How to build authentic relationships in the art world w/ Kathleen Beausoleil

This set effectively summarizes and segments the detailed content of the interview into easily navigable chapters for viewers.

**** – (): 00:00.01
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Thank you. Thank you so much for sparing time. Welcome to the Arts Too Hot podcast, Kathleen. How are you?
**** – (): 00:07.67
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I’m great, how are you?
**** – (): 00:09.21
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Very well, very well. Thank you so much for joining me today.
**** – (): 00:14.00
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): It’s a pleasure to be here. I feel like I should be saying long time listener, first time caller.
**** – (): 00:22.98
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Wow. I mean, it’s like I was saying well before we started. This is like I’m not going to, a lot of times when you know you record or I’m speaking to a guest and I have to like, um I have to set context.
**** – (): 00:34.52
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I have to tell them, oh, this is what I believe. But in this conversation, I feel like I’m just going to pick up where like from different points of the podcast, because you know, we both have been as a listener, you’ve been listening for, you know, as someone on the podcast, I’ve also been sharing.
**** – (): 00:40.66
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Okay.
**** – (): 00:50.02
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): First, let’s talk about you.
**** – (): 00:55.77
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Perfect.
**** – (): 00:56.22
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What brought you into the arts?
**** – (): 00:59.23
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I think I realized very early on that it was a way for me to communicate with people. And I found a home, honestly, it was in high school, like I found a home and a way that, a place where I fit in um and community there and a way to get positive attention and just a sense of belonging.
**** – (): 01:22.60
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I was good at it. So it was like, okay, this all fits, I can do this. So that was it.
**** – (): 01:26.91
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And like did you did you have any of those um did you ever have anyone around you that was an artist at that point that made it like you could do this for yourself as well?
**** – (): 01:35.41
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): No.
**** – (): 01:38.88
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): No, not at all. So my parents were very supportive. um You know, and I went to RISD pre college. And once they knew that this was what I wanted to do, it was okay, let’s get you art lessons.
**** – (): 01:50.94
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Let’s do they were very supportive. But we weren’t a family that grew up going to museums. So I think for me, first time I went to a museum, I was in college and my professor brought us to the Met.
**** – (): 01:56.29
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What was the first time you did?
**** – (): 02:01.97
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): column ah you know ah hu I also did. In India, we don’t have a culture of going to museums. In fact, we don’t have a lot of popular museum.
**** – (): 02:11.03
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): no
**** – (): 02:12.19
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): It’s not a tradition.
**** – (): 02:13.82
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah,
**** – (): 02:13.81
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): um And I went to a museum. I think you won’t believe. i’m Also, my first museum museum that I went to that was for fine arts was actually you.
**** – (): 02:25.53
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 02:26.09
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): um was my I never thought that could be like, this was something.
**** – (): 02:26.40
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): yeah.
**** – (): 02:30.10
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah, like I had, it just wasn’t part of our life. I mean, we had, my mother had art in the house, but it just wasn’t a thing that we went to museums. And I had, one of my first jobs was working at a library.
**** – (): 02:43.25
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): and opening the art books, it was like, whoa, like it just was this whole opening into a much bigger world. And that to me, I mean, just the library and the books were just lifechang life-changing, life-changing.
**** – (): 03:00.65
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 03:00.56
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): If you wouldn’t be an artist, what do you think what else would you agree?
**** – (): 03:04.61
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um I was good at math, so I actually, when I started college, I was gonna be a math major. um And then I went in and I can remember I i called my mom and I was like, mom? I i ended up being a couple of years ahead in math. And so when I went to college, I walked in and I was the only freshman and everybody was juniors. And I called my parents and I’m like, I can’t do this again. Like I can’t be the young, weird kid that does art in math.
**** – (): 03:36.44
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): yeah i um um I did it all throughout high school, and i want to I’m just going for art. So that I changed and went to a completely fine art degree and left my math behind. But I think I would have done something with math.
**** – (): 03:53.44
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): wow that’s like two poles okay
**** – (): 03:57.09
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): There’s a certain kind of brain. I mean, I think um that there are if you’ve ever read Temple Grandin and she gets into you know autistic brains or neurodivergent brains where there’s a linking between visual thinkers and math.
**** – (): 04:12.94
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So there is a certain type of brain that works like that. So I think there is a a path. Yeah.
**** – (): 04:19.19
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): okay okay so today’s what is
**** – (): 04:20.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 04:24.13
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): what is um What do you think about the art scene right now? What is your opinion about being an artist actually in today’s age? Do you think it’s easy or difficult as compared to like other times? What let’s talk about? Is this the best time to be an artist?
**** – (): 04:44.56
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): How long have you been painting?
**** – (): 04:44.92
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): i don’t so I don’t think there’s ever a bad time to be an artist.
**** – (): 04:46.23
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Let’s start from there.
**** – (): 04:49.46
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I think there are many different lanes in the art world, and there are many different ways to be an artist.
**** – (): 04:49.43
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I love that.
**** – (): 04:57.84
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I think it’s one of those really wonderful things that you get to decide You get to frame your beliefs, right? You get to frame what you want to do in this world and what your career is going to look like. And while that can be overwhelming, I think it’s a huge gift. If you get overwhelmed, then that’s time for you to sit down and readjust what that means to you and what your path is. So you’re in complete control over all of that and setting all of those expectations.
**** – (): 05:34.19
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I think that’s wonderful, right?
**** – (): 05:34.43
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Hmm. Hmm.
**** – (): 05:37.23
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Like we’re at a time when there’s basically any type of art, there’s a platform for every single type of art out there. And you can find your audience.
**** – (): 05:48.76
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I think it’s ah just a fantastic time for the art world. And it’s a fantastic time to connect with people. And there are no rules.
**** – (): 05:59.81
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): It’s wonderful. It’s wonderful.
**** – (): 06:01.32
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): How long did you start painting?
**** – (): 06:04.32
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I’ve been painting mostly my whole life. I mean, I went to, um you know, I was painting in high school. I went to art school. I’ve been painting ever since. I did take um out of art school.
**** – (): 06:16.97
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I signed with a gallery and then I left that scene and for 13 or 14 years, my kids were my priority, but I still painted.
**** – (): 06:28.65
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I just wasn’t, you know,
**** – (): 06:30.87
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): actively putting yourself out there.
**** – (): 06:32.69
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Correct, correct. And what I didn’t realize at the time, which I, going back, if I could tell anybody that’s going through that, I mean, I talked to artists that had kids and I just didn’t have the bandwidth to sit there and, um you know, like I need like a four hour window.
**** – (): 06:44.33
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Managed to.
**** – (): 06:48.73
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And for for me, for my type of work, it’s very deep. It’s like ah I need that like ram space in my head to be thinking deeply about my work and all the levels of the work. and i couldn’t do that so i did this for for 13 or 14 years i still painted but i did drills so then when i had that computer space and i went back i was like whoa was like okay i apparently got better so
**** – (): 07:11.74
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): how how do you think at that point? um I also want to like just set in context with the same question I asked. Why I’m asking you this is um you let you push yourself out there in two different times, two different art worlds actually because the art world we know today is very different from what the art world was let’s say 20 years ago. And first let’s Let’s talk about your experience and of course, but then I’m sure you were much younger and now you’re more mature.
**** – (): 07:45.56
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And I think with that maturity, it also comes like better judgment. Um, I’m assuming I don’t know what will happen, but but the judgment, I think I don’t know more patients.
**** – (): 07:53.53
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Right.
**** – (): 07:57.31
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Also not seeking enough validation. First, let me talk about the younger you and the art world at that time. What was the scene like? How would you put yourself out there? What were your ambitions at that point?
**** – (): 08:09.63
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um You know, there when I started, there weren’t cell phones, right? So think of a world without cell phones. and
**** – (): 08:18.11
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Wow.
**** – (): 08:19.06
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um So it was very different and things were word of mouth. Like there was no internet to research things. So you’re hearing things from your professors. You’re hearing things from, you know, okay, this is, and there was, a I was in New York and there was a, um I guess the rule was, I kept hearing, was it six years of networking in New York to get picked up by a gallery.
**** – (): 08:46.00
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So six years of networking.
**** – (): 08:46.15
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): sick years of networking. And how do you define this networking? What do you think?
**** – (): 08:53.16
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): going to openings making your work, just, you know, supporting other artists, just being around the scene.
**** – (): 08:53.12
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What would you do?
**** – (): 08:58.87
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): You would go, let’s let’s break it down. You would go to like gallery openings, exhibitions, open studio doors.
**** – (): 09:04.23
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yep. Yep. Open studio tours.
**** – (): 09:09.52
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yes. And that’s what you’re doing.
**** – (): 09:11.15
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): would you put yourself like how would you put yourself out there? Like if you were did you make any like um underground scenes or like it was this alternative spaces anything that you tried before all of that?
**** – (): 09:22.60
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um I mean, I was working full-time as a surface pattern designer, so I um so i was working full-time as a surface pattern designer, and then I was painting, and so I needed a studio, so you you find studio shares, and I would sublet studios.
**** – (): 09:27.53
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Oh, wow.
**** – (): 09:41.50
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 09:42.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And at one point I went to, I i saw an ad for a studio share,
**** – (): 09:42.88
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): um
**** – (): 09:47.97
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um And it was at a residency program for international artists and a fairly prestigious one. And I said to them, instead of whenever you have gaps between artists coming, because like visas would get, I’m like, I will be your full time studio like rat. And I will move from studio to studio. And rather than you placing an ad,
**** – (): 10:10.10
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I’m just here permanent. I’m here long-term. I get a reduced rent and I go from place to place. ah And so from being in that program, I mean, I’m working full-time.
**** – (): 10:16.88
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Wow.
**** – (): 10:20.43
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I’m going there after work and you know I’m on a tight budget. So my dinner was like a slice of pizza and a meatball and a glass of water. like it was you know
**** – (): 10:28.25
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): How does it feel like now, apart from that, 20 years later with all of that food?
**** – (): 10:28.99
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): it’s
**** – (): 10:35.80
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah, yeah, my stomach can’t make me still do some of that, but you know, it is what it is.
**** – (): 10:39.45
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): We all have been through that.
**** – (): 10:42.80
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah, so you’re, you know, you’re looking for the openings, like which openings have the good cheese? ah oh
**** – (): 10:48.15
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): ah Yes, we’ve all been through that too. and a lordri So in India, um you let’s say a lot of this is like something that um I know everybody does. I don’t know here in the US, but often may not say it out loud for people who drink specifically.
**** – (): 11:05.15
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): um because openings have ah wine and alcohol and a lot of artists are generally they’re struggling to make ends meet.
**** – (): 11:05.43
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 11:12.90
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 11:12.88
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): So this was also one way to have like a fine food or like cheese and wine and like feel that feel without spending the money.
**** – (): 11:16.24
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yep.
**** – (): 11:20.84
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yes, yeah. Yeah, we would joke that we’re like, we’re the Midwestern girls that are like putting the carrot sticks in our pockets.
**** – (): 11:29.21
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Like we’d go to New York with empty suitcases. So I have, you know, my friends were dancers or, and I had a couple of friends that worked in ad agencies.
**** – (): 11:36.37
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): wow
**** – (): 11:38.88
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So they would get us into the really swanky parties. That was fun. um You know, and that was the twenties, but my, I think for the art, it was really being in a shared studio and meeting the other artists.
**** – (): 11:49.83
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And then some of the older artists like took pity on me. They were like, oh, you poor thing moving from studio to studio. And they actually helped me find, um at the time I got a job at SUNY Empire State College in a program that’s now defunct and they had a studio in the middle of Chelsea and I i applied there, I got in there for grad school and I ended up running their visiting artist program.
**** – (): 12:02.55
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Oh wow.
**** – (): 12:15.23
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): wow
**** – (): 12:16.56
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I could reach out. I had a budget. I could invite any of the artists to come and talk to all the students. that And the students were coming from all the other SUNY universities, which SUNY is the State University of New York. So they would come to Manhattan for a semester and get a studio in Chelsea. And then we would arrange studio visits for them. And it was such a great program that we actually had people that had MBAs from Columbia, NYU.
**** – (): 12:41.47
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And Columbia and NYU, yeah, pretty much Columbia and NYU. It was like this underground program that people were coming. And so it was underground enough that the people at the residency were like, you need to go there. So they sent me there and I was getting my master’s degree. And so I had a cheap studio. It was like $1,200 a month. I got a studio and I got to run this program.
**** – (): 13:02.55
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And that’s kind of when I realized um it was for me, who is a massive introvert, but I got to run the studio, this visiting artist program. So they were like, Kathleen, you have to invite these artists to come.
**** – (): 13:13.72
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I’m like, what do I do? And they’re like, just call them up or email them. And I was like, really? They were like, yeah. and And it was really that simple. Like you send a nice email. I’m a big like i’m a big fan of your work.
**** – (): 13:25.41
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Would you like to come? And everyone was so nice. And I was like, oh, like that’s what
**** – (): 13:30.49
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): It was that it was only until I tried, like, sometimes we feel like, oh, the I don’t know the how this will happen. It’s so hard. And a lot of times it’s our own fear of rejection um that we don’t put ourselves out there.
**** – (): 13:43.60
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 13:46.28
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): But once we do, and we figure out the way like, Even before, you know, just let’s say, for example, starting a podcast, I was like, oh, I don’t know, how will I be able to get a guest?
**** – (): 13:57.88
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And, you know, now your fourth season, we’ve had Ashley Longshore, we’ve had Daniel, we’ve got some incredible gallerists from India, from the US.
**** – (): 14:02.22
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 14:07.46
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And I was like, I don’t even know if these people will be ever willing to come in. And it was only I realized that if I’m not willing to ask, I will never know.
**** – (): 14:16.44
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 14:16.24
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And a lot of them did turn up.
**** – (): 14:19.17
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah. And so it was, that was like such a huge moment for me. I mean, just, it’s just everyone, they’re just people and they just want to be, they want friends and they want to be no nice people.
**** – (): 14:31.39
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So if you’re just yourself and nice and honest, that’s all you have to be. And it works.
**** – (): 14:37.38
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 14:38.48
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And the more comfortable you are in your own skin, the better you’re going to do.
**** – (): 14:43.80
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 14:45.78
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 14:45.58
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Okay, so let’s say if I were to ask you what is specifically in that time, what would be if you were to attribute three things that you were doing right, that brought you to a let’s say, anyone who’s actively looking for a gallery representation, what would that be for you?
**** – (): 15:04.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): They are the three things that would still work now, right? You have to be.
**** – (): 15:07.86
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Let’s say it works for you then, then we’ll figure out if they’re working today or not.
**** – (): 15:11.68
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Okay, so you have to be willing to network. You have to be having talking to people and meeting other artists. You have to be looking at other people’s art and hanging out with other artists.
**** – (): 15:26.60
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 15:28.98
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yes. ah Number two, you have to have good work.
**** – (): 15:30.14
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Number two.
**** – (): 15:33.85
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): You have to be, you have to have good work and you have to be constantly working.
**** – (): 15:34.01
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 15:38.73
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Like it’s just, you need to be out there. You need to be, I’ve never stopped taking classes.
**** – (): 15:45.87
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 15:47.03
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Ever. So you need to be out there and working and learning and, you know, getting feedback and just, I mean, I love all that.
**** – (): 15:49.83
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 15:55.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I think that’s part of it is that you just have to have good work and keep pushing yourself.
**** – (): 16:01.52
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And the tide.
**** – (): 16:03.47
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Third is I think you need to be, I think you just have to be yourself and be humble. Know know who you are, know your value system.
**** – (): 16:17.78
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): what Let’s now come back in the present. okay Now let’s see um what does it mean for you to be an artist today? How how do you feel it’s different from the time you never had even a cell phone versus today? whats What is the fundamental difference you feel as being in both the places, taking a break and then restarting?
**** – (): 16:44.71
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I think you have more control. I think artists have more power.
**** – (): 16:47.13
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Now, how do you say that?
**** – (): 16:48.31
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yes. Yes.
**** – (): 16:52.68
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): That we have just like you that we have the ability to get together and create our own platforms. Like you created this platform.
**** – (): 17:04.17
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): How fantastic and awesome is that?
**** – (): 17:04.31
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 17:07.73
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And you were elevating other people. And there have been studies in female leadership. And the part of female leadership is that we lift each other up, right?
**** – (): 17:19.29
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And you know there’s top-down leadership, but females don’t do that. We lift each other up. You created a platform and you’re, I mean, I’m so so honored to be here. I’ve been listening for four years. You’re raising everybody up.
**** – (): 17:33.46
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And that’s what’s great. And that energy is out there. And that’s what we can do for each other. We make each other better. We’re not in competition. We raise each other up.
**** – (): 17:41.50
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 17:43.27
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I think that’s what’s different. That energy is just fantastic. And that’s what’s different.
**** – (): 17:50.75
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What do you feel has like, um personally, if you if I were to place you, if you were to choose to one way, would it be the world that you before you came from like, you know, where we had no internet access, it was more in person, all of those things, or to grow your career or the one that we’re in today.
**** – (): 18:15.70
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Absolutely the one that we’re in today, but I would kind of i would i would say that in-person matters. like It matters. you know
**** – (): 18:22.57
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yes, absolutely.
**** – (): 18:24.33
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): yeah that putting that FaceTime in matters, showing up at your friend’s opening, that matters. um Putting, you know, if you can, you know, just take it, sending that email, even if you can’t send an email, like just support, like cheer your people on. Like that’s that that’s nice, just buts that’s different. um That energy is just out there. And and you we have so much more control over our careers now.
**** – (): 18:48.83
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): How has, as an artist, it has impacted you, if I were to ask, specifically as creating work? Has your work, what kind of work were you making um in the early years?
**** – (): 19:00.31
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Um, very similar. I mean, I’ve been obsessed with crowds and how people gather for 20 years and it’s still the same thing. I just can’t, it fascinates me how, you know, even what we’re talking about, how, how we all lift each other up and how we work together and how coming together as a community and celebrating what we have in common is better for everybody. And that’s just what fascinates me.
**** – (): 19:28.05
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And how do you feel like, you know, specifically with like, you know, social media, now, like, you know, I’m speaking to you, we’re both, I have a community, but I’m still sitting in this room all by myself. Like I have a team, but I’m still sitting in this room all by myself. Like there’s also this, um how do I say this? I have people, but I’m also alone in that sense, like,
**** – (): 19:56.25
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I don’t know if it’s, I’m saying if it’s a privilege or not, I really don’t know. But how does, I’m trying to, someone who who’s also, do you look at crowds like that also? Because today’s social media is also very crowded. There’s so many opinions, so much noise, so much information. um As an artist, constantly taking this information, being exposed to a lot of um you know, successes and like in and older times, I think in 15 years before, I wouldn’t know what actually is happening in New York. And a lot of people, unless I’m absolutely there or how many of us would actually know, not all, but with the technology today, a lot of things have changed and involved and we, I have friends all over the world and I can choose to go down that path, but also know that maybe, um i’m I think what I’m trying to ask is maybe,
**** – (): 20:53.05
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): how creatively this overexposure impacts us as artists.
**** – (): 21:01.15
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I’m going to answer that slightly differently than how you asked. um Everything has a good and bad, right? The world is in balance.
**** – (): 21:12.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I think that when you have the internet, there’s always gonna be a bad side to it. Just like when world before cell phones, there was a bad side to it.
**** – (): 21:17.75
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 21:20.76
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I mean, there were times when you’re waiting on the road 45 minutes, like, oh my, I’ve been here 45 minutes. Is this person like, I mean, we would sit there literally and wait for 45 minutes. You don’t know where the person is.
**** – (): 21:29.39
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Goodness.
**** – (): 21:29.79
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): You don’t know if they’re coming. You don’t know if they’re coming.
**** – (): 21:30.81
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Imagine not being that today.
**** – (): 21:32.89
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): you know, that doesn’t happen anymore. So um so so we have to look at like, there’s a good and bad to everything, right? So we can sit there and say that one of the great things on social media is that you have built a community.
**** – (): 21:39.83
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Everything.
**** – (): 21:47.47
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So people who are interested in I watched a TV show on this years ago with guys who are interested and obsessed with washing machines and they collect washing machines. They’ve now all found each other and they have a community of people that are into washing machines. That’s awesome. So yeah, there are bad things on the internet, but there’s also these people that found that were alone in their little hobby and now they found other people and they have a platform for washing machine lovers. So I think you can look at it like anything. You can overexercise, you can do
**** – (): 22:18.90
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): ah you know that’s those that’s knowing who you are and knowing your value system and living a healthy life. And for part of me, it’s knowing that I think my responsibility as my job as an artist is to know what’s out there and I need to be educated.
**** – (): 22:37.72
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And so that’s what I’m doing. you know And I can see shows, I can see more artwork, I can see, yeah, I think it’s great. Are there problems with it?
**** – (): 22:47.11
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What do you think?
**** – (): 22:47.53
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yes.
**** – (): 22:49.38
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): what what what What was difficult that point in now as an artist? What do you feel is the most difficult thing for you as an artist now?
**** – (): 23:00.24
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um
**** – (): 23:03.39
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Well, it kind of changes every day on my mood. ah Let’s see, the most difficult thing for an artist now.
**** – (): 23:06.51
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): but Let’s list a few.
**** – (): 23:10.33
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um Oh, that’s such a loaded question. Okay. I think for me now, a lot of it is time management. Um, I think I’m really blessed that I work with some great mentors that I have to go to that I didn’t have in the past. I think I’ve gotten the older I get the more comfortable I get with being brutally honest about my own struggles and getting help for them. Uh, I think I get more vulnerable the older I get.
**** – (): 23:43.13
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I think that’s important.
**** – (): 23:43.57
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Hmm.
**** – (): 23:44.37
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I think that’s important. Yeah, so I think the biggest struggle today is really for me, it’s, it’s, there’s a lot to do, you know, artists do a lot more.
**** – (): 23:47.81
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Hmm.
**** – (): 23:55.59
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): but you know, we’re our marketing managers, we’re running the CEO, we’re doing, you know, most of us have small businesses, so we’re doing our taxes, we’re doing our marketing, we’re doing our budgets, we’re doing our plan, we’re also talking all the back and forth with various dealers, making sure all of our deadlines and getting our work in.
**** – (): 23:58.38
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 24:15.83
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um And then you also have to eat healthy and work out and do all the other things. hopeful like lova Be a human, right? A healthy human. There’s a lot. It’s a lot, yeah.
**** – (): 24:28.21
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So I think that’s my biggest struggle is finding that balance and maybe it’s accepting that there isn’t a balance. I kind of like to think of it like a boat and you’re never going to be centered and you just need guardrails.
**** – (): 24:40.46
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So when the boat’s on this side, you’re not falling too far off and you put a guardrail on the other side and you’re just never going to be.
**** – (): 24:46.01
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I love that. at and Yeah, I think I think a lot of skill sets that are required by artists today have really gone up.
**** – (): 24:47.83
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And you know, there are going to be times. Yeah.
**** – (): 24:57.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 24:57.33
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Like we expect we have to be good at we have to be good at content creation. And even I’m not even saying in the sense of you have to make reels or all of those things. um content creation does not only mean like complicated videos, but also understanding of platforms of how these platforms are working. What work should I put out there? What should I don’t put out there? Then also, um you know, extra work like a lot of things that um
**** – (): 25:29.81
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Like that just ah today, it’s just given that, you know, if you’re an artist, you have to be on social media. There’s no escape from it. You have to have a website. It is a mandate and not only website.
**** – (): 25:41.70
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I am guilty of this too, but also a website that’s like regularly active. I think it’s extremely, extremely important.
**** – (): 25:46.53
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): yeah Yes.
**** – (): 25:48.81
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Then, you know, having taxes, you can’t evade or like, I will figure it out later.
**** – (): 25:55.13
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): you know No.
**** – (): 25:55.18
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): no can do, um running like a business, also like, you know, um I’m grateful for a lot of help I have because of my partner in the sense of, or running other businesses that I have already before I started this, I knew, and I also failed at a few businesses before.
**** – (): 25:56.42
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Nope.
**** – (): 26:14.85
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): But managing logistics, shipping, international shipping. There’s so much that ah now we need to constantly update and work on ourselves that sometimes I feel like um not everybody is able to cope up with it because traditionally artists were never doing all of this. It was somebody else who was doing like, you know if you have a ah if there’s an artist who’s traditionally, let’s say, successful, there was a gallery who was doing all of those things. But because social media came in, it opened those doorways, now anybody could do it. Now, you if you’re willing to create your a own team, do your own marketing, do your own logistics, sales, taxing, all of those things, you are as good as a gallery could do for you or but run a business for yourself.
**** – (): 27:03.31
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Correct, yep, yep, yep.
**** – (): 27:07.05
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): oh
**** – (): 27:08.60
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So it’s a lot.
**** – (): 27:08.48
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Okay, what are you working on? Yeah, you’re saying something. It’s a lot for sure.
**** – (): 27:12.74
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): It’s a lot, yeah, it’s a lot, yep. Yeah, and I’ve tried some things and had them fail miserably.
**** – (): 27:16.35
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Where are you adding your period?
**** – (): 27:20.94
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um So you just put, I tried to do…
**** – (): 27:21.18
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): lie
**** – (): 27:23.95
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um At one point, I did have my website doing sales, and it just years ago, and it just, nope, it just was a complete failure. Like, I couldn’t figure out the taxes, I couldn’t figure out the shipping.
**** – (): 27:37.03
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): bi that It was, I’m like, yeah, this is too complicated. So you try things. ah You know, that was when I took time off away from the galleries and and was painting at home with the kids.
**** – (): 27:49.32
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I, you know, I am, I am, yeah, blessed.
**** – (): 27:50.41
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Are you working with galleries today?
**** – (): 27:55.33
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): they’re they’re
**** – (): 27:55.14
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What do you find it easier? what we I think there’s no right and wrong way to work. um We all have our own preferences, specifically at time and space, we are willing to you know give to all of those things. um Do you find it easier to work with galleries versus um of making your own ecosystem and like you know being a more self-represented artist?
**** – (): 28:17.77
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um Well, I work with some nonprofit galleries and I also work with some for-profit galleries. So I’m a member of a nonprofit gallery and I absolutely love that. that’s a i mean you know we We’re a team, and we do everything. So I’m in control of all of that, and that’s pretty awesome. And then we get to control have shows, and just like you’re doing, we create platforms for other artists. you know I just curated a group show there. And that’ I truly believe in the Kool-Aid I paint. um
**** – (): 28:51.99
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I paint community and I believe in community and just like you, right? You’re building a community. that It’s fantastic. So i’m I’m honored that I have that and I’m also honored to have, you know, galleries that support me and and and help me help show my work to even a broader market.
**** – (): 29:11.67
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): It’s all good. there’s not It’s not competition. It’s not either or. um I think it all can fit together.
**** – (): 29:16.46
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 29:20.02
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And we’re a community. We help each other.
**** – (): 29:24.98
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 29:25.35
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So it’s it’s about that. It’s about you know art is um just hope, right? At the core, art is hope. And art reminds people that there’s awe and beauty in the world, and my art is reminds people that we need each other, and there’s value in slowing down, and there’s value in those relationships, and there’s value in taking you know a lot of time to just look at one thing and make a painting of it. That time is value.
**** – (): 29:58.48
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): and
**** – (): 30:02.98
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): and art is needed. And if you once you understand that it’s not a competition, it’s all great and we can all help each other and there’s a market for everybody.
**** – (): 30:14.87
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): It’s yeah just such a cool thing that we get to do, right?
**** – (): 30:17.75
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Thank
**** – (): 30:20.93
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Like how lucky are we? Like we all love this in kindergarten.
**** – (): 30:23.13
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): you.
**** – (): 30:23.80
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Like we still we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t like to go in our studio every day.
**** – (): 30:29.42
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Right? I mean, at the core of it, it’s that we love this. Like, we just love it. And we get to share that with other people and remind them on a daily basis that there’s value in taking that time.
**** – (): 30:42.74
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I know. But do you feel anything different when you were making art while not pushing it out there? um Did you feel anything different about it?
**** – (): 30:57.32
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): All these years while you were
**** – (): 30:57.64
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I did. I mean, I think at that time, you know, I think the bulk of my brain, I have three children. So the bulk of my brain was kind of trying to manage, manage them and get them, you know, they came first and getting them.
**** – (): 31:12.39
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 31:13.45
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um That just took the bulk of my processing space. So my in terms of my painting, I didn’t have all that
**** – (): 31:23.89
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): But also creating without pressure or purpose.
**** – (): 31:27.67
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I mean, I learned a lot.
**** – (): 31:27.45
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): How did that feel?
**** – (): 31:28.55
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): like I mean, literally for two years, I said, I’m only gonna paint with a palette knife.
**** – (): 31:34.62
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I only painted with a palette knife for two years. And now it’s now I can bang out. like It’s funny, I had a ah people, artists, like they’ve gone to academies, they come up to me and they’re like, how ah how are you using a palette knife like that?
**** – (): 31:46.09
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): How did you decide?
**** – (): 31:47.76
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And it’s like, yeah, I only painted with a palette knife for two years. like I mean, I like made a lot of really bad paintings, but that’s part of the joy is that you’ve had that.
**** – (): 31:54.32
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): You know, it’s a self-discovery.
**** – (): 31:55.89
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): when you and then like Huh?
**** – (): 31:57.94
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): This is something I’ve been discovering. I have this whole file. I just bought it to the studio recently. I have a few more there. And my life’s been crazy. and i I have not been actively putting my work out there, specifically for like you know selling and all of that. And I’m okay with that to a point, but now I intend to change that. I intend to put my work out there, have more shows. But I also know I have too much on my plate that I have to prioritize where I am at that moment. But I also love art. I love making art.
**** – (): 32:30.71
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): and Maybe if I’m not able to commit to a nine hour, six hour, or seven hour studio day, i but i I still wanted to commit to making art without anything.
**** – (): 32:41.48
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And I still do. i all All the time that I’m not intending to put myself out there, I’m still making art.
**** – (): 32:47.91
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yep.
**** – (): 32:47.86
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And this I shared a reel about this the other day, which was which connected to a lot of people. And you know I was and was like, I have not felt so much content um in so many things for the past few years, specifically to my art, that felt when you so I what I did basically was I pulled out a table in chair and put it in my room. I used to work on a laptop before, on that. And i I removed my desktop, laptop, and it was like, this painting, this is on this table is only when I draw and paint. And I removed the stress of good, bad, recording, not recording, sharing Instagram, no.
**** – (): 33:28.77
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I just wanted to commit an hour or so in the morning, an hour or two in the evening or before bed, and at least make sure that I show up on this table at least once a day, if anything at all.
**** – (): 33:38.35
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Thanks.
**** – (): 33:41.14
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): And i also may I also blended spirituality with it because I also wanted to dedicate um I also wanted to dedicate one hour to to taking God’s name and everything. So I was like, I will paint here and I will do something and it will itll also be how I remember God with it. And I had no intention and I still don’t have intention. But i I felt heavy in the beginning, but as I started to lift off that pressure, I was so happy to feel that you know the work that I was making
**** – (): 34:17.19
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I didn’t care how bad or good it was. It was only getting better in the sense of how I was able to connect to myself. But also how small consistency, creating without pressure in that sense, can also give so much creative freedom, so much grace, so much welcome to new ideas. Sometimes we get restricted. Oh, I have to like, I have this diary here, which I have my series list listed. And these are the projects I have to work. And I was like, I don’t know where this has come from.
**** – (): 34:47.94
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I had this, I had no intention but here it is because also like I just feel like how you have to be so open, so open to some things when it comes to creativity like not creating for anything but for yourself and be okay with that.
**** – (): 35:06.56
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): I think what you’re talking about, you said grace. And I think that that’s what it’s about. And it’s being, it’s about grace. And it’s also about self care. Right?
**** – (): 35:17.42
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 35:18.53
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Why can’t we say, I need that time with myself. to make work for me. And that’s my self care. And I deserve that. And I deserve that time to play.
**** – (): 35:30.73
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): there It doesn’t have to be for any other reason. I hired a babysitter and would go out and I joined a plein air group. And that forced me to have four hours to just go out and sit in the woods and make work.
**** – (): 35:38.91
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah. Yeah.
**** – (): 35:41.96
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): yeah
**** – (): 35:46.61
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): and And that’s good. That was my self care. That was my time. And I think, that doesn’t get talked about enough, but that’s okay. And you don’t have to have your work out there. And that’s the most important, that that goes back to that play, the reason why we love this, that’s our self-care. And that needs to have a bigger platform.
**** – (): 36:10.15
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I like that. Last question. la If you were to give yourself an advice to two versions of yourself, the one that was 15 years ago in that world and the one that’s here, right here, what would you tell yourself?
**** – (): 36:27.24
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): If I could go back, I would tell myself 15 years ago, I was beating myself up. Like the day that my gallery mailed me all the paintings from their storage room, I was like, oh my God, my career is over. And I had that, there was a myth of like, oh, now that you have kids, it’s like you have to be the mommy track or the artist track.
**** – (): 36:45.63
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And that that’s just a myth. If I could go back and say, oh, that’s a bunch of videos.
**** – (): 36:48.40
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): convicted Yeah.
**** – (): 36:49.72
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um that one of the best things I ever did was taking all of that time to just make work for myself. I mean, I just, occasionally people knew that I could, people would come and they knew that I was painting and I would get commissions during that time.
**** – (): 37:05.12
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Oh
**** – (): 37:07.86
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Here’s the thing I didn’t give myself credit for. I ended up making a business during that time because people would find out that I painted and they’d be like, oh, can you do a portrait?
**** – (): 37:12.84
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): wow.
**** – (): 37:15.98
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Can you do a hat? Like, so I ended up doing these like home portraits.
**** – (): 37:19.03
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): um Yeah.
**** – (): 37:19.34
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): and in a lot of commissions. And during that time, I realized, oh, this is how you make it. Oh, that kind that was a problem. I can’t do that on my next commission. And so my my I ended up having a fantastic contract by the end of that period. I’m like, oh, you may have a great contract. Now I have So I learned all of that without putting any pressure on myself to do it um and really just having fun.
**** – (): 37:43.30
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): and One year i I painted with a limited palette. Like it was okay, you’re only gonna use three colors. Then I expanded to six colors and split color palette. I don’t know how to do this. I’ll go take this workshop and I’ll go do, and i I really, I literally just, no pressure, but I actually was making money at the time and built the whole business.
**** – (): 37:57.99
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Just.
**** – (): 38:01.08
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So it was kind of this, I don’t know, just stumbling around, i sort of I figured out what worked for me and set my parameters. And I decided, I we moved out West.
**** – (): 38:13.07
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And I decided early on, I realized a a lot of um moving out West and experiencing that culture and realizing that a lot of what you hear in the New York art world is a complete myth.
**** – (): 38:26.30
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And there are many different paths.
**** – (): 38:27.51
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Why do you say so?
**** – (): 38:29.86
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): his that’s all I had ever heard and once I moved out west and I heard artists that had won NEA grants and that have are in international museum collections and they’ve never had a show in New York but they’re these giants in the art industry right so once you see that you’re like wow okay there are a lot of different ways to do this and I think that was my big shift and it was also like I can
**** – (): 38:49.11
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): well Yeah. Yeah.
**** – (): 38:57.61
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): That’s what I’m going to do. This is who I am. These are the values I was raised with. I’m going to be like this and this is how I’m going to work. And that’s just sort of how I went out about it. Like I just, I want to make, I want to work with people I like. I want to make work that I like. I want to be, I love what I do and I want to work with other people that love what they do.
**** – (): 39:17.09
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): um
**** – (): 39:17.15
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I think this is such a such a wonderful reminder. I think it’s a reminder we need to constantly, I think, I completely go by this for sure.
**** – (): 39:26.05
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Right. Like if it just there’s a vibe to it, right? Like it’s got to feel good.
**** – (): 39:28.65
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah. Yeah, so I keep, I heard this on Jenna’s, I don’t know if you know Jenna Kuchar, her podcast, and I really like it.
**** – (): 39:30.42
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 39:37.36
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): She’s like, you know, I keep reminding myself that there’s a better way to do this.
**** – (): 39:41.61
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 39:41.61
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I can do this with love.
**** – (): 39:43.55
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yes.
**** – (): 39:43.38
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Whatever I do, I want to do it with love. Because I otherwise I’m going to get up tomorrow and feel like, and there will be days that I do a lot of things that I hate today in the sense of, no, I don’t like doing taxes.
**** – (): 39:56.07
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): No, I don’t. um like doing it doing a lot of things that I have to do when I’m running a business but I love the books we create, I love talking to people, I love supporting this community, I love the outcomes of it so I get through the heart some days like some days I’m like Maybe I’ll take a break with from this and like, like ultimately I know I’m trying to find, I find the joy in, if not the direct form, but someone in direct form. But if I feel like, Oh, why do I have to talk to these people? Why I have to do that? Now I have to do this. And I’ve been there where I’ve done something that I really didn’t enjoy and it was terrible. Like I didn’t feel good about it, no matter how the work did or not. So it’s so important.
**** – (): 40:40.08
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah, I look at it. I used to be a running coach. So I look at it like that.
**** – (): 40:42.80
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Oh, wow.
**** – (): 40:44.40
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So it’s if you, you know, if you want to run a marathon, you have to get out there and train and you don’t do that many long runs. You mostly do a lot of three mile runs and there are a lot of days you don’t want to get out and run, but you have to do, you know, but that consistency and showing up.
**** – (): 40:53.78
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Yeah. Yeah. It’s important.
**** – (): 41:01.87
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): And that’s what builds, that’s what builds your endurance and builds your, and, you know, showing up at the same time, every day at the same park, you meet a community and you meet your support system and you get, you know, that’s, that’s what it is.
**** – (): 41:04.53
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Resilience.
**** – (): 41:16.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): It’s those little increments, 1% improvement a day, you know, just show up for yourself and give yourself that time. And it’s that consistency and that practice.
**** – (): 41:23.96
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I love that.
**** – (): 41:28.72
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Yeah.
**** – (): 41:28.62
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Thank you so much, Kathleen. This was so nice talking to you.
**** – (): 41:30.46
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Thank you. yeah Yes, you too.
**** – (): 41:33.34
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): It was so nice speaking.
**** – (): 41:33.65
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): What are you working on in your studio?
**** – (): 41:36.62
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Hmm. I think You know, I think for me, what I’m, I’m, I’m actually hooked on these smaller studies. I don’t know, intuitive, whatever. I really am more than anything in the studio. I am so much. I’m so much more excited about the time. Like I said, about mixing my spirituality with my studio, uh, sitting in my room on the table before bed in the morning. And I’m, I’m, I’m in that phase. Like I, I’m just so much enjoying that. And I’m okay. Not, um,
**** – (): 42:10.38
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Like i I’m making on smaller these and a lot of these work has suddenly come from a lot of temples that I’ve been visiting in India, a lot of mythology that I’ve been reading about. So I’m like, I like that cocoon this time before I put myself out there and go get in the studio.
**** – (): 42:26.40
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): I’m really liking this, this time right now. What about you?
**** – (): 42:29.35
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): ah um
**** – (): 42:30.68
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): What I do?
**** – (): 42:32.32
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Let’s see, i’m I’m starting a new body of work. And I think it’s going to be, I’ve been looking at, um you know, I live on the Jersey Shore. So how people come together down here and and what it’s like,
**** – (): 42:51.34
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): you know just the sea of humanity that was here on Labor Day. We just had the holiday weekend here. So I went down and just was watching everyone meet up at the at the beach and looking at how that’s been captured throughout art history and and what you what you what can you can do on that to kind of, it’s a little bit of a trope, right? So is there a way that you can kind of flip that and make it contemporary? So that’s kind of what’s been having my jam lately, but I’m playing a lot in my sketchbook and looking at all of that stuff and excited to see what comes of it.
**** – (): 43:28.17
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Perfect. Thank you so much, Kathleen. It was so nice speaking to you.
**** – (): 43:30.20
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Thank you.
**** – (): 43:31.62
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Where can people find you, support you, and ah support your work?
**** – (): 43:35.84
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Um, so you can go on to my website, KathleenVosley.com. You can go on to Instagram, like always. um I work with Garvey Simon in New York, the Painting Center, and Galleria Lucida.
**** – (): 43:49.93
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): So, yeah.
**** – (): 43:50.44
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Perfect. Thank you so much. I hope you have a good day.
**** – (): 43:54.86
**** – (): Kathleen Beausoleil
**** – (): Thank you, you too. go Go get some time for yourself.
**** – (): 43:56.53
**** – (): charukaarora
**** – (): Thank you.

.

About the Guest(s):

Kathleen Beausoleil is a seasoned visual artist known for her intricate paintings exploring themes of community and interpersonal connections. With a foundation in fine arts education from RISD and additional advanced studies, Kathleen has exhibited in various prestigious galleries, both nonprofit and for-profit. She has also served as a surface pattern designer and has extensive experience in art education and curation. Kathleen’s work reflects her deep interest in how people gather and support each other, drawing on decades of artistic practice and community engagement.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the Arts To Hearts podcast, Charuka Arora welcomes Kathleen Beausoleil, a distinguished artist whose career spans over two decades. Kathleen delves into her initial attraction to the arts during her high school years, the supportive role of her family, and her formative experiences, such as attending the pre-college program at RISD. Over the years, Kathleen’s journey has been marked by shifts in both personal and professional landscapes, providing rich insights into the evolving art world.

Kathleen shares the contrast between being an artist in the pre-digital era and today’s hyper-connected age. She dissects both periods’ challenges and advantages, emphasizing how modern technology has given artists more control and opportunities to create their platforms. The conversation also explores the balance between creating art for oneself versus the market, highlighting the importance of community, ongoing education, and maintaining authenticity. The episode is a trove of wisdom for emerging and established artists alike, offering valuable tips on navigating an art career in different contexts.

Key Takeaways:

The importance of Networking, Past and present, connecting with other artists, attending openings, and being part of the art scene is crucial.

Creation for Self-Care: Making art for personal reasons can be a significant form of self-care and lead to unexpected growth.

Balance of Artistic Control: Today’s technology allows artists more control over their careers but requires skills in multiple domains.

Evolving Art World: Changes in art have created more opportunities and responsibilities for artists.

Role of Community: Building and participating in supportive artist communities is key to personal and professional growth.

Notable Quotes:

“I think I realized very early on that it was a way for me to communicate with people.” – Kathleen Beausoleil.

“We can get together and create our platforms.” – Kathleen Beausoleil

“At the core, art is hope. And art reminds people that there’s awe and beauty in the world.” – Kathleen Beausoleil

“I think for me, the most difficult thing today is time management.” – Kathleen Beausoleil

“You get to frame what you want to do in this world and what your career is going to look like.” – Kathleen Beausoleil

Charuka Arora is the founder of the Arts to Hearts Project and Host of the Arts to Hearts Podcast. She is also an acclaimed Indian artist known for her contemporary embellished paintings. Her unique blend of gouache, collage, embroidery, painting, and drawing explores the intersection of art, culture, heritage, and womanhood. Through her work, she tells stories of female strength and encapsulates them in pieces that can be treasured for generations.

Charuka’s work draws inspiration from Hindu mythology, recognizing women as vessels of Shakti, the cosmic energy. She beautifully portrays powerful goddesses like Durga Maa riding a tiger or lion, symbolizing their unlimited power to protect virtue and combat evil.

Through her art, Charuka invites us into the world of women, showcasing their beauty, strength, and resilience. Her creations not only exhibit exceptional talent but also serve as an inspiration and a symbol of hope for those challenging societal norms.

Arts to Hearts Podcast is a show delving into the lives and passions of renowned artists. From running creative businesses and studio art practices to cultivating a successful mindset, Charuka Arora engages in heartfelt conversations with her guests. Experience your personal happy hour with your favorite artists right in your studio.

Through candid discussions, Charuka and her guests reveal the joys and challenges of a vibrant creative life, both within and beyond our studios. Get ready to be inspired and uplifted as you tune in.

Kathleen Beausoleil

Kathleen Beausoleil is a visual artist, primarily using oil on canvas or panel and ink to explore human social interaction and the territorial behaviors that operate in crowds.

She received a 2022 Fellowship from the NJ State Council on the Arts. She was a member of The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program and has attended Artist in Residency programs, including the Cuttyhunk Island Artist Residency, Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Da Vinci Art Alliance Residency, and the Artist *Forests* Community Residency Program sponsored by the Holter Museum of Art and Helena National Forest.

Beausoleil’s work is in the permanent collection of The Art Museum of Missoula and private collections throughout the United States. Kathleen taught at the SUNY Empire State’s Studio Semester program. She received her BFA Cum Laude at Syracuse University. Beausoleil is a resident of Fair Haven, New Jersey.