Meet Claudia O’Steen | Artist, Professor, and Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claudia O’Steen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claudia, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
The biggest challenge that I have faced as an artist is finding the right balance between life, work, and studio practice. It’s difficult to work full-time as an art professor and also make time for my own practice. In addition to being a working artist and professor, I am a certified yoga instructor. These things all greatly influence and feed one another, but managing all three takes a lot of work. I think that there are different “seasons” of work and making. During the academic year I devote more time to teaching and research, and in the summer devote most of my time to my studio practice and yoga.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been making art for as long as I can remember. The moment that I found the confidence and voice to actually call myself an artist was as a student at Watkins College of Art. I was encouraged to share my ideas and aesthetic interests with many of the teachers who helped to expand my technical skill and develop my artistic methodology.

My research-based practice is very interdisciplinary and frequently collaborative, and integrates fieldwork, sculpture, digital media, drawing, video, and performance. I have both an independent practice and a collaborative practice with Aly Ogasian. Throughout my artistic career, I have worked directly with scientists, engineers, environmentalists and researchers. My work is inspired by and borrows from the history of science, technology and observation as a way to understand my relationship with the changing landscape. I develop systems, processes, and tools to understand something, and then I repeat that process over and over. I then examine the failures, abnormalities, or anomalies within that process.

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?
I would have them visit Beaufort, SC, where I am currently conducting research on ghost forests and the effects of climate change and human impact on the South Carolina coastline.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I very grateful to my mentor Kristi Hargrove, professor at Belmont University. I would not be where I am today without her guidance and friendship. Her input during my research and development was invaluable and made me aware of ideas and materials that were just outside my periphery but within my sphere of interest. She is still a source of encouragement and inspiration for me.
I also feel very lucky to have such a great friend and art collaborator in Aly Ogasian. It can be difficult to find balance in collaboration, but it comes very naturally for us.

Website: https://claudiaosteen.com

Instagram: @claudiaeosteen