Working from Home with Blaire
Blaire, when you meet her, seems like she may be a pretty typical person. As you look closer you may notice that she dresses with a little more flair than your typical mom or office worker. If you get the chance to talk you’ll notice she is extraordinarily kind. If you’re lucky enough to ask her about herself and her work, you may be like me and feel transported into a new world. Like you are Alice, stepping through a looking glass. Blaire has a magical tool for getting us to the other side of the looking glass— through her photography.
Blaire wears a lot of hats. She’s a mom, a home renovator, an advocate for autism awareness, and (of course) an artist. Originally from California, Blaire has moved all across the world and landed in Phoenix with her parents in 1997. She describes her journey to photography as a mostly self-taught process, which she stared when she was on bedrest with her second child.
“I work mostly at home. In a tiny corner of my house that gets the best light. I love to photograph the mundane, I think it's beautiful. The only limitation you have is one you place on yourself.”
When I try to describe Blaire’s work to others, there’s one main word that comes to mind- magical. Which is actually a little strange, because looking objectively at Blaire’s work you see mostly very ordinary things: portraits, hands, flowers, water. What makes them magical is how Blaire has chosen to show them to us, through her lens. It’s quintessentially artistic to do as she does and transform ordinary objects into magical spaces. She has a skill for taking a singular thing —the color of someone’s eye, colorful pieces of plastic— and focusing the viewer’s experience on what she finds extraordinary. I think what I appreciate the most about it all is the clarity and voice that Blaire has developed- you truly feel like you are standing in her shoes when you look at her photos. Standing in Blaire’s shoes, seeing what she sees, is a genuinely amazing experience.
When I asked what she appreciates the most about Phoenix, Blaire said she likes Phoenix smaller, community-based feel for artists. “It's very small here, and we are a tight group! I am grateful for that,” she says. Her favorite local resource happens to be one of mine as well- The Artist Resource Center (or ARC) in Tempe. The ARC is a non-profit resource center that helps collect and redistribute art supplies. It’s free-of-charge for teachers and schools, and donation based for anyone else.
I find Blaire’s path to becoming an artist inspiring. She started a lot like many of the artists I know here in Phoenix- a little by accident. In fact, she had some great advice for starting artists:
“DO IT! We need more artists. However, if you're starting for money, you will fail. You have to LOVE what you do. No matter the fame or lack there of. And stay true to yourself. Always. I live and breathe for this craft. My heart would break if I had to stop.”
Phoenix is a desert, both literally and metaphorically. As much as we (the people who live her) strive to make this environment thrive, it’s a famously underdeveloped urban landscape. Especially compared to our closest urban neighbor- L.A.. That said, there’s room to grow. In fact, there is a NEED to grow. But, just like Blaire said, you can’t expect to “make it” financially on art alone. Women, POC, neurodivergent folx especially have it hard, and most of us are forced to wear multiple hats in order to survive. Blaire is inspiring because she continues to work her craft and share her joy with the world, in spite of the challenge of surviving here in the desert.
You can find Blaire’s work mainly on her instagram, but also through a curator, @carriescottcurates. She has an upcoming show in Paris, and has shown her work at Modified Arts here in Phoenix as well.
