Meet Natalie Wurmel | Artist

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

Hi Natalie, why did you pursue a creative career?
I like this question because there wasn’t a moment I chose to be an artist. I didn’t know I was pursuing a creative career, nor did I know why. It wasn’t until I was in it and looking back, that I can tell you I wouldn’t do anything differently. Even when I was in school, studying art, I felt separate from those that were openly studying to pursue a career in art. Maybe I just didn’t know what it would look like to be a professional artist and I was thinking linearly; thinking I didn’t want to outreach to gallery shows, or put up a series of paintings, or wasn’t good enough blah blah blah. I just enjoyed creating and trying new things.

I didn’t understand how the world worked and truthfully, I didn’t care so much to understand — it’s messy. I was wanting to understand myself and wanting to understand others. How are we operating, and why? I’ve had this fascination with human experience since I was young. Always feeling a desire to understand everyone in the room and how they act, why they feel what they do, etc, and relate. I thought maybe I’d pursue something with psychology, being that was the class I found most interesting. As I gained more life experience, I realized it isn’t just the brain that is fascinating, but that the picture is so much bigger, and that it involves the mind, the body and the soul. Having a creative career means having creative conversations and constantly unpacking the human experience through expression. Deepening curiosity for how we each experience life is fuel for my relationships with others and myself.

Being an artist is like having a puzzle with infinite pieces and it transforms as a way to constantly have an outlet for something to do, something to work on. As someone who is constantly go go go and trying new things, moving to new places, I am very flexible. It’s all very fluid and dynamic. My office looks different everyday but what stays consistent is the ability to flow. It is also inspiring to be in circles of people who believe in themselves, believe in their work, and are constantly evolving as creative beings. It’s like uncovering what you didn’t know was possible, and moving with it.

A creative career is a playground in which my life experiences can be expressed. I’ve come to find that depression is often a lack of expression. I need to create, whether it be with paint, words or movement, I need it like I need sunlight. It charges me to have inner conversations with myself, gain new awareness, new understanding, new appreciation, and I continue to be fascinated by life’s mysteries. It is exciting when you create something from the subconscious and it speaks to your reality and brings more clarity. I want to grow this relationship for a lifetime and having a creative career allows me to do so.

I also like this question because it suggests that being a creative or an artist is a career option. Sure, you can call it a career as it is how we make a living and spend our time. However, it is not in the same way an engineer or finance advisor or medical career allows you to clock out when your day of work is complete, you go home and you take the badge off. Being an artist is inherently who we are and what we do. We are creative beings and there is no clocking out. There’s a joke about entrepreneurs quitting their 9-5 job so they can work all around the clock. This rings true for creatives also but being careful for what we call work. There’s another popular saying, if you’re doing what you love you’ll never work a day in your life. I feel like I exist somewhere between these two.

It took me time to realize that I am stepping into the direction of becoming a full time professional artist. My schedule has been filling up with more and more art projects and I haven’t considered getting a “career” in years, this is just my life. I can tell you what living in the artist world has taught me so far. I’m able to constantly consider myself, my intentions, question myself, question others, hold space, reflect, be flexible, adapt, accept criticism, give criticism, grow, break, explore deeper parts of self, and most of all…Trust. Trust the process is a common saying in the creative world but like many other art lessons, it bled into my overall life perception. Trusting life will continue to open doors for me as I am willing to walk through them.  As I leave my early twenties I’m becoming more clear on my sense of priorities. What’s important to me now is experience, connection, and uncovering more of who I am. There are so many things that I call magic and as I grow as an artist in this mysterious life, I know I will never be ordinary and for that, I am so grateful. After all, we are magic.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art has grown from a means to give gifts to friends and family on holidays, to an outlet for my life’s stories. The worst thing that could be stolen from me is my journals. It is the place where I throw up what I’m feeling inside. It’s the record of my existence and my most prized possession. It is not by any means my most rendered work or artistically advanced but it is the place where all seeds are planted and I religiously return to water them. As I grow in my art career, for better or worse, I’m also constantly growing my materials list. Starting with acrylics and oils, to fabric paint, and airbrush, now dabbling with tattoos and spray paint, I’m finding I have lots of ways I enjoy expressing. However, my biggest lesson has been to keep my journal close and to not limit myself with how I fill it up.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Spending the majority of my years in Colorado, my favorite thing to do is drive down a mountain road, find a pull off, bring your hammock, and set up for the day. Bonus points if you’re by a creek. Boulder Creek down Canyon road is also a great, easy to reach spot, and fun to see what kind of conversations you can spark up with the locals. I don’t spend as much time in the city, but when I do, you can find me with a Blue Lotus joint at Plant Magic Cafe, surrounded by the most incredible vibes and plant wisdom. Go check out their offers. Same with Pizza 3.14 in Five Points, with a staff that feels like family and a colorful space catering to late nights and good people. Meow Wolf, obviously, is a place worth visiting while in the city. Otherwise, I’d say send it to the mountains! Go towards summit county, go hike, or hit the Woodward barn at Copper to practice skills to bring to the snow. Or if it’s snowing… you already know. See you on the slopes! Specifically, Copper’s Peace Park or in the trees at Mary Jane, Winter Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oftentimes people ask how I live the lifestyle I do — traveling, living abroad, finding work for myself, lots of adventure time, etc. This has not been a solo journey. Growing up, I moved around a lot. I wasn’t so stoked to be leaving friend groups behind at the time, but looking back, it has taught me how to adapt and shown me various perspectives. This ultimately led me to be curious about my own expression and how I can fit in, or stand out. Big shoutout to my parents for always supporting me on my route to independence and the various types of people I met along the way who shared their stories and listened to mine. Thank you, keep radiating light, this is how we grow!

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Other: Email for inquiry! Wurmagic@gmail.com