Diane Fergurson of Mind Body Spirit Marketplace on 1000Markets

Diane Fergurson is an exhibiting mixed media artist. She creates jewelry and functional art. Also, her mandala series (check out the “Connecting Heaven and Earth series) are the most exciting and awe-inspiring mixed media creations that I have had the pleasure of looking at again and again. I have to imagine what the originals can do for the soul.

With all her other accomplishments and creative talents, she has found time to be manager and a member of Mind Body Spirit Marketplace on 1000Markets.

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I have enjoyed learning about this multi-talented artist.

How did you get your start in the world of art?
I’ve always enjoyed making things. When I was in college I had a part time job in a mental health facility, assisting the Activity Therapist who did arts and crafts with the patients. I absolutely loved it.Some years later, after I had children and they were in pre-school, I volunteered my family to be part of a study...a program to introduce art and science into the household of young children. We had particular curriculum that we followed and provided write-ups about the activities that we did and would discuss the program with it’s facilitator.

The program reignited my interest in making things. After that I signed up for ceramic classes at the local community arts center. From there, I went back to college to study art...my plan being to combine art with my Master’s Degree in Social Work and be an Art Therapist. The thing was, I enjoyed making art so much that I didn’t want to be an art therapist anymore!

The combination of the two academic disciplines, however, did allow me to teach. So I did. Art classes to special needs children, parent-child groups and I was also the art teacher for 2 deaf-oral schools. Then when that was finally going smoothly...we moved to the east coast and I had to do a complete art career change. Start up from nothing. I tried teaching, but really didn’t enjoy it as much as I had in the past. So I just decided to paint. And that’s what I did.

Do you have a ritual you perform before you start creating?
Take the dogs for a walk so that they will sleep and I can concentrate for a few hours straight. Lol Aside from that, no.

What do you like best, the creative process or the final creation?
Process. My approach is very organic and process oriented. I never start anything from a sketch or a plan. I may know that I’m making a mandala, or a piece of jewelry ...but that’s about it. I just let it unfold on it’s own.
When I taught art, that was the focus of all my classes. To just teach people that it’s OK to work without a plan....experiment with no end product in mind. You’d be surprised how difficult that is for most people, especially adults. They want control, and don’t feel that what they have been doing has any value until they have an acceptable product at the end.

What are your favorite art media, tools, and supplies?
I can honestly say that I work, or have worked in almost all mediums. I don’t have a favorite. They all have their plus points. What’s enjoyable to me is combining them all together (mixed media art), in new and interesting ways.

When a creative block happens, what process do you go through to get the creative juices flowing again?
The secret is to just let it go and do something different. Everything, everyone has a cycle. Everything has down time...needs down time. So does being creative.

I wrote a blog piece on that subject not too long ago. It’s called “It’s OK not to be Creative all the Time.” You can read it here: http://www.1000markets.com/users/dianefergurson/blog_posts

What do you hope your art says about you?
I really haven’t given any thought to what it says about me. I’m not very “me” oriented about the artwork I make. I prefer to let the art speak for itself, let people establish their own impressions and create their own inner dialogue with it.

What is your greatest dream and greatest fear as an artist?
Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a fear...but I think as an artist there are two real issues you have to think about. How people may misinterpret your art and what happens to it.
On a positive note, I hope that my artwork will help introduce people to some spiritual concepts that they may not have been familiar with before.

What are your goals in art, and in life?
Be healthy, maintain a balance, keep my mind open and keep educating myself about new things. Not to let things become stale and uninteresting.

Tell us a little bit about yourself—where you grew up, your life now, other creative pursuits, other interests and hobbies.
I grew up in the Midwest and moved to New Jersey about 12 years ago with my family. I’m a fine artist, but I’m also trained as a social worker/counselor and have taught extensively in the past (as described above). I’ve had my own business for quite awhile. Besides making art and jewelry I also garden, read and like to cook. My kids are both grown and very creative in their own right. One is an artist/musician. The other one is a fashion stylist. My husband is very happy being a business person!

Do you have more than one 1000Markets shop and/or other online shops?
I’m the manager of the Mind Body Spirit Marketplace on 1000 Markets.
http://www.1000markets.com/groups/mindbodyspirit
I have shops on:
etsy: http://www.dianefergurson.etsy.com/
artfire: http://www.dianefergurson.artfire.com
1000 Markets: http://www.dianefergurson.1000markets.com/
The 1000 Market site also carries my blog.

My artwork can be viewed on my website: http://www.dianefergurson.com/

I also have an art show coming up this summer. It will be at The Donald B. Palmer Museum of the Springfield Free Public Library in Springfield, New Jersey. It will run from July 20th through August 28th. I’ll be showing new Mandala work as well as selections from my Heaven and Earth series.