i. I work as an artist.

ii. I do this creative work because I’ve always made art since I was a child and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

iii. Personal qualities that help me in my work are.. perseverance.

iv. The greatest challenges around doing this work are…setting aside the quiet/alone time that I need to think.

v. Creative childhood hobbies:
Playing piano and clarinet. Water color, drawing, and ceramics. Photography in my teenage years.

vi. Other creators who inspire me:
Robert Rauschenberg, Sigmar Polke, James Welling, Daido Moriama, Yayoi Kusama, Agnes Martin, Haruki Murakami, and David Foster Wallace.

vii. Training that has helped me succeed in this career:
I attended the Art Institute here in Houston, however most of what I’ve needed to know to do what I do now I have taught myself.

viii. The biggest myth about this type of work is that it is easy.

ix.  If you want to work in my field, I suggest that you finish college and have a backup plan.

x. A professional goal I have for the future:
Keep showing up and doing the work.

xi. If you want to see my work, go to  https://bau-xi.com/ or my website www.carabarer.com.

Cara Barer’s Letters and Landscapes show runs at the Toronto Bau-Xi Gallery from September 9th to the 23rd.

www.creatorsvancouver.com

* Images courtesy of Cara Barer. These pieces are from Barer’s new series: Letters and Landscapes. Artwork titles, in order, from Header down are:

1. Literati
2. Baroque
3. Beijing
4. Namaste
5. Kashmir
6. Perpetual