How Writer's Block Led Pati Fisher to a Meaningful and Creative Life
Updated Jan 2023: Maker’s Tech U is no longer open.
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Artist chat with Pati Fisher, a mixed-media artist born and raised in Northern California and is now based in Austin, Texas. She works in a variety of materials and on all kinds of substrates. She sees art as an extension of the human experience. Some feelings and experiences are big and some are small – and all of these experiences can be expressed through color, texture, line, and the size of a piece.
In this interview we chat about Pati's art, how writer’s block led to her exploring mixed media, her work with highly creative children, overcoming creative blocks, how being a member of Maker's Tech U has helped her grow her online business and so much more!
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How would you describe your art?
My style swings between very minimalist – this is the stuff that usually ends up in my journals. But my favorite style right now is abstraction. I love the way this form of artmaking allows me to not only create abstracts of the real world, but also to create a sort of visual landscape of my interior world. My abstract works aren’t flat, but incorporate many layers and therefore express the depth of the creative process.
What is it about creating that lights you up?
Processes! I’m fascinated by art-making in every way imaginable. Currently, I’m using Venetian plaster in my work as well as playing with dying fabrics with beets and rust and embellishing them by extracting threads and stitching. I expect to start working with cyanotype in the spring…right now I’m just considering the subject matter for the prints and learning to make my own photo negatives. Scribbling and mark-making also light me up; I search for all sorts of things to make marks with on my walks. I could go on and on about processes…
Working with kids also lights me up. I have a small group of highly creative kids I work within private sessions. They have taught me so much about the simple sophistication of approaching art-making with wonder.
How do you live a creative life?
I show up in my studio nearly every day – at least 6 days a week (unless I’m traveling). I take in museums whenever possible, and lately, I’ve been reading books written by artists.
How would you describe your creative process?
My process is framed by my studio. Once I enter it I am in a sanctuary where I can fling paint around, or write. Being in my studio puts me in the “zone”. For many years and for many reasons I’ve put my work on the back burner. It can take a long time to build a creative life, but you have to keep your eye on the prize.
I keep several journals and stand-alone pieces in process, so when I enter the studio there is usually something that tells me what it needs and I go with that. If I’m feeling at a loss, I start tidying up and usually find a forgotten supply or color that inspires me. Or I work in my resource book – this is a binder where I keep ideas for colors and marks, where I put my swatches. Color-mixing can transport me to a really calm place. Nothing I do in my studio is a waste of time.
What is your biggest obstacle when it comes to creating?
Since creating has become my habit, I rarely struggle with what to make. Sometimes I have too many things on my mind at once and it’s a bit of a challenge to focus, but at least I’m creating or focused on creating.
The one thing I sometimes feel is an obstacle is the limitation of the space I have. My studio is well-organized and sometimes reminds me of an airplane galley…with cubbies for everything. Not a square inch is wasted. But I’d love to have the space to make larger works.
Do you ever experience creative blocks and what do you do to overcome them?
The foundation of my art-making process is surrounding myself with lots of inspiration for the times I don’t feel the spark. When I have a creative block I might revisit a video tutorial on an art process, I look through my resource/inspiration binders, doodle, write in my journal, read something about art, go on a scavenger hunt in magazines for art and colors that inspire me. I have a lot of shredded magazines!
How has your creative journey changed from when you first started creating?
When I first started creating art it was because I had writer’s block. I had rented a friend’s kitchen table to be in a place where I wouldn’t be distracted by things I needed to do at home. But the words wouldn’t come. So I started sketching instead and it grew from there. I eventually moved my studio to a friend’s backyard cottage. It was a little shingled cottage with grapevines growing around it – a truly magical place that was the perfect size. It was quiet and I could create in complete isolation.
I did however have a really wicked inner critic that came to live with me when I was writing. But I named him and made him real and approachable. His name was Ephraim Grubstick and he sat like a devil on my shoulder. I would feel him starting to tell me what I was making was bad art and I’d tell him to “beat it”, and continued. Over the years I’ve come to embrace all my bad art as a beginning and an emotional beginning to a more complete piece. I’ve also decided that I don’t care what anyone thinks about my work. Take it or leave it. The important thing is that I am physically, intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally engaged. No one’s hand moves like mine. I don’t overthink how I walk, why should I overthink how I make my marks?
Has technology been a struggle for you in creating an online presence or selling your art online? In what way?
Oh yes! Technology was a huge hurdle for me to tackle and still challenges me. I knew I needed a website but thinking about how to design it and how all the pieces fit together…well, I built myself a pretty tall mountain to climb.
What has benefited you the most from being a member of Maker’s Tech U?
Getting my website built was the biggest benefit of MTU. It wasn’t just the website, but the process I needed to go through to bring the website to life. I really needed to think about who I am as an artist and what I wanted to share with the world. I really gained a greater sense of my path by engaging fully in the process of creating my website. I never would have gotten as much out of the website had someone else created it for me.
How has your online presence changed since you joined Maker’s Tech U and applied what you have learned?
For me getting my website up was the biggest way that I started showing up more online. To have Roben-Marie showing me step by step what to do made the entire process so much easier.
What advice would you give to other creatives struggling to move forward for fear of technology?
You definitely need support. To attempt something you are struggling with without a mentor or teacher is a recipe for frustration. It’s so much better to have support - it’s efficient and will give you more time in the long run to pursue your creative path
What changes would you like to make in your creative journey over the next six months?
I’d love to have a few more students for the private sessions I offer, so I’m opening myself up to that. I don’t advertise my art sessions with kids, but prefer word-of-mouth. There is no better way for people to learn about my work with kids than to hear about my work from the families of the young artists I work with.
What fun activity comes second in your life to creating?
I love love LOVE spending time with my daughters and grandchildren. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing what wonderful, kind, creative people my daughters have become. Watching them grow has been a pure delight to me.
My two granddaughters and two grandsons are incredibly creative and I love to make them art journals. My favorite words are: Mimi, I need a new art journal!
Describe your workspace or studio…
My studio is a bedroom in my home. I have a wonderful light and a large balcony for when I need to spread out a bit. Since my studio is so small, I have to be very organized. If there isn’t enough room for something, I don’t need it – or something has to go. Clutter really short-circuits my mojo. On the other hand, when I’m on a roll, there is stuff everywhere!
Check out all the MTU Member Spotlight Interviews HERE!
Pati Fisher
Pati is a mixed-media artist born and raised in Northern California and is now based in Austin, Texas. She has studied art as an independent process and outside of traditional art education. Always an explorer fascinated by process and technique, she works in a variety of materials and on all kinds of substrates. She sees art as an extension of the human experience. Some feelings and experiences are big and some are small – and all of these experiences can be expressed through color, texture, line, and the size of a piece. Her work lives in the homes of collectors in the US, Mexico, and Europe.
Working in private sessions with highly creative children is also a passion of Pati’s. So often kids are told that they can’t draw or that art is fluff. But Pati has seen kids practically sprout wings. She offers them a large assortment of materials and lets the children drive the process of their own creative journey. They may start by painting and end up building miniatures. For Pati’s student’s art isn’t just a process, it’s a treasure hunt!