Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amelia Rozear. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Amelia with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was raised in a family where you eat your broccoli first, and then the mac and cheese. It’s a mindset I still carry with me in many aspects of my life. I want the mac and cheese satisfaction, the feeling of deserving the best part of any situation. In the realm of art, it’s always that final piece– the strings of a series coming together, the color scheme finally working, understanding a new material process. I’m not a kid anymore, so I’ve learned to love the broccoli bits as well. The puzzle of a new idea, the drafting, the trial and error. I always have multiple pieces going at the same time, so I can pick and choose where to focus my energy. While it can be satisfying to have a few things going at once, it can also be frustrating. I hate having loose ends, so I work to try and tie them up and realize each individual piece. Therein lies my work ethic: balancing the day to day frustrations of art making while chasing the satisfaction of finishing a piece, resetting the studio, and starting again. Trying to achieve homeostasis within my own strange creative cycle.
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 am a painter, illustrator, rug-tufter, collage maker, and more. Historically, I’ve struggled with pinning down my one true creative passion. I think what links everything together is my interest in storytelling– exploring tales that already exist, rewriting memory & my own lived experience, or something entirely new. Trying to capture a fleeting feeling, one unique and quick to pass, is what draws me to painting in particular. There’s a hazy quality to watercolor & oil paint that, when combined with a strange character or two, can lead to some peculiar and entrancing scenes.
As a small artist I run a seasonal print shop, and delight in taking on commissions that capture my interest. I document and share my process online through social media, where I’m able to connect with other creatives. I’m most active on Instagram under @arozear, and also have a portfolio website where I document completed projects.
My friend and I recently channeled our love of storytelling, art history, and hyper-fixation into an art history podcast called The Gilded Eye. It’s been a wonderful exercise not only in research and script writing, but also curating original paintings to fit a new project. To bring artwork & history together in this way has been rewarding, informative, and hilarious. Listen along on YouTube or Spotify!
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?
I can never be still. My hands always have to be moving, so doodling is how I channel that impulse into something more productive. I always had a consistent sketchbook practice because of this– it felt like a visual diary of sorts, a way to see how I was progressing while also being a physical outlet for the drawings. Another quality that’s been impactful has been my impulse to jump from one material to another. The upheaval of routine keeps me intrigued and my mind working, and often inspires new pieces.
So in summary, I’d say to create in a stream-of-consciousness style, carry a sketchbook everywhere, and when you get too comfortable, switch it up.
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?
I am always struggling with the idea of being perceived and truly known. I’m drawn to visual media because the work can speak for itself. To be presented as an extension of myself, like a painting, has always the more comfortable option for me. Over time my work has started to act as a parallel ‘self’, something that represents who I truly am, despite living outside of my body. Practicing art has become a method of self-realization, a way to understand my mind, what captures my interest, how I’m feeling. It’s complete nourishment. Though when I feel as though the work doesn’t live up to my potential, it can feel especially devastating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arozear.com/
- Instagram: @arozear
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gildedeyepodcast/videos
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3WQcMEWX33U3S0YRJrdTPZ?scrlybrkr
Image Credits
Amelia Rozear
