Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Angela Vale

Hi guys happy tuesday

So last week I was very bad on my blog and didn't do any of my normal posts (but I did some other stuff so hoping that goes into my bloggy bank and my blog's not too mad with me lol).

Last week was a clear case of burn-out, I had a lot going on and then on top of that the creative things I tried to do just drained the tank completely dry. So I've had a couple of days just self-caring and now I'm back. Moral of this story: Rest and listening to yourself ARE A PRIORITY! (really, they're not just an option!) Anyway onto this weeks TAT, who's featured artist is a lovely lady I've got to know recently and hope you relish that privilege too, enjoy the interview =)

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.
My name is Angi Vale and I currently live in Michigan, in the United States. I am a very new artist and I have never in my life ever believed that I could draw anything. One day I bought a sketch pad and some pencils to play around with and I just started drawing, but nothing ever came out “right”. Then I found Jennibellie’s YouTube channel and I was addicted! I found my love for art journals and I wanted to know more. When I heard about LifeBook 2014 my love for Art Journals turned into this new passion that I just can’t get enough of! My favorite type of art is mixed media and making art journals.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
My biggest challenge that I face as an artist is knowing what I want to put on the page. I can stare at a blank page for far too long if I’m not careful. You gave some really good advice in one of your videos Jenny, when you said just let the page tell you what it wants. So that is how I overcome the challenge. I will start with some collage and watercolor crayons and let the page decide what it wants out of it. My latest thing is shimmery watercolors as a background and then building from there. Once you let go it just becomes easier to just put your heart on the page and let it all just fall where it wants to.

What is the best thing / worst thing that art has brought into your life?
The best thing that art has brought into my life is that for years I have struggled with depression and anxiety and no way to release it or to get things out of my head for fear of someone reading my secrets and being judged for them. I have struggled with depression since childhood due to some pretty personal events that have taken place in my life and in later years developed an eating disorder that I still struggle with to this day. Art is now my safe haven. It is my place where I can get everything out on paper, every dark thought, feeling, every tear, and every pain. Every fear that I am experiencing at that moment spills out of me onto paper. Because of art, I feel safe because I can cut it up into bits and use it as collage, or paint a beautiful picture over it. No matter what happens to those words in the end, no matter how they end up on the page, it is no longer bottled up inside of me where it can fester and grow. It’s out! It’s done! It’s buried in beauty in my journal.

What advice would you offer to any perspective new artist?
My advice to any artist or perspective artist would be this… there is no bad art! Period! It’s you, it’s who you are so get it out and if you don’t like what you see paint over it but don’t give up. There are many places online to learn different techniques on how to do things but if you don’t try you will never know if you got it in ya! I never knew my whole life that I too can be an artist, until I tried.

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?
I have a website, but it’s still under construction. I am currently working on it putting pictures up and it should be ready to view soon. For now, anyone can find me on facebook, it’s my personal page but I do post my artwork there.

Hi Angi, thanks so much for sharing with us.

I really love that you were so honest with us and so hope it gives others courage to share openly their art and story like you have in this interview, not necessarily here but just in general, I really think 'pooling' our experiences and thoughts etc really does enrich our community...and it takes bravery to do it in the beginning especially so THANK YOU =) 

So would you like to...

To be featured email me or find all the details here =)