Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Roberts.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. I can vaguely remember sitting at the coffee table in my living room, early in the morning, while my mom made me breakfast. I made her a drawing of the two of us wearing crowns. I had to be about three or four years old at the time. I got a bunch of art supplies for my third birthday, and I took off from there. It made me so happy to make my parents little drawings.
When I turned four, I became ill. After several doctor’s visits and several second opinions, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I was hospitalized on and off over the course of a year and endured two surgeries. I can remember still drawing and painting even while in the hospital. I couldn’t get up and play, but I could lay in my bed and create. Over the years I’ve gone through countless medications and therapies, and I still struggle and have major difficulties off and on. My condition is chronic, so I will never have full health, and I will never be cured. But luckily, I will always have art, whether I’m up and feeling well or whether I only have the energy to sit in a chair for the day.
Through my elementary school years I continued doing art, and I even had a drawing I made in second grade shown at the Frist (that’s still one of my greatest accomplishments). I was blessed enough to have parents that supported my art and had enormous confidence in my abilities, so art was also a major part of my education. I was homeschooled from fourth grade all the way through high school. Once I graduated high school, I got my Associate’s degree in Business at Cumberland University. I truly hated the thought of crunching numbers as my career though, so I went back to school to get my Bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. That was the best decision of my life, and I have my parents to thank for pushing me to do it. God blessed me with good health and minimal health issues while I completed my degree, and I enjoyed every single second of it. During that time I was involved in every volunteering event, focus show, and art show the art department held. I even worked as a work study student for every semester but one. I wanted to gain as much experience and skill as I could. My professors were beyond amazing, and pushed me to reach my full potential. I can’t begin to thank them for their patience and confidence in me. I had my senior art show in my final semester, a culmination of all my hard work over the past two years, and felt so much gratitude and accomplishment.
After graduating, I felt unsteady on my feet. I felt alone, and though I had my professors as professional mentors, it was unsettling to no longer be surrounded by my fellow students that I created things alongside. One of my professors gave me a very simple but crucial piece of advice: apply for everything and just start making things. So, I did. I applied for residencies, group shows, solo shows, art markets, pop-up exhibitions; I made paintings, drawings, linocut prints— and I heard a lot of no’s for a full year. But eventually, to my disbelief, I heard a yes! I got involved in an art crawl, and then I got a residency in Indiana, and before I knew it, I had gallery showings lined up for the year! I can only say that God taught me patience and the blessings of trusting in Him and working hard despite feeling discouraged.
Now, I live in Lebanon, TN, and continue to create art in the same house I grew up in with my lovely parents and my cat Frida. I work in Nashville with a lovely group of ladies who encourage me every day. I have been blessed beyond measure to have a skill that I can use to bring God glory, reach people emotionally, and do whether I’m in good health or I’m in a horrible flare-up.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My biggest obstacle by far has been self doubt and criticism. I am my own worst enemy, far more critical of myself than anyone else who has ever viewed my art. I see every little flaw and imperfection in what I make, and sometimes it makes me feel like, “Okay, I need to put the pencils down. I suck at this.”
Another struggle is feeling isolated. I miss working with my friends and school and sharing that intense atmosphere of focus and ambition. Now, my drive, creativity, and ambition are all mine. It’s a daily struggle to make things solely for myself. I don’t really know why,
A third obstacle is feeling like I’ve been banished to the threshold of the art world, but not being able to actually step through the doorway and be with everyone else. Art in Nashville can feel like a secret society at times, and you can’t get let in unless you have a ticket inside. That may just be my freshness and amateurish experience talking, but it can feel frustrating for sure. I’ll just have to keep being persistent!
My final and most constant obstacle is my health. You don’t want to put forth brainpower or physical effort when you’re not feeling well, which for me is every day. I have to pick and choose a day or two through the week where I’ll put all my effort and concentration into either learning about an artist or art style or working on something of my own, so I have enough energy for my friends, family, and work as well. It’s frustrating to have to budget and allot time and energy for something that’s such a part of me, but it’s necessary in order to keep myself in the best condition possible.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work is all about the feminine. If something is girlish, it’s probably going to end up in my art. I’ve always felt like a weird girl and had different interests, style, and ideas from my friends. I wanted to explore my perceptions and experiences as a woman not only to feel more understood myself, but to make other women like me feel understood as well. Common themes in my work are beauty, self-perception, love, and relationships. I work mostly in acrylic paint, but I also love making linocut prints, mixed media pieces, and graphite or chalk pastel drawings. A lot of my work draws from the style of Renaissance masters and uses vintage ephemera, fashion, and imagery. It’s like a modern problem presented in a dated frame. I think that’s rather unusual, but it’s entirely me. It also fulfills the history nerd in me! My favorite thing to paint is portraiture and capturing emotion. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come in my painting skills. Before college, I couldn’t paint for the life of me. You should’ve seen some of my attempts at it. Luckily, my painting professor made something magically click in my brain— and ever since then I’ve taken off with paint.
Any big plans?
Art is an unpredictable beast. I didn’t know I’d be where I am now when I graduated school, so who knows where I’ll be even a year from now. If I had it my way, I’d want art to not be my job, but my livelihood. I don’t want any pressure put on it. I want to follow it where it takes me, and if it takes me somewhere big, so be it. Even if I continue to just show locally and do art crawls, I’d be happy with that too. Philippians 4:12-13 “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.”
Pricing:
- I try to make art for everyone of every income level. You can buy original works for less than $1,000, art prints for less than $50, and stickers I designed for $5 or less. Art should be accessible for everyone!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sroberts5398.wixsite.com/sophiarobertsfineart
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiarobertsart?igsh=MWg5YW0wejZzeThpeQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-roberts-33ba24288?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Other: https://sophiarobertsart.etsy.com/
