stephanie thomas berry

I am a self-taught artist and writer living at the foot of Mount Mitchell in Yancey County,  North Carolina.   I am a mother, a homeschooler, and gardener.

I paint so that I might sip from the well of wild things.  In this way my spirit is revived,  nourished, and my imagination is empowered.  This practice is a way of knowing for me, a way to communicate that moves beyond the realm of language.  There is a deep aliveness, a web of consciousness, to which we can attune ourselves, and this is my work.  The painting is the bloom of the endeavor, the process by which it is made manifest.

I could say simply that when I paint toad trilliums, for instance, I am telling their story, and that in that telling the toad trilliums become a part of me, and, ideally,  of the viewer.   But there is something far more mysterious at work.  One finds that the power of story activates an energy within us that was otherwise sleeping.  That story creates story.  My deepest creative desire, then, is to tell a story that engages us with the secrets of the Earth, so that new stories might unfold.

Job Description

Summary
The artist is responsible for maintaining a healthy, receptive relationship with Nature and her Daemon, so that she might bring into being creative works that are both relevant to the evolution of humankind and healing to the relationship between humankind and nature.  Though this is her larger goal, it must also be performed on the stage of her own life and is thus always in that context.  The artist must make her work available for to an audience to complete the cycle of creation.

Core Practices
A relationship with Nature is best nurtured with significant amounts of time spent outside.  The artist is expected to keep a garden and take daily walks.  Night walks are especially beneficial to a receptive relationship with Nature.  The artist must attune herself to the spiritual elements of Nature, and find ways to honor them.

The artist must also maintain her own physical, emotional, and spiritual health.  Walks in the woods, journal writing, and meditating are essential daily practices.

The artist must then transcribe her experiences, both inner and outer, onto a substrate.  This act brings into form the energy of her relationship with Nature, exploring that mystery while never caging it.  The process of creating the artwork also makes this experience available to others.  She must spend significant time alone in the studio engaged in this process.

The artist should make her process open and available for others.  She must keep adequate records of her creative process, both with photography and journaling, which should be posted on her website.  Any stage of her process that she feels must be kept secret should later be discussed in depth once she feels the particular piece or project is complete.

Studio Practices
The artist must keep her studio clean and free of clutter to insure the flow of her work.  She should not allow other personal work to infringe upon her time or space in the studio, though she may allow visitors as long as it is conducive to her work.

The artist must experiment with other media from time to time so that she may keep her work fresh and evolving on a physical level.

The artist should always keep fresh, inspiring music and podcasts available in the studio.  This increases stamina and mental engagement in the work.

The artist should utilize the loft of the studio for dreaming, which often provides guidance and material for her work.
The artist should keep an altar in the studio dedicated to her Daemon, thus acknowledging that she is one figure in a collective creative process.  The altar should be kept clean and replenished with found objects from Nature.

Office Practices
The artist’s office is where she produces prints and other material objects derived from her studio work.  Because this space overlaps with other non-artist functions it is essential that it be kept clean and very well-organized.

In keeping with her commitment to the healing of the relationship between humankind and Nature, the artist seeks out and utilizes the most eco-friendly materials and equipment available to her.

The artist designs assorted materials that make her work available to a wide-range of people. Whenever possible she produces her materials by hand, holding the intention that the work blesses and inspires others. She markets these using internet technology, as well as other word-of-mouth methods.  She keeps good business records and replies to customer’s communications quickly and thoughtfully.  She maintains a practice of writing thank-you cards to customers.

Physical Requirements
The artist is engaged in work that is rooted in the second chakra.  She must therefore remain attuned to the health of all her charkas, but most specifically the Sacral chakra.  She must regularly partake of herbs that she feels will strengthen her body.  She must remain active and strong.

Compensation
The artist must practice gratitude for any and all compensation received, as it is indicative of a creation cycle well-completed.  She must not become focused on one aspect of the cycle, and must maintain adequate energy in each aspect.  To that end, a growing level of energy in each aspect would naturally increase her compensation.