An Interview with Rolinda Stotts January 08 2025, 0 Comments

Kimberly Nicoletti recently joined Rolinda Stotts for an engaging conversation at our South Breckenridge space. Creativity and inspiration were the main topics. Lessons that are vital for those inspiring to tap into their creative selves and serve as great guidelines for life at large were discussed.

You can watch the interview here! Or read on for a transcript of the conversation!

Kimberly

Hi, I'm Kimberly Nicoletti. We're here at Raitman Art Galleries with Rolinda Stotts and we thought we'd talk about creativity since it's the new year. How would you define creativity? 

Rolinda 

First off, I love having these conversations with Kimberly!  We have an amazing connection and these simple questions turn into deep, beautiful conversations.  

I believe there are four phases of creativity: inspiration, observation, translation, and finally, distribution or sharing. 

When we share or distribute something that we have made and created, it actually sparks inspiration in the world. That in-between place, that moment where distribution and inspiration meet, that's co-creation and that is the human experience. Everything around us is being co-created.

Kimberly

Rolinda

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? Everyone is drawn and attracted to different things and it's like this beautiful matchmaking experience. What we're trying to do is create love and life. The artist does their job in the studio. They make something and they put their whole soul into it. Then they present it to the world and they're hoping someone will love it like they do, enough to take it home. When that magical moment happens where somebody says, “Yes, I can't live without this painting! I'm actually willing to exchange my gifts and talents, all the work that I've done to make money and give some of that money to you, Rolinda.”

I love that exchange of gifts and talents. It’s an incredible experience. Life giving!

One of the things I love the most about being able to come to Raitman Art Galleries and be here with the collectors is to watch what happens for people when they actually see my work on the wall and touch it and have an experience of inspiration. They pause and they observe, then they start talking about my work or asking questions. That translation part happens whether they take the painting home or not. A gallery is a beautiful place to come and be inspired. 

Kimberly

Yes!  There is this rich process when you look at art, live with art or just come visit it. You get in touch with feelings, emotions or ideas that you may not have known were there. How does art help somebody live a more vital and deeper life?

Rolinda

Our surroundings are absolutely critical. We cannot control the outside world. We can barely control the world within our own four walls, but we can choose what's on our walls, what we listen to, what we see and what we engage in. 

This a very conscious choice for, hopefully, all of us. If you wake up in the morning laying in bed, looking at your wall and you have this beautiful painting that inspires you to want to get out of bed to go do your magic in the world and live your fullest life, that's a huge opportunity for you to choose what you wake up to every morning. 

To be part of that as an artist, actually helping somebody create a very vital life, that's a huge joy for me personally. Art in general is the thing that elevates all of us and helps us go from a place of just existing to being alive. 

That's a really good question!  This would be fun to even dig deeper into. 

Kimberly 

Rolinda

That is a full-time job. When we're engaged in the creative process, we are alive. I believe the ability to create is the second greatest power we possess. When I wake up in the morning, I’m intentional about how I choose to spend my time, what I look at, what I listen to, how I move my body and what I eat. I  know what things actually make me feel physically good and what things make me feel really crappy.  I choose the things that make me feel good so that I can then show up at the studio fully engaged. 

The other thing that I think is really interesting that just popped into my mind, is in order for me to show up at the studio and give my complete focus to the creative process, I have to clear the deck first.  I have to take care of all the problems first. Like get rid of the loose ends, address that thing that is stressing me. Figuratively, taking out the trash. When I show up to the studio, all of the baggage is off of me and I feel lighter and freer. Then I can get into the flow state. 

The other really huge thing that I'm very intentional about is getting out into nature. That’s a major source of inspiration for all of us.  It is really easy to just step outside, breathe in that fresh air and just look at what's going on around me. Nature is incredibly inspiring. 

Kimberly

I’m curious too about clearing the problems. If I spent the day clearing the problems then I wouldn't get to the studio. How do you clear the problems? 

Rolinda 

So true! I can see that the problem pile could eat up all creative time. In fact, there are times that I skip clearing the deck and go to the studio at 3:00 AM and do a session of studio work early in the morning before anybody's awake. There's something so magical about those early mornings where everyone else is asleep. If I show up at the studio and I have something urgent that I haven’t taken care of, my mind can’t focus on the creative process. It’s like distracting background noise or a program running on the computer that's eating up all the creative energy. At some point you have to pause all the outside distractions and say, “Now is my time to create and I'm going to set everything aside and I'm going to be intentional. I'm going to focus.” Then the creative experience becomes a meditation. 

Kimberly

I love that idea. 

Rolinda

What is creative meditation? It's beautiful when you get in that flow state, time disappears. Problems disappear. Everything disappears. In fact, I have to set alarms so I make sure I actually get home on time if I have appointments.

Kimberly

Rolinda 

This is an interesting topic. We have to make space for creativity.  It has to be intentional. We can't just fumble around in life rushing. You actually do have to make it a special sacred time where you are going to invite the muse. Look for inspiration. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Watching a movie, talking to a friend or driving down the road. But then the question is, are you going to do anything with that inspiration? 

Kimberly

Right!

Rolinda

That's where we have to make space for creativity. Are we going to do something with your creativity? There is this big conversation right now. If you're not making money, then why bother doing it? The reality is, if we don't take time for creativity, we will lose our humanity. We will lose our soul. Ultimately, we need creative adventures personally, each of us. And it's going to  look very different for each person. Your creative adventure is going to look very different from Kimberly's or my creative adventure, but find your own thing that really speaks to you and poke around and have fun with it. See what happens. But you have to make time and space. 

I encourage people that are makers of things to dedicate a little corner or a table where you don't have to put stuff away. This needs to be a private space. You don't need judgment from the outside world. There is a time and a moment for distribution and sharing, but until you're ready for that moment, you don't need other opinions involved in your creative process. It's private. It's yours. Savor it. Enjoy it. Let it nurture you as you nurture it.  When it's time to share your creation with the world, start with a safe place.

Kimberly

Well, I think with that we'll end. I love that idea of how you have to create space. You have to commit to it. You just can't let the inspiration come and then think the inspiration's going to take care of it all too, right? You have to actually act upon it. As it is nurturing your soul, it is nurturing your vitality. It is being a human being.

Rolinda

This was really fun. Thanks Kimberly. 

Kimberly

Thank you.

"Sun Kissed Snow"
Bella Rotta - Oil on Canvas on Birch & Pine Wood

48" Tall by 36" Wide