MY STORY

My true calling is to empower women through art by creating safe, meditative spaces to learn. And by reframing the traditionally feminine, decorative arts to be included in fine arts. Mosaics is a gift that I am able to give to everyone.

We were lucky to catch up with Susan Wechsler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Susan, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

When I went to college, my father advised me to take business classes along with my art classes. I failed out of economics 101 so then took the path my mom suggested and went into Theatre design. They felt I could never support myself on my art but that the theatre would be a good path to a creative field I could live on. I never loved working on sets and never felt it was my creative calling. So 1 day I walked into a gallery with my new work- mosaics! and got my first show. I sold $10,000 worth of art and the confidence I needed to say, ” I can do this! ” I like to think of my art business as a tree. At the base you need to have a strong creative voice that grows and changes. Financially I have the branches of the tree or the different revenue streams that support my art. It is very challenging to just sell art and make a living. A small group of artist have that luxury and I am not even sure how they get there, honestly. One of my branches is my teaching. I teach what I love to do and I am good at it. Another branch is I sell the materials that I use in my own mosaics. Everyone wants to have what I have. So I purchase my unique tessera in bulk, repackage it and sell it along with my hand-made substrates.
I work at my art almost everyday. You do need to take your art seriously, it is your job! But, if you follow your true calling and work hard at it, you will always be happy and successful.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My grandma had passed away and I was sitting on the floor of her dining room with my cousin going through her old china. Sitting there I had fawn memories of large family dinners, laughing and sharing stories, at this very table. My cousin didn’t want the china, so I took it home. When I found a few broken pieces, I made something out of the tessera and the rest is mosaic history! I am a self taught mosaic artist and don’t fit into any “mosaic” mold, therefore I break every mosaic rule and went out on my own. My techniques are uniquely mine which is what gave me Global notoriety. Social media has been a useful tool to get my work out there to a broader audience. I am now known Worldwide and have taught my unique techniques around the world.
What sets my work apart is because I have an artist mind and self taught I have no boundaries and I explore the entire spectrum of what mosaics can be. I use unusual materials to tell my visual stories and have created my own techniques for adhering those materials into a mixed media mosaic.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My older sister and I are both artists. In high school, my sister was the “best” artist and the art teacher loved her. Four years later when I got to art class, the same teacher told me that I would never be an artist like my sister. I was crushed but was fortunate to move high schools and find an art teacher who did believe in me! Years later I friended this art teacher on social media. She began following my art journey and purchased one of my mosaics. Redemption is sweet! Never give up or let others control your creative journey!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love my job and I work hard at it. Everyday I wake up and can’t wait to go to my studio and be creative. Not all the work I do I enjoy, like the paperwork, filling my workshops, registering students, collecting money…. But my life path was an easy decision for me. I entered art contests since I was in grade school and always won! In the 60’s I won a television and back then not every household had one, but I had my own in my bedroom! I feel fortunate that I never gave up on what truly made me happy and made me who I am. Art is a journey like life. There is no beginning or end for me, it is just who I am and what I do!