Meet Heather Bischoff | Creative Consulant & Mixed Media Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Bischoff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Art and life blur together for many artists but instead of viewing this as a curse, I frame it as a blessing. Each encounter with someone is an opportunity for sharing inspiration. Staying curious about who people are and how we can work together has been key to my success and growth. Plus, it’s also what keeps life and work exciting! Developing strategic partnerships and valuing a network of like-minded business people has kept me going through some of the more challenging times. For example, riding the chairlift can be a candid, brief encounter but also a perfect opportunity to pitch my creative consulting to new clients. I also really enjoy learning and have worked a lot of seemingly unrelated jobs in order to gain new skills. Applying my creative skills within different industries also allows me to dream up new possibilities and morph art into unconventional realms. As an avid volunteer, I support organizations whose mission I believe in which is another great way to build connections in a community. Collaboration is at the core of how I can manifest big visions and that’s why fostering diverse relationships is an essential part of my work’s progression.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Repertoire ranges from painting and collage to site-specific murals and installations. With an affinity for reclaimed materials, I often repurpose items into new forms. The resulting assemblage of artifacts engages memory and a language for viewers to consider dichotomies. Presenting juxtapositions of order/chaos, internal/external, and geometry/flow, my work often addresses polarities as a cycle. A terminus becomes initiation for future, with the physical compositions alluding to the energetic realms that govern (re)creation. Mixed media installations are among my most dynamic work; experimenting on-site at festivals, public spaces, and in contemporary galleries. I believe that public art is super potent because it meets people in their environment. Making art accessible for everyone motivates me to design and collaborate with fabricators to shape sacred public spaces. A consistent theme highlights awareness of the environment and our human interaction with it.
Immersive mediums such as books, sound, stickers, and graffiti solicit interaction thereby integrating the participant into the artwork. It is not until you engage that you will enter a new realm of perception. My work holds space to investigate questions and encompass interconnected experiences around a universal truth. The traces that the work leaves and/or the wear that it endures are often the most precious qualities. I love process based work and am often more excited by the production than the final product. Many large installations are designed as modules allowing them to travel and be built in various locations to reach a wider audience.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When people come to visit me they always like to see what I’ve been working on. Since my studio space varies, often working in the field, I might invite them to hike to some sacred places in the West Elk Wilderness where I seek inspiration.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have had many mentors throughout my development in school settings as well as friends & family. A central belief in my approach includes an open mindset whereby I have an opportunity to learn as well as teach something with each person whom I interact with. Much of my inspiration is fueled through collaboration as well as participation in diverse cultural activities. Sometimes I find a spark of motivation from a totally unrelated topic which is why I have always valued a multidisciplinary approach to life and work.

My lineage includes a lot of builders and entrepreneurial spirit. I pursue opportunities that allow me to learn directly from professionals to acquire essential skills. I loved making art from a young age and was known by friends in high school as a super-nerd. My peers dubbed me the nickname of “BiSH” (shortened from my last name, “Bischoff”) insisting that I needed a tag to become a successful artist. It stuck and I have used this creative moniker for everything from a DJ handle to the name of my LLC. I recognize time as the most valuable resource. While many believe that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life, I have also learned that self-employment gives the freedom of scheduling. I might work on a project for months at a time but then take several months to pursue other interests. Integrating work with travel and seasonal rhythms also creates a harmonious sense of time management that honors my values.

I have always been interested in alternative ways of thinking and seeing. Visual and experiential art is a tool for shifting people’s perspectives. I believe the best art asks questions and creates discourse. I don’t have solid answers that I’m trying to reveal through art. Instead, I invite my audience to engage their curiosity because everyone possesses creativity in their nature and this is the language we need to practice in order to overcome challenges and live a fully vibrant life.

Website: www.bishproductions.org

Instagram: @postmasterbish www.instagram.com/postmasterbish | @see.trees https://www.instagram.com/see.trees

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bishproductions

Image Credits
Courtesy of Artist