasingly becoming more expensive and that makes it difficult to produce work. I also make work in hopes that it will sell as opposed to making work that is commissioned. I don’t let these challenges bring me down though. I see life as seasons we go through and I know I will get through this season.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alimarilesceramics/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-mariles-golamb-91400a220/
Image Credits
Headshot – Tracy Ann Battaglia at Fully Alive Photography
