Interview with Lisa Mann : Artist & Teacher
Updated: Sep 17, 2022
Hi Lisa. Thank you for taking time to talk about how art fell into your life. When did it start and how did it connect with your creativity?
At age five, I won my first art contest.
It took a long time to welcome and embrace my artist self. The creative side of all of my personal and professional endeavors made me giddy. In my twenties and thirties I traveled and lived overseas, looking for meaningful work that would bring me to beautiful places while immersing in creativity. Later my masters degrees in education and counseling came.
What inspires your art?
Travel has given me the desire to connect with the essence of a place, — those abstract feelings that originate from being there. Being inspired by those gorgeous landscapes, travel exposed me to being vulnerable and connecting with others in the unexpected twists and turns.
What can you share about selling and/or promoting your art?
I started out selling my art work, ultimately being shown in galleries across the United States, opening my own gallery, and winning awards. Over the last few years I have shifted my art business as a reflection of my values and my journey through teaching. Students realize their own vision and their power in connecting within their art through my instruction of the intuitive process ( wwwlisamannfineart.com).
What do you want others to know about creativity that is often overlooked?
In my many jobs I was a tractor driver in a banana plantation; I lived and worked on five continents; I was a girl that grew up in a working class family outside of Detroit. My artwork is a story of my many journeys. The process involves building a painting layer by layer, adding texture, line, form, memories, and emotions. Then I scrape back through the wax to reveal past pieces. I never imagined I’d be building my home on a Greek island, let alone an art studio to hold art retreats. Art and life are connected, as much as trusting and being open to opportunities is.
—Post written by Amanda L. Mottorn, 2022, ©, an emerging creative is author of Finding Moksha: One Woman’s Path in Uncertain Times and Artist at Modern Moksha Designs & Publishing.