Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Wiese.
Hi Allison, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
As an undergraduate at Northwestern University, I took as many art classes that I could fit in my schedule but did not have the confidence to make art my major. I compared myself to other talented classmates and convinced myself I wasn’t as “good” as they were even though my heart sang in every art class that I took. I pursued a Master’s in Social Work and became a licensed clinical social worker specializing in adolescent depression and anxiety in hospital, community clinic, school, and private practice settings for 15 years. Throughout those years I always took art classes at local universities and had my own studio spaces. After having children, I needed to change my schedule because I wanted to be home with my daughters after school and on weekends (prime therapist hours), so I stepped away from my private practice and dove into taking pastel classes with a local teacher and artist. She encouraged me to “keep painting” and now the process of making art is a joy AND an obsession. My sales started with family members. I also gave away many pet portraits to friends in the beginning. As my confidence grew, I was able to get a solo show at a gallery in my hometown in Michigan and decided to apply to Ft. Lauderdale’s Las Olas Art Fair. Positive feedback at the art fair from strangers was beyond validating. It was like a snowball effect. The more I committed to it, the more hours I spent painting, the more my heart sang, and the more opportunities I got to show and sell my work. As a therapist, my job was to help clients listen to their hearts and I’m listening to mine now. My background as a therapist very much informs my creative process, and ultimately, I try to cultivate a sense of joy with every piece.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are so many obstacles but they don’t feel like deterrents. I accept them as part of the process. They encourage me to think outside of the box and to be creative. Any new business has struggles but my passion for creating art fuels a way through.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for my large format pastels. Playing with colors, movements, and patterns in big ocean waves and large fish is what I am drawn to most frequently. My art is a love letter to and a meditation on everything in and around our vital oceans. However, cows have started to rub off on me. I find barracudas’ underbites as endearing as cows’ giant tongues so most of my work falls into the category of “Surf & Turf.”
My husband first encouraged me to throw in some cows surfing on a wave when I was putting my “Surf & Turf” show together for my first solo gallery show in Michigan to tie together the theme of cows and waves. I told him it was a ridiculous idea. But the idea festered and I gave it a shot on a large 36”x48” piece. It’s his best worst idea ever. It was the first piece that sold and I’ve been doing “surfing turf” pieces ever since. They evoke such fun and joy in the creation process and people really respond to them. I enjoy making people smile at the unexpected and surfing cows tend to do the trick!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Stepping back from my career as a therapist was a huge risk in my mind. Not just financially but what it meant in terms of stepping away from helping current and future clients. I spent years becoming an expert at something that made a big difference in people’s lives. But just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should.” I told my clients that all the time. My heart wanting to be at home with my daughters helped nudge me to take the risk since I could “do art” while they were in school. I loved my work as a therapist, but I really love this evolution. I’m still very much using my skills and knowledge as a therapist, but art also happens to be therapy for me. It’s much easier to take risks when you have a supportive community around you, and when you know you’re following your heart. You just have to be open to listening to it.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://alibwieseart.com
- Instagram: Alibwiese
