We recently connected with Tom Hoitsma and have shared our conversation below.

Tom, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I have had quite a few “wake up” calls in my life. The first arrived when I came close to losing myself to drugs in my early 20’s. The second, at 30 when I was almost killed in a car wreck (as a passenger). The third, at 35 when I was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which in the early 90’s was basically a death sentence.

Each of these events drove home the fact, in a very tactile way, that life was a gift, tomorrow was just not guaranteed, and if you are not celebrating your life every day and doing what you believe you are on this earth to do, then you are wasting precious time. How can I not be optimistic. I have receive second and third chances!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a Dallas based artist making metal wall sculptures and large scale “gestural” abstract paintings. My current metal work was inspired but the 2019 Dallas tornado, which literally came down my street. Originally created from debris collected from my neighborhood, these sculptures are an examination of how people affected by tragedies consistently create joy from loss and beauty from tragedy. Although tangled, bent and battered these pieces are emphatically vibrant and joy-filled.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
So much of making any creative endeavor is an inside job. Personally, I have always made objects Since I was old enough to use a knife I carved little figures out of wood So the first quality is to make sure that you have no choice but to make your art. You have to be driven to create whether you are being financially compensated or not.

In College, I was fortunate to have studied under Dr Harry Gaugh, who at the time was one of the foremost experts on the abstract expressionists. His passion for this period of painting was infectious and is something that continues to influence my work today. I also spend a summer interning for feminist artist Miriam Shapiro, who was very influential in pushing me to find my own voice. Finally, after College I worked in SOHO for Barbara Gladstone which put me in the middle of the NY art scene in the early ’80. So the second area of knowledge is to seek out teachers and mentors. No one can get there by themselves.

In my third year of college I had a falling out with my undergraduate sculpture professor who was my first mentor. But after interning with Miriam Shapiro, I was driven to take my work in a different direction which he did not like and made that painfully clear. That said, the third quality is self-belief. I do not, nor have I ever looked outside of myself to guide my creative work. Yes, my teachers and mentors pointed me in directions or challenged me to go deeper but I did not seek their approval with what that direction manifested in my practice. Trust your instinct. Make your art only for you. If you are are called to go down a creative path that is being received well, great, but if you are driven to go in another direction, then go, regardless of what you collectors and/or contemporaries tell you.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did was to make sure I understood I was not welcome home after College. I was 21 and it was time to find my way on the world.