THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Joy Ting Charde:
I didn’t go to school for art. I went to school to be a teacher, and then I started to learn how to do art by practicing and just trying. It was something to help my mind as I was pregnant with my child.
Speaker 2:
It’s The Inspiration Place Podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to The Inspiration Place Podcast, an art world insider podcast for artists by an artist where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman:
Hey there my friend, this is Miriam Schulman, your curator of inspiration, and you’re listening to episode 197 of The Inspiration Place Podcast. Today our guest teaches watercolor and she didn’t always do that. In fact, she wasn’t always a professional artist. So here’s what I want to make sure that you know. I invite a lot of artists to this podcast and many of them have also not always been artists either. And I think it’s important for you to meet them and to meet people who might only be one or two steps ahead of you. Because if I only brought on people to this podcast who are so much further along in their journey, maybe they had museum shows or they’re famous, then it might be tempting to put those people on a pedestal and think I can’t do that. So I want you to know that. And the other thing I want you to notice is that I also interview a lot of people who perhaps don’t look like the artists that you learned about while growing up.
I know art history focuses primarily on the male genius. There’s many reasons for that. I am not going to totally get into that right now. And by that I actually mean the Western European white male genius. So if you grew up like I did learning mostly about white male artists like Picasso, Renoir or Jackson Pollock, but your art history didn’t include very important artists such as Berthe Morisot who was the mother of impressionists and also Mary Cassatt, or perhaps you didn’t learn about the abstract expressionist woman such as Lee Krasner, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Elaine De Kooning and Grace Hartigan, or women even going back as far as the Baroque era, as well as American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, she was creating classical marble sculptures very early in the last century. In fact I think she was one of the first women to graduate from Oberlin. So Edmonia Lewis, very important black American sculptor.
So if you don’t know any of these names or you didn’t grow up learning these names, then you might have trouble seeing yourself as an artist if you are a woman or a person of marginalized minority. So when I have these conversations with working artists, I want you to see what’s possible for you. And I also make an effort to bring in voices from all over the world, from all different kinds of ethnic backgrounds. I want to show you what’s possible for you. Yes, the statistics show that women and women of color make a very tiny fraction of the art world. That’s true. But here’s what’s more important for you to know. I want you to know that you’re not a number. I want you to know you’re not a statistic. I’m not a fluke and neither are you.
And also whether you create every day or once in a while, you still get to call yourself an artist. Now, since today’s guest is a watercolor artist, I wanted to make sure you got your hands on my free watercolor supply list. We’ve linked to it in the show notes. You can grab that over at schulmanart.com/supplies. It’s the same list of art supplies that I use to create portraits of people of all races. So you can paint the diversity of people that way. You can get the supply list completely free. We’ll also make sure we link to it in the show notes. Again, Schulman Art, Schulman is S-C-H-U-L-M-A-N-A-R-T.com/supplies. And now on with the show.
Today’s guest’s earliest memories include drawing. All throughout school she found herself drawing and lettering for classmates and teachers. After a nine year career in elementary education, she now works as a professional artist and teaches art to people of all ages. She’s also a mom to two amazing boys. Throughout the day and in the wee hours of the morning, you can find her drawing or painting to continue her daily practice. Please welcome to The Inspiration Place Joy Ting Charde.
Joy Ting Charde:
Hi everyone. Hi Miriam. Thank you so much for having me.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay. So first of all, tell me where you are in the world.
Joy Ting Charde:
I am currently in upstate New York.
Miriam Schulman:
Oh, I’m in New York. So how far upstate, because if you’re in Long Island, upstate is Westchester. If you’re from Westchester, upstate is the Catskills, but sometimes upstate is actually Rochester.
Joy Ting Charde:
Okay. So I’m going to tell you a confession. I’m not originally from New York, so I don’t really know all the ins and outs of where we are, but I’m in the capital region. Is that upstate?
Miriam Schulman:
Yeah. Albany?
Joy Ting Charde:
Yeah.
Miriam Schulman:
Yeah. And I’m making fun of New Yorkers. So New Yorkers from Long Island, they think anything that’s not Long Island and New York City is upstate, which is not true. Right? Yeah. So Albany, so that’s a good three hours from New York City, right?
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes.
Miriam Schulman:
So people know. And so where are you originally from?
Joy Ting Charde:
I’m originally from the Philippines. I actually grew up in the Philippines and came to America when I was 12. And the drawing and the lettering actually came about because I couldn’t really speak English very well. And so to communicate with my teachers and to my friends, I would draw stuff and that kind of thing. That’s where it all really started.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay. Wait, so you’re from the Philippines. And when did you come to this country?
Joy Ting Charde:
When I was 12 years old.
Miriam Schulman:
Did you say that already? I was like madly trying… Just so the listeners know also, and for you to know, when you are interviewing the interviewer of the podcast, the experience is very much like being a duck on a pond. So you’re trying to make it for the listeners look effortless, but underneath the surface there’s all kinds of mad paddling going on. So I’m trying to process what you’re saying, think of what my next question is. Like making sure-
Joy Ting Charde:
Am I doing okay?
Miriam Schulman:
You’re doing great. No, you’re great. I’m the one who’s doing all the hard work here. So I want to make everything-
Joy Ting Charde:
I’m sorry.
Miriam Schulman:
No, no, don’t apologize. That’s my job, to make you look really good, and to think of how to go from question to question.
Joy Ting Charde:
Yeah, sure.
Miriam Schulman:
And then I’m also a little bit ADD so have to be very careful. I have to listen, but then I’m also thinking about my listener and what’s next. Yeah. Okay. So you said you were 12 when you came here, so that’s middle school. That’s a tough time to all of a sudden plop yourself down in a brand new school and country.
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes, it was a very challenging time. And like I said, communicating with friends, it was a little hard and I felt bad for my teachers because I don’t know if they actually understood me, but things didn’t start clicking until maybe like three years later. And then after that, I understood what people are saying. I watched a lot of Sesame Street and that helped a lot with pronunciations and reading, but yeah. So I drew all the time. Drawings got me a lot of free food from my friends. They would buy me stuff in exchange for drawings.
Miriam Schulman:
That’s awesome.
Joy Ting Charde:
Yeah.
Miriam Schulman:
I love that. Okay. And then you were an elementary school teacher. Were you teaching art education or something else?
Joy Ting Charde:
I was teaching elementary school, just third and fourth grade. It’s a small, small private school here in Albany which closed several years ago. So what happened was they needed an art teacher so I was also the art teacher, so wherever they needed me I filled in, so I taught art on top of teaching a regular class.
Miriam Schulman:
I see. Okay. So when did you make the leap from teaching in elementary school to being a full-time professional artist? And do you still teach in the elementary school?
Joy Ting Charde:
I don’t teach in the elementary school now, but I still work full-time, a regular full-time job, on top of doing art. I didn’t go to school for art. I went to school to be a teacher and then I started to learn how to do art by practicing and just trying. It was something to help my mind as I was pregnant with my child, that kind of thing.
Miriam Schulman:
Yeah. A lot of people can relate to everything you just said. I mean, I didn’t go to art school either. I mean, I studied art when I was in college, I studied art history, but I was encouraged to not go into art, or I should say discouraged from going into art, like many people.
Joy Ting Charde:
Likewise.
Miriam Schulman:
Yep. I mean, especially if you are first generation and if your parents sacrificed a lot to come to this country, I’m sure there was incredible pressure for you to do something that fit one of the boxes that makes your parents comfortable.
Joy Ting Charde:
Yeah. They wanted me to be a nurse, and I couldn’t stand the sight of blood, so I went the opposite way. Started to study to be a teacher. I work at a public library, I’ve been there for 15 years and I love it, and I can’t see myself leaving it, but I also don’t want to give a false idea of I’m doing this and it’s making all the money in the world. Do you know what I mean?
Miriam Schulman:
Yeah. Well, there’s lots of people, they’re nurturing their baby art business while working a full-time job. And there’s no shame in that. All right. So when did you start teaching art online, is what I should ask you?
Joy Ting Charde:
Oh yeah. I actually started… I’ll rewind back. So when I had my first child, 2009, I was actually selling little cards on Etsy, just little doodles that I was doing, just working specifically with Sharpies and my sketchbook. And I learned about a course called Sellable Sketch. And I did not know that you could make money from your artwork. That never crossed my mind. Like surface design, it opened my mind up. So after taking that course ended up signing with an agent. And so I actually worked surface design until very recently. I stepped away from that and I’m now just doing that as needed. If a company says, “Joy, can you paint this?” Then I’ll do that for them. But I have stepped back from that and just have now focused back on teaching, which I’m kind of coming around full circle, so to speak, [inaudible].
Miriam Schulman:
Teaching art, licensing, back to teaching, but mostly teaching art.
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay.
Joy Ting Charde:
Throughout all of this, I’ve been teaching in public libraries and my kids’ schools. Teaching, drawing, teaching little things like that because the art licensing opened up doors to where I can make my own coloring books and publishers would publish them and so on. And so I would go into schools and do free classes for my kids’ class. And so I started falling back in love with the teaching. And so when I stepped away from the surface design, I don’t know, all these opportunities started showing up. And part of that too, I think, is from my daily practice, which I was posting online. So in 2015, watercolors really scare me. They really scare me because I’m a very precise person. I like things to have a certain way. I just grew up that way. My mind feels good that way.
I’m a business manager at the library so it’s all numbers and bills and filling stuff in. And so the watercolors were scary because you could just let it go and you wouldn’t know what would happen. So in 2015 I said I’m going to do a seven day challenge to paint every day. And then I just fell in love with watercolors and I’m still doing them today, these daily practices. And it’s been, I don’t know, seven years. And I’m still showing up online, not every day anymore, just for my mental health, but still posting pictures. And the watercolors have really freed me up, started to just open my eyes to letting things go. And so the watercolor scratches my other part of my brain, which is the zen, let go, do your own thing and don’t worry about the result. And the library job is like math, get it all right. You know? So it works together. It works together for me. Yeah. I don’t know if I answered your question though, did I?
Miriam Schulman:
You did, and even more so because there’s so many things we can unpack now. So what I love about watercolor, which was my medium of choice for many years, is the way it really does help with the self development of learning to help you let go and release. So I love that you shared that. And you mentioned you have an agent, which you said very cavalierly, so casually, as if, oh, of course. But it’s really hard to get an agent. So how did that come about? Was that because they found you on social media or were you looking for one?
Joy Ting Charde:
No, actually at the end of the class, there was a homework assignment and you had to come up with eight designs. And then Michelle [inaudible], she’s still doing the courses nowadays. I think it’s called Pattern Observer now.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay.
Joy Ting Charde:
She said, “You can look for an agent,” and I’m like, oh wow, what is an agent? And so I had a top three list and the agent group that I showed my work to, which is Pink Light Design, ended up loving it. And Mary Beth said, “Yeah, let’s sign you on.” And so in 2012, actually took a little time, I ended up signing with them.
Miriam Schulman:
That’s wonderful.
Joy Ting Charde:
Thank you.
Miriam Schulman:
Basically you took a course to learn pattern design and the course homework was to put together a portfolio.
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes.
Miriam Schulman:
Which you submitted to agents and that’s how you got the agent. So you got an agent in the traditional path?
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes I did.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay. So I want everyone to hear that. This is not a get discovered on Instagram.
Joy Ting Charde:
Oh no.
Miriam Schulman:
Story. This is work hard for it and you can make your own success story. Would you agree, Joy?
Joy Ting Charde:
Correct. Oh yeah. Absolutely. 100% agree.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay. So I want to talk also about your inspiration, because looking at the wall behind you, beautiful watercolor flowers and nature. So how do you get inspired?
Joy Ting Charde:
I absolutely love nature. My family, we are outdoorsy people. So we’re always, depending on the time of year, we’re either camping or we are mushroom hunting. I’m trying to get my kids out so that when they grow up, nature becomes a part of their lives instead of the screen. Because that’s so easy to do. It’s just a big part of our lives. So flowers to me speak to me I think, because they don’t have to be perfect and each one is different. So I love playing with the different ways a flower can be painted, created, and then landscapes, we go to so many different places and I’m just like, “I have to paint this.” There’s something in me that’s like, I got to get this out on paper. And so that’s why I would say nature is definitely my biggest inspiration.
Miriam Schulman:
So when you’re between November and March, let’s say, in Albany, New York, when you don’t have blooms around you, do you use photo references?
Joy Ting Charde:
I do.
Miriam Schulman:
Do you go to the florist? What do you do?
Joy Ting Charde:
I take a lot of pictures when we’re out. So yes, I do use photo references. We have this really teeny tiny camp on the lake which is 45 minutes away from here. And that is my constant inspiration. So we go there in the winter and I just take pictures of what I see and then use that as reference. And yeah, when we’re out I definitely try to take as much pictures as I can because, yes, from November to March, it is yikes. But I also love when things are unfortunately dying and there’s a change. The art is a little different, you know what I mean? There’s a lot of browns. There’s a lot of deep purples. My mood and my art kind of changes with the season I think since living here in New York.
Miriam Schulman:
That’s so interesting. Okay. So we’re going to move into talking about this monthly group that you have, this is a free group. Is that right?
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes. It’s a Painting With Joy group. We meet once a month, every third Wednesday, and I do a little demo and then people come from different places. We have people from the UK, Ireland, Argentina, they all come and we just paint something and then we share what we painted. But I teach a little bit as I’m going along. So the sessions are called Painting With Joy.
Miriam Schulman:
And this is over Zoom. Is that right?
Joy Ting Charde:
Yes, that is correct. It’s over Zoom.
Miriam Schulman:
And the only way they can get that is if they join your email list to get the link. Is that right, joy?
Joy Ting Charde:
That is correct. My website is hijoyting and the link to that or the Painting With Joy registration will be hijoyting.com/paintingwithjoy.
Miriam Schulman:
Okay. Beautiful. And we’ll make sure we include a link to that and anything else we talked about in the show notes at schulmanart.com/197. We’ll also have links to Joy’s YouTube channel so you can check that out. You can follow her on Instagram for more inspiration. So we have all those links included in the show notes.
And don’t forget, if you want my watercolor supply list it’s absolutely free. Go on and get it. Go to schulmanart.com/supplies. And do that now before you forget. Don’t just think, oh, I’ll do it later. Go ahead and get that now. Even if you don’t need it now, you want to make sure you get your hands on it. schulmanart.com/supplies. Alrighty, Joy. Do you have any last words for my listeners before we call this podcast complete?
Joy Ting Charde:
Absolutely. I would say I would encourage your listeners to try something that they’ve been wanting to try and afraid to try, try it for like seven days. Give yourself a little challenge. And then who knows, you might fall in love with it and end up doing the same kind of creative work for a long time, or you might end up not liking it and then you’ll know, oh, I hate using watercolors, but I love using oil pastels. So I just encourage people to play and to try something and maybe do something creative for yourself, even five to 10 minutes a day.
Miriam Schulman:
I love that. And also that’s one thing we didn’t talk about. So we talked about watercolors, but I know that oil pastels is one of your favorite mediums right now because I saw some of your work. It’s really good.
Joy Ting Charde:
Thank you.
Miriam Schulman:
Thank you so much for being with me here today, Joy, and I wanted to thank everyone else who’s listening. Thank you for being with me here and I’ll see you the same time, same place next week. Stay inspired.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for listening to The Inspiration Place Podcast. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/schulmanart, on Instagram @schulmanart, and of course on schulmanart.com.
Subscribe & Review in iTunes
Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!
Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!