Rose B. Simpson, 36, Artist in - ceramic sculpture, installation, custom cars
Santa Clara Pueblo, NM
Rose, sheltering in place in New Mexico
Aside from your creative work do you have any additional source of income?
I travel as visiting artist/lecturer for supplemental income.
Who do you live with and how do you feel about that?
I am a single mother, I live in a family compound in a one bedroom house with my three-year old daughter.
How are you spending your time?
I am spending my time trying to take this moment to rest, hang with my daughter, and work in the gardens and fields. I have been working non-stop for years and I don’t get much time to re-evaluate my life and my values. If I’m in the studio, I want to make utilitarian ceramics and weld functional farm use things (like gates or stairsteps or tractor parts).
How is the pandemic impacting you?
The pandemic is an interesting time. I was overworked, overbooked, and exhausted. Many of the art exhibits I was preparing for are now postponed or canceled. I am in a state of gratitude for this. The galleries that represent me are still selling my art, which is amazing. I hope I can make my income last a while so I don’t jump back in to work myself to the bone. I want to slow down. I’ve been sent many opportunities to apply for financial aid, but right now I don’t need it, so I’m leaving it available for other artists, and am forwarding the information on when I can.
I hope that this time of reflection and hardship will push humanity to evolve toward a more grounded sense of life, a dedication to sustainability, and consciousness of our affects on the planet and each other.
What do you want to accomplish personally and/or professionally during this time?
I have been working so hard for so long, that I want to take this time to remember why I do what I do. What makes me happy? What drives my passion? Where do I feed my soul and where can I make boundaries to not participate in events and opportunities that are too compromising?
What kind of world do you want to see on the other side of this?
I hope to see applied creativity in all walks of life. I hope to see the end of destructive capitalism. I hope to see toxic masculinity be held accountable. I hope to see revolution where it is needed, and I hope Our Mother Earth is able to exfoliate the toxic human mannerism off of her skin so we can begin to create a new reality. I hope we have the opportunity to remember the joy of being human in relationship to existence.
How can people find you and support you and your work?