You need to take the time to be genuinely honest with yourself about what you want from your art practice. It can be easy to chase someone else’s version of success, especially when the art world constantly offers us idealized markers of what achievement is supposed to look like. But not every artist wants the same life. Do you want to make functional objects, develop a commercial brand, teach, exhibit in museums, work collaboratively, or simply protect enough time to create without turning every idea into a source of income? There is no wrong answer, but there is a danger in building a practice around expectations that do not actually belong to you. Honesty gives you something essential: a clearer understanding of which opportunities will move you forward and which ones may only pull you further away from the artist, (and the life) you truly want to become.

Welcome to the studio.

Since this is the first post, let’s start with the basics. I’m Bri Chesler, and I would describe myself as a glass and mixed-media installation artist.

I was born and raised in the swamps of Florida, believe it or not! I found art at a young age while growing up in an unsafe environment. At the time, I didn’t have the language to understand or communicate much of what I was experiencing, so art became a way of processing those emotions. In many ways, making was an act of survival. It gave me a sense of agency, a voice, and a place where I could begin to make sense of my world.