StarWomanPlus interviewed award winning photographer- Jane Fulton Alt

StarWomanPlus-

What is inspiration to you? And how do you get inspired?

Jane Fulton Alt-

My inspiration comes from my life. I am a clinical socialworker and have worked for 30 years with individuals who have suffered for various reasons.I have also raised 3 children. Many of the questions that I address in my work relate to the universal issues of love, family, spirituality, loss and death that all people deal with, regardless of race, religion or socio-economic level.

StarWomanPlus-

Is art an effective tool for change?

Jane Fulton Alt- Yes. Good art speaks to the soul and can alter the way one may think.

StarWomanPlus-

Are women really participating in the arts world?

Jane Fulton Alt-

Yes, more so now than ever before.....and they are getting

recognition for their contribution to the arts.

StarWomanPlus- Are women maximizing their

artistic abilities?

Jane Fulton Alt- In as much as possible. I do think if one raises a family and works, the making of art can sometimes take a back seat.However, I also feel that all of ones life experiences contribute to what it is that one discusses in their art.

StarWomanPlus- How should our educational systems be involved in arts education?

Jane Fulton Alt- Unfortunately, in the United States, one of the wealthiest nations of the world, the arts are often the first subject to be cut from the curriculum. I feel that the arts, both visual and performing, should have a much more prominent place in the lives of our children. I am speaking from my experience in the US. I do know that the arts are much more appreciated in other cultures.

StarWomanPlus- Who are the people you look up to?

Jane Fulton Alt- People I look up to are those that have a vision and are able to create something that is able to better humanity . I have great admiration for Wangar Maathai of Kenya who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. I suppose I admire people who are "at the top of their game" with regards to what they have been able to accomplish to better mankind.

StarWomanPlus -What captivates you in them?

Jane Fulton Alt- Their vision, creativity, dedication, perseverance, commitment, and energy.

StarWomanPlus-Do you ever get artist block?

Jane Fulton Alt- Oh Yes! Who doesn't?

StarWomanPlus-How do you deal with it?

Jane Fulton Alt- I do get frustrated but in recent years I have learned to be patient. Every thing takes time to percolate. Here is a quote from Rilke that I particularly like.... " Everything is gestation and bringing forth. To let each impression and each germ of a feeling come to completion wholly in itself, in the dark, in the inexpressible, the unconscious, beyond the reach of one's own intelligence and await with deep humility and patience the birth-hour of a new clarity: that alone is living the artist's life. Being an artist means not reckoning and counting, but ripening like the tree which does not force its sap and stands confident in the storms of spring without the fear that after them may come no summer. It does come. But it comes only to the patient who are there as though eternity lay before them, so unconcerned still and wide."

Rainer Maria Rilke

StarWomanPlus- Let’s get to know how you ‘mass

produce’ your art to reach many?

Jane Fulton Alt- The world wide web has been an incredible asset with regards to reaching a larger audience.

StarWomanPlus- Are female artists different from male artists? How?

Jane Fulton Alt- Not all the time, certainly.There are many male artist with a "female" sensitivity and many female artists with "male" sensitivities. That said, I do wish the world were run by more women. I think because of our biological imperative to birth and nurture our young, women are less likely to be aggressive and declare war.

StarWomanPlus- When did you begin embracing your arts?

Jane Fulton Alt- I have always been interested in the arts and crafts. I was a quilter when my children were young. I found, however, it was difficult to say what I wanted to say with fabric. When my youngest began grammar school, about 14 years ago, I began to explore the arts. I happened upon an extraordinary teacher of photography. I didn't understand or even like photography when I started...then I began to see images that were "poetic." The rest is history.

StarWomanPlus-Those days that seems as if nothing is working, how do you pull yourself through?

Jane Fulton Alt- Funny you should ask...It seems to be happening now! I don't like it but need to remember that one needs to pay your "dues" to get a gem. If you are patient enough, the "art fairy" will pay a visit.

StarWomanPlus-Which is your best work?

Jane Fulton Alt- That is difficult to say. I have many different bodies of work. They all work for me so it would be impossible to rate them.

StarWomanPlus-The artistmind and soul are important .how important?

Jane Fulton Alt- The mind asks the questions.The soul searches and somehow knows when it feels that something is right. For me, the heart is a guiding force. If I open my heart up, all things are possible. The power of love knows no bounds. "It is only with the heart one sees rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." De Saint Exupery

StarWomanPlus- Any last words for to be female

artists

Jane Fulton Alt- Work, Work Work and be patient. We all have the creative potential in us. Cultivate and nurture it!

One more bit of wisdom...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel secure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,our presence automatically liberates others." Nelson Mandela 1994

Inaugural Speech.

Jane Fulton Alt is an award winning fine art photographer. She

explores universal issues of love, lossand spirituality in her work. Alt was the recipient of the 2007 Illinois Art Council Fellowship Award and the 2007, 2008 and 2009 Ragdale Fellowship Award.

She studied at the Evanston Art

Center, Columbia College, and the

Art Institute of Chicago .

www.janefultonalt.com

©2005

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