Art is a wily endeavor. Craft something that has yet to be seen. Corral these sounds into harmonies. Assemble old words into new ideas. Translate emotions through gooey, colorful mineral compounds. Explore how art influenced the lives of four women who, in turn, now influence others through the power of their artistic expression.
Ally Shea
Owner, Satya Creative: Artistic Woodworking Designs
The decision to give up everything and go on the road in a tiny home with her then-partner and twin boys catapulted Ally Shea into professional artistry. One morning in the tiny home, she noticed a wall above the kitchen cabinets was a giant white canvas hungry for art. She went to the hardware store with nothing more than an idea of what she wanted to create.
Becoming an artist enabled Shea to embrace new powers—specifically power tools. She notes, “When I started using power tools…it’s just so fun! I don’t know why more women aren’t encouraged to learn how to fix things and be more self-sufficient. It started a huge boulder rolling down a hill for me because not only was it really fun to create beautiful things, but I also learned so many skills that I can apply everywhere in my home and my life.”
She attests, “I never do not want to make art.” Luckily, Shea has installed her first-ever state-of-the-art workshop in the garage at home. She envisions the workshop doubling as a gallery down the road.
Sam Post
Musician, Teacher, Junior Orchestra Conductor for the San Juan Symphony
Sam Post experiences music the way ordinary people experience breathing. That is, it is vital. She must have it at all times. She describes the experience of being on the podium as, “Feeling all of the music around you. You hear the whole thing at once. It feels like I’m not even there. It’s like I’m part of the music. It feels like I’m sinking into this other level of space.”
In Post’s youth, music was a lifeline. She recounts, “I didn’t have a lot of friends, and I struggled to make friends. My only friends were in band. It really saved my life.” Music served this role again when Post was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Vision, voice, mobility—the disease slowly robbed Post of her senses. “The only thing that stayed was my flute playing,” she says. “It’s really impacted how I think about music now. It’s even more my savior.”
Her passion for musical artistry is rivaled only by her enthusiasm to teach music. She notes, “My favorite sound in the world—it’s not a good note; it’s not a bad note. It’s: Ohhhhhh!” The sound a student makes when their understanding jumps to a whole new level.
Andrea Rossi
Comedian, Producer, Durango Comedy Co-founder
No barrier can withstand the invincible force that is comedy. Andrea Rossi witnesses this phenomenon during every stand-up comedy routine. She explains, “There’s this way that comedy can allow us to talk about things that maybe we can’t talk about in other contexts, and it sheds light on it, but it does it in this way from the side that’s a little more gentle, and a little more playful.”
Comedy also erodes the barriers that otherwise hold one back. Anxiety and imposter syndrome are co-stalkers shadowing most people, including herself. When Rossi chose to pursue comedy as an art form, she realized she was choosing to confront her fears. “It was the moment I decided to really go towards what was scary. Go towards the fear knowing that on the other side, there’s real growth that I want as a person. It was the decision to be brave in my own life,” she says.
Rossi shares the mantra that coaxes her through hesitation: “It’s all about putting shots on net. It’s about putting yourself out there as many times as possible, knowing that sometimes it’s going to work, sometimes it’s not going to work, and you’re just trying to test your material.”
Deb Wolf
Owner, DWolf Designs: Fine Art & Custom Framing
“People should see me in my garage, taking pallets apart! Covered in sawdust!” Deb Wolf laughs. “I work really hard—I work seven days a week: six days [in the gallery], and on Sundays I build the frames. And I love it! I love what I’m doing!”
Wolf’s path to painting and building full-time was littered with many long pauses. After graduating with a degree in art (painting and graphic art), Wolf took on marriage and parenting two sons with special needs. For many years, her fingers never touched a paintbrush. And yet, even now, she finds power in the pause. It builds potency in the artist’s spirit. “You pause for different things as a mom. But I’m somehow making it work,” she says.
Although she’s happiest when manipulating hand tools and power tools, Wolf can’t always avoid grappling with public skepticism, such as when someone assumes that her husband builds the frames. Undaunted, Wolf notes, “It empowers me as a woman to know that, a.) I taught myself the woodworking skill, and b.) I’m not afraid of hard work or physical labor. And there’s nothing I’m not afraid to learn.”