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26.07.2022
#bayernkreativPORTRAIT: Anja Dommel talks to us about her path to self-employment, what the mountains have to do with her work as an artist and why it has been good for her self-marketing to limit herself thematically.
Dear Anja, in your works you primarily deal with the theme of mountains. Why did you choose this particular theme for your work as an independent artist?
For me, the mountains are a place of longing and symbolize an alternative to everyday life. We all know that we sometimes feel like we're locked in a hamster wheel. That's how I used to feel in my office job. At some point, each of us probably reaches the point where we can no longer bear this never-ending feeling of stress. When I'm in the mountains or painting the mountains, I finally drive down. Life feels alive again, completely in flow. And that's how a lot of people feel. It's a nice task to focus on this and dedicate my art to this theme.
Now you want to motivate other artists to take the plunge into self-employment. In your experience, what were the biggest challenges at the beginning?
My own limiting beliefs. It wasn't easy at first to pluck up the courage to leave my comfort zone and finally take matters into my own hands. But since I took this step, I haven't regretted it for a single day.
On your website, you say that you want to use your art to bring the special feeling of being in the mountains to people's homes. To what extent has this helped you in the realization of your self-employment as an artist?
To be honest: I took many detours on the way to my artistic intention. I am happy to have finally found this subject for myself. Combining my very personal love of painting and the mountains is a great thing and has so many advantages: Focusing on this and deliberately limiting myself thematically instead of painting anything that would spontaneously come to mind makes my everyday studio life more creative and, above all, more productive. Planning and realizing new series of paintings is easier and I can also communicate more clearly in my self-marketing. A common thread simply becomes visible, which is of course also helpful for my public image and when addressing customers.
The topic of the underrepresentation of female artists in the art world is often discussed in the media. What are your experiences here and can you draw a motivating conclusion from your career for other women in the cultural and creative industries?
I personally know at least as many female artists as male artists and see no reason why women should be underrepresented in the arts. Rather, I am convinced that we all have it in our own hands to become artistically active according to our abilities and personality and to express this to the outside world. In my experience, what counts in the end is perseverance and the will to not only make art for yourself, but to dedicate it to others.
In your opinion, what is going well in the German cultural and creative sector for self-employed artists and what needs to change?
Sometimes we all need someone to hold a mirror up to us and give us a push in the right direction. The coaching service provided by bayernkreativ comes to mind, which has helped me to finally give art more space in my life. In my opinion, there should be many more programs in this direction. Also educational offers on the subject of mindset and burnout, as we as creative self-employed people are particularly at risk of exhausting ourselves.
In conclusion: What are your goals for the future as a self-employed artist and what else would you like to give other self-employed people along the way?
I would like to bring joy to many more people with my art in the future and come into contact with like-minded people who love the feeling in the mountains as much as I do. By the way: I am always happy to receive feedback on my art and emails to make new contacts 😉 I am also planning a stay in the mountains this summer, with canvases, paints and brushes in my luggage, to work on new works of art on site. My tip for other artists is actually two tips, both of which I think are equally important:
Firstly, to stop being passive and waiting for something from outside. On the one hand, to stop being passive and waiting for something from the outside and to actively go out and make your own vision of self-employment a reality. On the other hand, it's important to realize whether you're actually only making art for yourself or whether you'd perhaps rather dedicate it to other people. And if so, to whom exactly? Coming into contact with these people makes art more interesting and meaningful.
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