Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Shaw.
Hi Natalie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. Could you tell us about how you got into art?
Art was the one thing I looked forward to the most at school – I still remember how happy I was to do a portrait of my shoe. Lol. Like most well-wishing parents though, they preferred I pursue something financially stable. I went to some fancy universities, checked off the boxes, and basically had a bit of a meltdown.
I went back to school for art, met professors who are now family, and made room for the one thing that had been there all along.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome? Have there been any obstacles?
Discouragement is a common thing in the arts. But whether it comes from self-imposed standards or comparing yourself to others and concluding you don’t measure up, all discouragement does is distract you.
The only competition that exists is between you and yourself. If you can learn what discouragement looks like for you, you’ll arm yourself with a superpower that will help make your best work.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on? What would you say sets your work apart?
An editor once described it as a “continuous connection with the sky.” When I’m in a plane, sometimes I wish I could bust the windows out and just live up there – where there’s nothing pulling on you and there’s room to be whatever you want, infinitely. I think it’s a state of freedom we all want, and are made for. I sometimes see my work as glimpses into this kind of existence.
We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking. What is your view on risk?
It’s the only way forward. Especially in art. Because a lot of trepidation around risk is related to failure. And that thing will never be your friend.
Even if it’s not what you hoped for, saying yes to a new project or opportunity lets you see you’re actually capable of the thing you weren’t sure about, and moves you forward in ways you didn’t expect. It’s not the result of the risk that matters, it’s the position it puts you in for what’s next.
Contact Info:
- Website: natalieshawstudio.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/natalieshawstudio
- Facebook: facebook.com/natalieshawstudio
