Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Palmie
Hi Nancy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Having spent the better part of my adulthood as a technical writer in the Western United States, and with a life-long appreciation of fine art, I forever craved a creative and artistic outlet.
After I retired from corporate America, I discovered how much I love to paint! My body of work reveals the inspiration I take from nature. Drawing on memories from my early Wisconsin roots, from the years living in Colorado, California and South Carolina, this new-found passion taught me that creating beauty from nothing is what I eagerly anticipate when the mood is right.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Writing and painting are very lonely endeavors. Also, as I held a full-time job, I attended night school and raised two fine daughters. Finding the balance between being a parent, a wife, a student, and a full-time corporate worker required stamina, determination, soul-searching, and much introspection.
I learned along the way that every small win is a culmination of many stumbles and failures. The ability to persevere calls for deep depths of courage and humility.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a technical writer, there is no creativity involved. The technology changed very fast. I worked with all types of professionals, from the CEO to engineers and testers, to other writers and editors, language specialists, and many iterations of tools and platforms. The nature of change was exhausting as I struggled to keep up with the pace.
When our daughters grew up and flew away toward their own bright futures, and as I neared the end of my professional writing career, I thought about what would come next. I started to write my first novel, self-published it, and went on to write a few more. (They are available on amazon.com).
Writing novels and short stories is difficult! I found it was not fulfilling my creative needs. So, accustomed to working in isolation, I picked up a paint brush. It was immediate, this love for creating art while having the privilege to let my thoughts wander to wherever they wanted to go! I was fully aware of how fortunate I am to have this freedom to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
In retrospect, I see all those years working alone led me to where I am today. Each day is an open canvas and I take nothing for granted.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I am of the age where I remember how it was to live without the Internet. I started my career on a typewriter! I found job leads in the newspaper! I have seen the natural progression from these now-archaic methods of communication to a quarter-inch laptop that holds the world at its keyboard.
Through the years I’ve learned that you can’t find what you are looking for if you don’t know who you are. That sounds simple in theory but it’s actually real wisdom. With so many options out there, how would you even begin to find a mentor or a community network if you haven’t yet honed your craft.
In all the places I’ve called home, there’s been a community for all types of people. I joined writing clubs as a technical writer, then different forums as a creative writer. It was no different for the artist community. For example, Summerville, SC has an artist guild, just as Sonora, California has. There are shops and galleries where you can apply to display your work. If you are lucky enough to be interviewed, they might reject you at first. Circle back to humility. You take their advice or you don’t, and you learn how to grow. You practice, continually, and try your best not to let the inner negativity derail you. It’s a process.
Pricing:
- $40.00 – $50.00 for original artwork (no prints). My work is mostly matted and unframed, signed by artist.
- $15.00 – $20.00 for copies of my novels: The Open Season, the Road to Mama Bear, The Ledger Law
- $150.00 – $250.00 for larger, original framed works, All are available on my website: nancypalmie.com
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.nancypalmie.com
- Instagram: @nancypalmie
- Facebook: @nancypalmie
