21 SECRETS Spotlight :: Roben-Marie Smith

Every Wednesday at Dirty Footprints Studio Tonia Jenny, the 21 SECRETS Creative Director & Course Manager,  is interviewing one of the talented teachers in our program.  Be sure to sign up for blog notifications below to never miss a spotlight — and CLICK HERE to check out past interviews. 

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Hi there, Beautiful You!

Our Spotlight Artist of the week is none other than Roben-Marie Smith. Roben-Marie’s playfully-edgy, highly-graphic work is something I’ve been familiar with for quite a while, as she was a contributing artist in many of the books I edited over the years. However, having never personally watched her “in action” before viewing her 21 SECRETS Paper, Glue, Scissors workshop—Snipped to Art Bits—I was thrilled to finally get an intimate look at her composition thought process. And I’m excited to share more of her own thoughts with you, here.

What is your earliest memory of a creative activity you enjoyed?

I’ve been creating since I was a child, but the earliest memory of a creative activity that I truly enjoyed was when I discovered art journaling. I remember reading an article about how to blend imagery with text and it fascinated me. I started art journaling and have never looked back!

Name three words that sum up the three stages your current work goes through.

Watercolor • Snip • Doodle

What do you wish you gave yourself more time to explore?

I am enamored with oils and would enjoy having time to explore them further. I was not sure I would like them, but after creating my first painting, I knew it was a medium I would find challenging, but fun.

What is the one thing you hope we remember from your workshop?

The one thing I want students to take away is to let go of perfection and find freedom in exploring bits of paper, especially ones that would ordinarily be tossed.

Where will you be and what will you be doing five years from now?

For years, I have been helping makers and artists with the tech side of starting a business and sharing their art online. Over the next five years, in addition to evolving my own art, I plan to build a thriving community called Maker’s Tech U, where I will provide creative solutions to technology challenges for artists.

As someone who is always distilling information into its most powerful form, I very much appreciate Roben-Marie’s short but distinctly-powerful answers. And . . . as a . . . eh-hem . . .somewhat tech-challenged artist, I myself hope to check out her up-and-coming support services! You can see much more of her visually-engaging art on her website or you can follow her along on social media.

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About Roben-Marie Smith

As an artist, blogger, woman of faith and small business owner, my mission is to serve others and help them get the most out of their art as a hobby or as a business. My own desire to learn and an unquenchable curiosity keeps my fingers messy and my heart happy.

I have been a working artist for the last fifteen years, and am self-taught, so I believe that anyone can cultivate their creative spark. I’ve taught mixed-media art workshops at retreats across the US and my work has been featured in countless books and industry magazines.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | WORKSHOPS | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE

Roben-Marie teaches Snipped to Art Bits in 21 SECRETS Paper, Glue, Scissors

Grab your journal and all those forgotten paper bits and join me as I walk you through my process of transforming otherwise-discarded papers into beautiful shapes and layers. You will be digging bits out of your waste bin before you’re done!

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