I am an artist, dreamer & risk taker.
I wanted to be an artist as long as I could remember.
But it took me a few decades before I believed in myself
enough to pursue art. It took another decade after that
before I even dared to call myself an artist.
I've taken many leaps of faith over the years and challenged
myself in many ways to push the boundaries of what others
told me was possible (or impossible). But claiming that artist
self? That's the one that was the most daunting, yet it has
reverberated the deepest.
The biggest leap of faith I took was to leave my job of
21 years to pursue a creative and artistic life full time.
I'd say it's by far the scariest jump I ever took. But I knew without a doubt it was finally time to devote my energy to what has been deep in my soul since the beginning. There's been no shortage of fear in making this monumental shift ~ something that big scares not only me, but also many people around me. But I'm also very fortunate to be surrounded by some of the most amazing people in my life, cheering me on and reminding me that I am indeed doing the right thing, that I'm on the right path.
So here I am ~ artist, visionary, dreamer ~ envisioning a more creative and magical world where each and every one of us may find our unique creative expression and be able to thrive.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and have always loved learning new things and exploring new places. I definitely have a serious case of wanderlust. As soon as I finished college I moved to Tokyo to live and work when I was only 21. I also backpacked around Asia for several months. I took myself to Czechia (called the Czech Republic when I was there) to continue on in my adventures. Sometimes those experiences were amazing, other times it was really difficult, I absolutely learned as much about myself as the places I lived and visited.
When I returned to the U.S. I challenged myself again by getting a Masters Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology. I worked for an environmental organization while in school and during that time learned to truly connect with nature, Mother Earth, and the great mystery that is this planet and the universe. Thanks to a friend, I ended up in a tiny little rural county in the northern California foothills to do research for my thesis. I arrived prepared to stay for 6 months, yet I'm still here ~ 25 years later. It was in this place, that I finally started taking art classes, first water color, then drawing and figure drawing. With the wonders that is the internet, I was able to find a lovely community of women artists and learned to make art journals and to paint with acrylics. It was then ~ finally ~ that I really started to find my voice as an artist.
These days I've got a room in my house as a dedicated art studio. There's a year-round creek five minutes from my house, and I can hear the coyotes at night on occasion. At one point I started dabbling in assembled and mixed media art, specifically using old books destined for the landfill and transforming them from potential trash to innovative art pieces. With this big life transition I've made, I've now begun teaching in-person workshops and creating in all kinds of new ways.
I keep learning and growing as I go, and will be forever and ever, as long as I'm still breathing. I still have that crazy case of wanderlust and have been back to Tokyo, to Hungary, France, Mexico, Germany, and Switzerland. I have so many more places I'd love to see.
The motivation behind all of this is that I believe we all have the ability to be creative, to enrichen our lives with things that bring us alive. It took me a long time to finally claim that part of myself, so I want nothing more than to encourage others to find their creative path too. Life is so full of wonder and amazement, if only we allow ourselves to both seek it out, and to make room for it to find us. Doing this with others? With that sense of connection and community? Essential!
I hope you'll join me!
Indi
You can find me in a couple of the social media places, Facebook & Instagram, and you can drop me a line to connect that way too, indigocarltonart@gmail.com.
You can also learn more about me in this 2023 article from Comstock 's Magazine: "Art Exposed: Tracy 'Indi' Carlton."
