Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Martin.
Colleen, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Growing up, I developed compulsive behaviors early on. I’d wash my hands a certain number of times, wear a certain color of underwear the same day of the week every week, count the amount of sips of water I would take and so on. The list of things I must do in a day began to grow longer and each task became more of an obligation. If I didn’t do it, no matter how silly the compulsion was I felt something bad was going to happen. I can’t explain what or how, but it’s something I still am struggling with today. A way for me to escape these feelings of compulsion was to draw. I began doodling different patterns on post-it notes, the walls in my bedroom, and my tests at school. It became my method for blocking out the numbers. To have something that looked so perfect and so filled with structure calmed me down. It is something that fulfills me, like a new world for me to create each time I draw. Perfection is something I have always strived for. In reality it might not ever be accomplished, but within these lines it is very attainable. Anxiety has never left my side, but the creation of my art has become a form of therapy for me – something I don’t have to worry too much about or overthink. Art flows through me and is always with me.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My current body of work is an exploration of designs that are therapeutic to me through the process. These patterns have helped me through the years to cope with something I have struggled with growing up, which is the urge to count. These patterns I create were and still are something that I can control, unlike the urges. I wanted to take the satisfaction of the process and it’s therapeutic value and turns it into a more intentional result.
I don’t plan any piece that I do, I tend to draw whatever pattern I am feeling. I encounter these patterns throughout life in my imagination and in my surroundings.
When I create my art, these patterns seem to spontaneously flow through my pen without effort. I turn these designs generated by emotion and impulsiveness into something that cannot be explained through narrative. My work is interpretive; it can be whatever object or emotion the viewer wants it to be. It has no beginning or end; it simply exists just as it is. On a personal artistic level, it exists to soothe my anxieties and keep my mind at ease, combining finite control and compulsion simultaneously. The purpose of my process is to learn to control the obsessive urges that trouble me, and to accept them as a challenge that I will ultimately conquer. By doing so I can be my own person, free from fixated anxiety and judgment. I strive to have nothing holding me down and one way I attempt to reach this goal is by creating these designs.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
Don’t be afraid to reach out to other artists and open up to them. Go to shows, meet new people! Personally, I’ve more recently opened my eyes to new artists working in mediums that are completely different from mine. Getting to know them and hearing what they have to say about their art has given me new perspectives and a greater appreciation for the way us artists think.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The best way to view my completed works is through my website. My Instagram has been more dedicated to self-expression, but I often share my works in progress so it’s a good way to stay updated with new projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: Colleenmartin.art
- Email: Colleenmartin.art@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenmarielouise/
Image Credit:
Photography by Ted Holmwood
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