Meet Kelsey Wishik | Artist, Author, Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelsey Wishik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelsey, why did you pursue a creative career?
It was completely natural to me. I examined my gifts and values and have always had an inclination to be creative. I see art as a language that can bridge sociocultural, economic, experiential, and language differences. It speaks to our feelings, evokes original thought, inspires spaces, and brings meaning to our shared existence. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to share more with the world than visions of beauty, possibility, and reflections of the dynamism and depth of the human experience. I also use my art to advocate for the natural world and its wonders–to exalt the small and ordinary by referencing small things like seeds and plants in a grand way. A creative career allows me to keep growing past my comfort zones, investigating our shared reality, and serving others through empathy and passion. It keeps me vulnerable and wondering. Works of art give us permission to value our unique experiences and remind us that we have so many possibilities to create when we value the materials of the world and consistently put our time and effort behind our intentions. I am always problem-solving and the work requires a good bit of physical labor–all of this keeps my whole self engaged and growing. I never want to stop growing and exploring the inner and outer worlds, so an artistic path allows me to continue to dismantle the ceiling of what is possible, projected, or assumed.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an interdisciplinary artist, my work is varied. This is one of the reasons I love art the most! It gives me the freedom and adaptability to utilize different methods and mediums to convey many meanings and to adapt that meaning to different contexts. I have never been keen to be pigeon-holed by a single style, although I’ve found several lasting consistencies in different mediums. I have a deep affinity for steel work as it is a recyclable, affordable, malleable, and enduring material. It’s been my honor to be recognized among today’s contemporary women artists in metal by the National Museum for Women in the Arts and other entities. This was a highlight to my still-growing career, mostly because I got to connect with 49 other incredible artists from around the world and learn from their ingenuity and experiences. It’s fabulous that we could celebrate each other, especially in a male-dominated medium. I enjoy the process of steel work literally and metaphorically; it is like alchemy–taking this cold, plain, industrial stuff and heating it, applying pressure, enacting change upon it and knowing when to press further or yield. I feel my whole journey with metal as been a mirror to my personal transformation as a person.

I got where I am today by holding the thread to my original self through CONSISTENT commitment to my inner truth. I have always always kept journals and sketchbooks. It was a joy, even then, to simply wonder, imagine, and compose from the ultimate medium: possibility. Now it’s even more significant in a world full of sensational bombardments, strong opinions, and consumerist culture. Art and original creativity remind me of who I am in all this–even as that changes because I am able to reflect on it all through practice and experience. Then–I get to share it! We could assume we’re all resilient islands, but we’re not. What we share with each other matters and inspires so that is majorly motivating. No, it hasn’t been easy–not at all. It’s been easy to choose to keep going because it’s not a choice to be a creative–it’s just like someone being born with blue eyes. There are seers and deep feelers in the world and we are the creatives reflecting this back. This fact has been my nourishment and currency during times I couldn’t find support financially or when I was marginalized out of opportunities through sexism or improper professional behavior–which has definitely occurred. Furthermore, there are still dimensions of the art community that prioritize intellectualism and exclusivity before support and reciprocity. I was an “emerging” artist for like fifteen years–accepting no compensation and felt like I was climbing someone else’s ladder. Learning to deeply honor the personal soul language that is art, I’ve learned to advocate for my work first before standing under another name or brand. I’ve sought out reciprocal relationships that brought joy to the challenges, and stopped chasing sales. I got comfortable with times of feast and famine and learned instead to not only look for the gifts in the challenges, but to create the medicine–something I would never trade and never have to pay for. Creativity is the wealth, and recognizing that freed me even more to keep going. One message I try to stand by especially with such a diverse practice is that WE are the art. Our consciousness is the tool that uses the paintbrush, the welder, the guitar. I encourage and try to teach others to access this intentional place so we can share this living work of art.

A unique aspect of my personal practice is that I am not really trying to achieve a certain outcome unless it is a commission or public work. I am using art as feedback to generate understanding from my life experience, conscious, and unconscious mind. I allow myself to follow intuition and derive meaning in what unfolds which has been highly beneficial to the rest of my life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Coming to Athens, eh? Come hang out in the many beautiful natural spaces, for sure. Ben Burton park is my favorite place in town to walk the river and think–or not think at all. Go to Jittery Joe’s for exceptional coffee and there’s never a shortage of music (Athens is SLAMMED with talented musicians). I personally invite you to explore the studio where I teach yoga: Revolution Therapy and Yoga for some self-love and soulful goodness.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It is really the everyday people in my life that I have mad gratitude for and inspire me the most. Seeing people show up through varied circumstances and shifting feelings keeps me motivated to do the same. I’m so thankful to anyone who’s supported the work, financially and energetically. Shoutout to all the women artists through all time! We haven’t always had the opportunity for freedom of expression and visibility within the creative field and there are so many who helped pave the way. I wouldn’t be where I am today without reading books like “Little Women” about visionary people who followed their inner truth. We’re all living a legend.

Website: www.worksbywish.com www.catalystconscious.com

Instagram: kelsey.wishik

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelsey.wishik/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPBYNNTH_ytuXPlP17C0kTQ

Other: Spotify album: DOJO https://open.spotify.com/album/5ldV7V5qqYtvtOKNVUZvhl