Meet a Maker Mondays is a monthly series on the Center for Craft Instagram where we highlight a new Coworker each month. This month, we are featuring Ursula Gullow, @ursabear, a visual artist living in Asheville, NC. Her paintings and collaborative projects are examinations of self portraiture, crowds, public spaces, and the shifting periphery between individual and collective.

Ursula has been hosting donation-based, weekly live-stream painting sessions, Paint Along. To watch her series, subscribe to her YouTube channel here and tune in Mondays and Thursdays at 11am. Read on to learn more about her artistic outlook.

What does creativity mean to you?

For me creativity is about being resourceful and coming up with new solutions to old problems. I think it's a necessity in all aspects of life, but the real work comes with honing and editing creativity.

What is your ideal creative space?

A big outbuilding in my backyard with sky lights that I can escape to and make a mess.

What song, author, YouTuber, podcast, activity, etc. gets you out of a creative funk?

A quiet walk alone is great for getting ideas flowing, and when I'm done I'm usually motivated to get to work (unless I'm too pooped.)

What advice would you give your 16 year old self?

I'd give her a crash course on institutionalized gender inequalities.

Tell us about your latest project.

While we are in social distancing mode I'll be hosting live stream painting and mixed media sessions every Monday and Thursday on YouTube at 11AM. Anyone can join in at https://www.youtube.com/user/persula13.

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Follow Center for Craft on Instagram @centerforcraft to see which maker we meet next! To learn more about Cowork at Center for Craft, visit centerforcraft.org/cowork.

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