 | | | ARTELLAGRAM 3-31-10:
"In the Studio"
An Interview with Artist Rachel Kitterman (This interview is continued from the March 31 2010 Artellagram...)
 Artella: How would you describe yourself as an artist? What is your favorite kind of art to create?
Rachel: I generally describe myself as a mixed-media/fiber artist which I figure covers just about all the bases. I love working with fabric – making art quilts, dolls, and sculptural pieces – but I also love to knit, crochet, felt, dye, alter books, make assemblages, collage, draw, make jewelry, etc. I have a pretty eclectic personality and create a little of everything. Of course, my husband insists that “mixed-media artist” is just another word for “packrat” and he is probably right. I think I prefer the term “magpie” though. I am easily distracted by shiny objects!
Artella: How do you keep track of all your ideas?
Rachel: My notebooks are filled with pages and pages of lists of things I want to learn, do, explore and create. I collect books of different art and craft techniques, magazines and piles of art supplies and tools. I don’t think I could possibly finish all of my projects if I had 100 lifetimes!
Sometimes just writing down the idea is enough. If I can get it out of my head and onto paper, I can stop thinking about it. I do refer back to my lists and descriptions of ideas and sometimes even end up completing them but often I just write them down and move on to the next thing. I always seem to find fresh inspiration just around the corner!
The book Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher was a godsend for me. It helped me stop feeling guilty about never being able to focus on just one thing and realize that is just the way my brain works. I love being passionate about so many different things. I kind of feel sorry for people who only have a few interests. Theres so much out there to get excited about!
Artella: If you were not limited by anything (i.e., time, money, supplies, location), what kind of art would you be creating right now? Is there some kind of technique or media that you've never done before that you've always wanted to try?
Rachel: I really want to buy a Gocco printer and try out screenprinting. Id love to make screenprinted fabrics and clothing. But, being someone who can never stick to just one thing, Id also love to try lampworking, metalwork, tooling leather, and digital art.
Artella: What advice do you have for people who think it's too late to follow their dream?
Rachel: It’s NEVER too late!! My advice is to dream BIGGER. All we have is now.
Artella: What do you do to overcome or get past artistic blocks?
Rachel: I talk in depth about different ways of dissolving creative blocks in my e-book “Daydreams and Doppelgangers – Finding Your Creative Voice” but I think one of the simplest things you can do is just be willing to create “bad” art. Just sit down and start playing with no expectations that what you will create has to be amazing or meaningful. Give yourself permission to make a mess and goof up. Think of those pieces as that first pancake that never turns out quite right and often has to be thrown out or fed to the dog. They pave the way for the beautiful pieces that come later once you have relaxed and gotten into a creative groove.
Artella: Do you find that creating art helps you deal better with challenges in life? Does art play a healing or helpful role for your life?
Rachel: Definitely! I started a Yahoo group a couple of years ago called Daily Devotions for people who wanted to create art every day. When I can do something creative every day, I feel so much more grounded and centered. I feel that I am opening myself up to be a channel for Divine creativity which flows all around us and through us all the time. Creating art is a meditative experience for me. I think most artists have had that experience of getting into “the zone” when they are working. When I work on my mandala pieces, I infuse them with Reiki energy and I find the process of creating them to be very healing..
Artella: What advice can you offer to help people find more time for actually making art?
Rachel: I find it important to have a space specifically for creating. If you can find a place where you can leave your tools and projects out, it saves a lot of time that otherwise gets eaten up by set up and clean up. It’s good to have a project set up and ready to go so that when you do get some free time, you can just get to work. I also like having some art that is portable even if it is just a small sketchbook and a pencil to carry in my purse.
I have so many ideas and plans that I often get frozen by indecision and waste valuable creation time just trying to figure out what I should work on next. Ive found I need to have a clear plan about what I want my next project to be before I head out to my studio.
See Rachel's wonderful products in The Shoppes of Artella, here.
 Want more artist interviews from Artella? Take a look at our eBooks Artist Profiles Assembled and Artist Profiles Assembled, Vol 2, and look at the "Ask the Artist" column every single day in The Artella Daily Muse, our daily online creativity newspaper.
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