Lindsey Palmer is a visual artist living and working in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a part-time adjunct Photography instructor at Point Park university teaching mainly darkroom, alternative process and experimental courses, and works full time as an Ophthalmic Technician at UPMC Children's Hospital. She holds her MFA in Photography and Related Media from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is a member of the Ophthalmic Photographer's Society. Most recently she has had non-medical images included in the first juried issue of Soft Lighting.
Published on February 14th 2021. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What hurdles have you overcome this year and how have they affected your art practice?
This year was a very big struggle for purpose. Last year I was beginning my first academic year as an adjunct instructor. It was an amazing first year, the students I taught all hold a really special place in my heart. I was also privileged to be working as an art installer, and did some exhibition design at the August Wilson Center. I was able to handle and install some of the most impactful and amazing works I've ever seen. But I was struggling financially, and that was causing me to really pause my own practice. I've started working full time as an ophthalmic photographer--which does take most of my mental energy. But I finally feel on the path to both helping kids in the medical field, and regaining balance in my life to work on my self. After a few months working for the hospital, I'm finally starting to feel like myself enough to begin making again.
How has your art practice been affected by the pandemic?
My art practice was pretty much demolished by the pandemic. It hit me very personally and I decided to take the time to work on myself as well as my financial situation. Because of the pandemic I lost the two main jobs that I have been doing to keep funded while working as an adjunct instructor, simultaneously I was interviewing to become an ophthalmic photographer. At the beginning of the pandemic I accepted this position and it restored some of the purpose I felt like I had lost during the onset of the pandemic. For me the ability to keep up my art practice means that I need to feel internally balanced to make work, and I have felt very out of balance for a long time. Since graduating grad school I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with the degree that I had just earned, to both do it justice and do myself justice as well.
What support systems have you put in place to help keep your practice thriving amidst these unforeseeable circumstances?
My support system is mainly just my fiancé and my mom. Being able to talk with them openly and honestly about what my expectations are for myself and what is really possible for the time being. I've been really privileged to have a job that allows me not to rely solely on an art practice, which was something I'm sure I ever wanted to begin with. To anyone struggling I really think the best thing you can do is be honest with yourself, what goals you have how to accomplish them, As well as knowing that accomplishing your goals takes time and it doesn't happen overnight. Your goals don't have to look like everyone else's, you don't have to do what everyone expects you to do, you only have to do what you want. The most important part is to be confident in what you need, and both respect yourself and where are you are in life.
What methods do you employ to stay resilient in your art practice? What tips would you recommend to other artists who find staying resilient difficult?
Being that I myself definitely struggle to stay resilient, battling your ability to maintain self-worth and respecting your journey is the best tip I can give anyone. The world is a very uncertain place and art will always have a place in that uncertainty. If you deny yourself the ability to take a break, or to do something other than art for a little while if you need to, then you'll always feel pushed to work past your limits. It's so important to work within your limits and grow them in a healthy way and not overextend yourself. We have this view that as an artist we have to prove ourselves, we have to prove that we get the the shows, we sell the work, we have a dream job, and we make whatever happens work. But being the artist everyone expects you to be doesn't have to be your reality. You only have to be the artist that you want to be, and that may look very different from what everyone expects.
What have you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
I've learned that for right now I can enjoy where I'm at. I'm not teaching this semester because the classes that I truly enjoy teaching are unavailable to students because of the pandemic risk. For now I work in a hospital and I take images using medical equipment. I'm learning a new skill and I'm doing my best to help people in a new way. I'm not good at staying in one place, or doing one thing for a long time but this job is one I feel like I can do for years to come. My journey from an MFA program to working in a medical field that does not require a degree that I hold can be stressful sometimes, some days I feel guilty or in doubt. But I've learned that I really do just have to trust the process. To be passionate about more than one thing.
What hurdles have you overcome this year and how have they affected your art practice?
This year was a very big struggle for purpose. Last year I was beginning my first academic year as an adjunct instructor. It was an amazing first year, the students I taught all hold a really special place in my heart. I was also privileged to be working as an art installer, and did some exhibition design at the August Wilson Center. I was able to handle and install some of the most impactful and amazing works I've ever seen. But I was struggling financially, and that was causing me to really pause my own practice. I've started working full time as an ophthalmic photographer--which does take most of my mental energy. But I finally feel on the path to both helping kids in the medical field, and regaining balance in my life to work on my self. After a few months working for the hospital, I'm finally starting to feel like myself enough to begin making again.
How has your art practice been affected by the pandemic?
My art practice was pretty much demolished by the pandemic. It hit me very personally and I decided to take the time to work on myself as well as my financial situation. Because of the pandemic I lost the two main jobs that I have been doing to keep funded while working as an adjunct instructor, simultaneously I was interviewing to become an ophthalmic photographer. At the beginning of the pandemic I accepted this position and it restored some of the purpose I felt like I had lost during the onset of the pandemic. For me the ability to keep up my art practice means that I need to feel internally balanced to make work, and I have felt very out of balance for a long time. Since graduating grad school I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with the degree that I had just earned, to both do it justice and do myself justice as well.
What support systems have you put in place to help keep your practice thriving amidst these unforeseeable circumstances?
My support system is mainly just my fiancé and my mom. Being able to talk with them openly and honestly about what my expectations are for myself and what is really possible for the time being. I've been really privileged to have a job that allows me not to rely solely on an art practice, which was something I'm sure I ever wanted to begin with. To anyone struggling I really think the best thing you can do is be honest with yourself, what goals you have how to accomplish them, As well as knowing that accomplishing your goals takes time and it doesn't happen overnight. Your goals don't have to look like everyone else's, you don't have to do what everyone expects you to do, you only have to do what you want. The most important part is to be confident in what you need, and both respect yourself and where are you are in life.
What methods do you employ to stay resilient in your art practice? What tips would you recommend to other artists who find staying resilient difficult?
Being that I myself definitely struggle to stay resilient, battling your ability to maintain self-worth and respecting your journey is the best tip I can give anyone. The world is a very uncertain place and art will always have a place in that uncertainty. If you deny yourself the ability to take a break, or to do something other than art for a little while if you need to, then you'll always feel pushed to work past your limits. It's so important to work within your limits and grow them in a healthy way and not overextend yourself. We have this view that as an artist we have to prove ourselves, we have to prove that we get the the shows, we sell the work, we have a dream job, and we make whatever happens work. But being the artist everyone expects you to be doesn't have to be your reality. You only have to be the artist that you want to be, and that may look very different from what everyone expects.
What have you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
I've learned that for right now I can enjoy where I'm at. I'm not teaching this semester because the classes that I truly enjoy teaching are unavailable to students because of the pandemic risk. For now I work in a hospital and I take images using medical equipment. I'm learning a new skill and I'm doing my best to help people in a new way. I'm not good at staying in one place, or doing one thing for a long time but this job is one I feel like I can do for years to come. My journey from an MFA program to working in a medical field that does not require a degree that I hold can be stressful sometimes, some days I feel guilty or in doubt. But I've learned that I really do just have to trust the process. To be passionate about more than one thing.
Find Lindsey Palmer on Instagram