Meet Stephanie Berve | Art Teacher and Creative

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

Hi Stephanie, why did you pursue a creative career?
Like other creatives I was drawn to art at an early age. As I got older my artistic ability was something that distinguished me from my peers so I continued to practice. I could always pick up a pencil and draw what I saw almost exactly as it was. I found joy in creating, in thinking differently and learning new artistic processes. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to pursue something within the fine art realm. It was my passion, art was the only thing I was really good at. In the aughts you were expected to go to college. It didn’t really matter if you knew what you were doing with your life or not; you could figure it out on the way.

It took me eight years to figure it out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to call myself a Jack of all Trades, except I don’t say it out loud all that much. I find it difficult to stay focused within one medium. If I focus too long in one medium I usually get bored! I usually always have a few paintings on the easel, a sewing project or two, my sketchbook handy with my pencils and markers, and finally my cameras.

Recently, I have been getting really excited about two different projects. First is a series of photographs I’ve been posting to social media. They are initially taken with an instant camera, my Fujifilm Instax 8. Then, I arrange them in front of my phone camera and take another picture. My initial concept for this was to depict the original instant photo on an instant platform. Within the last few months I was focused more on depicting where my travels were taking me and moments in my life, and then the formal aspects of the photographs; light, composition and framing. The Instax is a tricky camera. I love the challenge of arranging a composition with a medium that has a set number of exposures.

My second project has been ongoing since I was in college. It is a series of paintings of figures falling or floating through space. Humans have a knack of wanting to find control over their lives and surroundings. When a sense of control over their lives is taken away a person can become depressed, anxious and even violent. But what if we found peace in the notion that we, ultimately, have no control over anything? This is what I hope to portray. Control is perceived and once you let go you will find yourself a happier person. This is why none of my figures are afraid or panicked. This one has been more difficult for me to continuously work on since starting my career as a teacher and having children.

I have made a lot of mistakes to get to where I am now! I tell my students about all the decisions that were not in my best interest and how I’ve grown from them. But, I also tell them so they hopefully will glean some wisdom from me. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life when I went to college. Like so many other people, I just went, because that’s what you did. I didn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my life until I had graduated (two years late) and had been working a dead end job for a year. After that, I had to go back to school. It was not easy. I struggled during my undergraduate courses. I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes when I was younger, so I made them all when I was in college. I flunked classes, dropped out of others and landed myself on academic probation by my Junior year. That was when everything finally clicked. I focused on school and classes but because of my poor decisions I had to take an additional two years to finish my degree. And even then, I had no idea what to do with it. I moved and started work processing paperwork for a life insurance company. It was soul crushing. I was a cog in a machine. I left when an opportunity to work in a frame shop opened up. It wasn’t glamorous work, but I was working with artwork and color on a day to day basis. It was there that a coworker I was training mentioned how I was a really good teacher and why had I never thought about doing that? Well, I had, but you know how the saying goes. I hate it so much I won’t even write it.
But I knew that my job at a frame shop wasn’t going to lead me anywhere so I started looking into how I could become a teacher. Because my coworker was right, I loved teaching what I knew, I loved explaining art concepts to customers and I loved being around people. I was only afraid of feeling like a fraud. Would I feel like a real teacher? Could I still call myself an artist?

Early in my career I felt that I didn’t fit in either category; a polygon peg trying to fit in a round hole. But I’ve begun to realize, what many have done before me, that in being a teacher, I’m also a learner. I get to experiment and do, for the benefit of my students and for myself. This keeps me from EVER feeling bored. This does sometimes distract me from focusing on projects I’m excited about but, for me, I’d rather be constantly learning and experimenting than trudging through a single idea, alone in my studio. People who teach are so passionate about what they do, they have to tell others. They love their subject so much, they never tire of learning about it. Teachers are awesome… if I do say so myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So I’m not sure how to answer this one! I live in Denver, and I know this publication is meant for Phoenix. Maybe this will inspire you to branch out to Colorado?!

There are a lot of really fun things to do in Denver and I have a very active family. So, if my best friend were to visit you can be sure hiking in the mountains and stand up paddle boarding at Chatfield State Park would be on our to do list. We would check out art galleries in the Sante Fe and RiNo art districts, and go to the Denver Art Museum. As for restaurants we would be sure to go to Snooze for breakfast one day and the Source or the Stanley Marketplace. Another night we might take in a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. There is a lot to do and see in Denver!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this to my husband and my professors at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Without their support I would probably still be working in life insurance.

Website: stephanieberve.com

Instagram: @stephberve