Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Soltys.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Poland, lived in France until I was 12, and finally moved to the city I now call home, Chicago. The roots of my interest in the Arts started with my family. My mother herself went to art school, and for as long as I can remember I have been surrounded by the music and fine art’s culture.
While I always created art, I imagined myself as a psychologist, more so than a professional artist. Partially because my interest in people and the human condition is one of my driving forces in my art creation, to begin with, and my mom always encouraged a different path.
The universe had its own plan for me and now find myself with a band who is releasing their debit self-titled album “Anna Soltys and the Familiar”, and a business that specializes in large-scale mosaic installation. After graduating from Columbia College in 2002, I found myself as a director of a gallery, then helping run a record production school out of a recording studio.
During the years at the recording studio, I began to feel more comfortable sharing the interests I had in creating music, which was derived from limits I found in painting. Soon thereafter I found myself being on the ground floor in assisting the development of a non-profit focus on a public art installation. The first painting, then mosaic.
This is where I learned through trial and error in the in’s and out’s of long-lasting outdoor transformation. After nearly a decade with this organization, and soon after giving birth to my son, I decided it was time to branch off on my own, and spend more time in the studio and having a stronger grip over the future of my own visions as they relate to installation.
It felt like stepping off a cliff in some ways, and now, can’t imagine things being any different than they are.
Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing about where I find myself today has been smooth. Is that a thing that exists? Smooth roads.. living in Chicago, where potholes seem to be the city’s trademark. I’m not sure what that feels like anyway… I kid… of course… to be honest, I’m thankful for it. It’s amazing how much you learn about yourself, and what you discover about other’s when challenges arise.
When the roads feel like a one-way journey to roadblocks. You can either stop or find another way to get you to the place you are drawn to believe you belong. As a young girl, coming from a broken family, with a very unconventional reality, I found myself maneuvering through this life blindfolded at times.
As most of us, I can dig down the rabbit hole of my past to help explain the choices and actions that have brought me here, however, we each have to be open to failure, and understand that within those “failures” lay the lesson’s that will unlock the doors to progress and ultimately success.
It took me a long time to think this objectively about my path. A large portion of my life so far was spent trying to unravel the reason’s for the failures, loss, and what felt like straight up bad luck I had experienced. Now, while the obstacles still find their way, they are less scary.
They represent less a reflection of doom, and more so a reminder of things that still need my attention. It is most of our goal to find peace in this life. This shift in my conciseness is helping me understand the steps to that ultimate goal.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company is called SoltysART. It is a service-based business that specializes in the transformation of space as it relates to aesthetic beautification. While we do interiors, and smaller hangable works, the focus is on Large-Scale public transformation.
The clients range from business owners, developers, schools, and private homeowners looking for something a bit different to set their home apart. The proudest piece that was developed and created by SoltysART, was a piece commissioned by Altierra Kitchens & Home Furnishings/Development Group for a beautiful new construction in Oak Park. The piece was inspired by the kind of wood used to accent parts of the building.
My colleague, Hana Kulovic, assisted in the creation of the final 18×8 foot mosaic that includes sculptural elements. Its permanent home is located 2 blocks from the Frank Lloyd Wright house and is a great example of the possibilities in this medium. I think what sets SoltysART apart from other’s is ultimately rooted in the personality of the Artists.
I find it very important that the relationship with our clients is rooted in more than just product. The product is important, and the skill set that lives within the artists that work with my team are exquisite, however, developing a design that truly reflects a vision that may not be 100% clear to a client lives in the intuition and sensitivity of SoltysART’s client relation focus.
My other business that is umbrellaed under SoltysART is my music. Anna Soltys and the Familiar is a band I developed to propel my artistic reach. It’s amazing how different language works as a medium, and then paired with the music itself. I was really inspired by artists such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young when I first started.
The simple riffs and beautiful messages left a mark on me that lead me to where I am today in my musical journey. In May we will be releasing our debut self-titled Album after years of obstacles with the “oh so common” being shelved by a record company, having to pay an exuberant amount of money to get the rights to my own name and music back, and finding my way back on track. So that, along with the music video’s we have released is a great accomplishment.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! Chicago is the perfect place for Public Art and Music. We have a strong Cultural Affairs department that makes great strides in providing the opportunity for our city through the arts in all types of ways. It also is a city that respects the arts and it’s effect on the greater society.
It is unarguable that the Art is a kind of international language that breaks down all the barriers that exist. It speaks for itself and finds ways of living within each individual that happens upon it. The Arts can inspire, clarify, and teach in ways nothing else can.
It’s so easy to get lost in the day today, it’s so easy to get lost in our own mind, in the struggles, the pain, the unfair… but when you hear a song that helps you feel that indeed you are not alone, or see an image that reminds you of your inner strength, one that you may have lost touch with… well then… you realize the importance of art throughout history, and the importance it has in helping shape our future.
Chicago is a perfect place to start a business or join a collaborative team that already does what you are interested in doing. Collaboration in music or fine art is one of those tools that is imperative in personal, and artistic growth as well. So my advice is… no matter what your medium… find folks that you can share your passion with, people that you can learn from, and always strive to do things you never thought you could by connecting to people that can help you learn how.
Contact Info:
- Website: SoltysART.com and annasoltysmusic.com
- Phone: 7738374499
- Email: soltysart@gmail.com
- Instagram: annasoltysmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Image Credit:
Valerie Kahan
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