Old paper, vintage book covers, found images, and delicate drawing. Ah, the simple, yet striking work of Chattanooga, Tennessee–based artist Hollie Chastain. She is a self-taught collage artist who has made an amazing career for herself. She has had exhibitions at galleries all over the world, her work has been published in several magazines (including Lilith and Fine Line), and boutiques—from Tennessee to New York and all the way to Spain—carry her work. Because of this success, she is now living the dream of so many artists: Hollie was able to say good-bye to her career as a graphic designer, and hello to being a full-time artist.
JC—What pushed you to quit your design job? When did you know it was the right time to make that jump?
HC—Well, the decision was made for me in a way. My full-time job in graphic design and marketing was moved across the country, and I definitely did not want to follow it. I honestly hadn’t considered making the jump to full-time art, and didn’t even at that moment. I just knew that I needed a change and didn’t want to go back to a corporate desk just yet. My full-time art career started with that thought: “Let’s just see what I can do with this, and go from there.”
JC—At what age did you start to feel like you were an artist?
HC—I started to feel it in high school. That’s when it moved from being my favorite obsessive hobby to something that I truly knew I could do for a lifetime. The start of the study of art history made me feel like a part of a special, ancient group. It was very exciting.
JC—Do you have a favorite artist that you look to for inspiration?
HC—It’s so difficult to name just one. I have the most adoration in my heart for Outside artists, and Henry Darger has always been a constant favorite. His prolificness and self-taught techniques, combined with his motivation to tell a story and create a world for himself alone to live in, is completely mind-blowing and inspiring to me.
JC—What are your tips for dealing with collages that are causing trouble?
HC—Well, If I am having problems with the overall composition of a piece, I often pull away from the big picture, and work on a detailed element for a bit. Tedious, tiny work helps me organize my thoughts and clear up the fog.
JC—Would you ever give up on one of your pieces?
HC—I think my medium allows me a lot of space to work through difficulties. I work entirely in paper collage, and typically I don’t glue anything until I’m at least 90 percent sure I’m pleased with the composition. I have never thrown a piece away, but I have reworked the entire thing.
JC—When you spend your days on commissioned projects, does it drain or fuel your personal projects?
HC—I believe that once it’s flowing, then it flows in all directions. If my work is at a full stop, then all creativity stops. It makes for very boring times until I can recharge again.
JC—Do you ever equate your self-worth with your artistic successes?
HC—I think as an artist it’s very easy to do this because of the nature of the work. If you think of art as a job, then your product is so much more than hours invested. The product is a piece of yourself, so of course if the reception is not the greatest, then it can feel like a direct hit to who you are as a person. I think this happened a lot more when I was younger and still finding my way around. I would doubt my direction when a viewer wasn’t thrilled. The trick for me is not to put more distance between my work and myself, but to close that gap completely. I can see myself in the art that I create, and that builds a wall of confidence.
HC—I’m a sensitive person, so I have to admit that I am immediately affected by it. But at the heart of the work that I do is the wish to make things that I myself enjoy and love. If others love it as well, then that’s absolutely wonderful—and I accept that not everyone will.
JC—Does your inner critic get to you?
HC—It does get to me, more than it should. Second guessing myself is a constant trait of mine. Overthinking. I try to make the best of it and use it as a tool. To me that “when it’s right then it’s right” feeling of being finished with a piece is so much stronger when you have a tendency to question the journey along the way to that point.
JC—When you’re blocked, do you ever just force yourself through it?
HC—No, if I try to force work, then the work doesn’t make me happy or doesn’t seem true to me. The best way I have found to deal with it is to step away completely and focus my attentions on something else. I come back when I feel inspired, or feel like I can sit down and slip easily back into a piece, and never before.
JC—How do you feel when things are truly flowing for you?
HC—I find it hard to talk about. It’s an almost indescribable feeling to me, and if I can’t sit down to a sketchbook right then and get some things down, then it often leaves me. When I can’t act on a sudden burst of inspiration, I feel a little like I’ve held in a sneeze.
I can see myself in the art that I create, and that builds a wall of confidence.
When I can’t act on a sudden burst of inspiration, I feel a little like I’ve held in a sneeze.
