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Today’s Artist Interview Is With Colette Copeland

Whopple: How long have you been an artist?
Colette: About 15 years.

Whopple: Tell us about your first attempts to be creative.
Colette: I didn’t know I could draw or paint until one day, a small pan of watercolors beckoned, so I bought it and gave it a try. To my utter delight, I found I could!

Whopple: Do you make a living with your art?
Colette: That’s the idea; right now I’m making a partial living with my art. It means making sacrifices but this is what I really want to be doing, so it’s very worth it.

Whopple: How many hours a day do you create?
Colette: I don’t keep count, but I do work every day.

Whopple: How did you pick your creative medium?
Colette: I use many media, but my first medium was watercolor, and it picked me (that little pan of watercolors I mentioned earlier).

Whopple: What are your inspirations?
Colette: I’m an observer by nature: I look all around me, I see details, nuances, and everyday ordinary things that inspire me. I also love to look through interior design and art magazines. Something always catches my eye and leads to ideas.

Whopple: How do you recharge when your creativity hits the wall?
Colette: To be honest, I don’t think of it that way. With me there are the rare moments when I just don’t feel like making anything, so I take a break. I don’t make anything. It never lasts long. I always trust my feelings.

Whopple: What was your first job?
Colette: Proofreader with a book publishing company, which led to a career in journalism..

Whopple: What are your favorite snacks when you are creating?
Colette: I never eat while I’m creating. I get too absorbed in what I’m doing, and there’s no room for anything else. Besides, my hands are busy!

Whopple: What gives you hope in the world?
Colette: Positive attitudes. People who not only are positive, but also act positively, counteract all the negativity that is, unfortunately, all around us.

Whopple: What do you wish you could do?
Colette: See my family more often. They live in Europe and the U.S., so it would involve travel.

Whopple: What are your artistic goals?
Colette: To keep getting better at what I do, and to do it full-time without financial concerns.

Whopple: What has been your most exciting moment as an artist?
Colette: Being on the cover of Somerset Studio in August 2008. Before art, my career was in magazine journalism and I was used to seeing my byline, but this was my first time being published as an artist and it was a thrill beyond words.

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