Meet Lindsy Davis | Sculptor and Painter

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

Hi Lindsy, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
The line between work and life, when you work for yourself is very blurry. The ebb and flow of life yields to no deadline. I have learned to cancel plans when necessary and also say no to commissions. In the beginning one has to say yes to seemingly everything to get ahead. Then the hard part is pulling back the “yes” machine and letting people down, in both work and social life. But when life happens, an uncontrollable event that steam rolls every single thing you had planned, that balance you’ve worked so hard to manage is thrown out the window. As I’ve grown in time and practice, I’ve had enough of those life events happen while planning how I’d grown my career that I can see the balance a bit more clear. And the hard truth is there isn’t one. Good and bad things happen all the time, balance is perception. And knowing when to say no and when to say yes won’t always be clear, but the best we can do is learn and grow from it all.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
To get to there I am I’ve had to work very hard. I’ve lost both my parents over the course of getting to where I am. I have stayed persistent and true to my vision, even when I couldn’t really see it, I knew forward was the only way. I kept applying to shows, I kept working in my studio and I kept the window for inspiration wide open. I tried to find meaning in everything, seek a silver lining to all the darkness. I read about other people that have been through similar circumstances and made it through to the other side. Finding something to relate to, grasp on to and grown from after fiddling in the dark is completely paramount to that forward movement. The work I’ve made helps me navigate through unexpected life events. Instead of compartmentalizing life and work, when the work is fine art, I blend the two and use one to help navigate through the other. Life happens and to understand how I am getting through it, I make work. That work is understood through the lens of experience.
Those philosophical interpretations of the work feed into more work, finding out more about the human psyche, experience and perception. Working through my experiences, I come to understandings that aren’t only privy to me and the darkness lifts a little bit. We aren’t as alone as we feel, and putting something we deem precious out into the physical world is how we can find communion, context, and purpose.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would grab coffee at OSA, Elegy, or dose. A little breakfast snack from Yeast Nashville, head out to hidden lake or Beaman or firey gizzard for a hike. Grab a sandwich from Mitchell deli or tower, lay around at Shelby park, explore turnip green creative reuse, go to a show at the 5 spot or the basement east, grab a few beverages at dukes, or the village pub in riverside village. Dinners would be Margot, El Jaliscience, Xiao Bao, Mas Tacos. art events at Red Arrow, Zeitgesit, the packing plant, Julia Martin gallery and CE gallery. Get farm goods at green door gourmet.

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?
I’d say persistence and friendship are my biggest resources. Specifically the women who run Red Arrow gallery, Katie Ashley and Blythe, and my sister, Blair.

Website: LindsyDavis.com

Instagram: LindsyDavis_

Other: Represented in Tennessee with Red Arrow Gallery.

Image Credits
Christopher Wormald