Season 1; Episode 7: We Contain Multitudes
Meet Ember, an artist, teacher, curator, community builder, and manifester. In this episode, Ember and I talk about what art school is like, the business of being a full-time artist, how to access the different parts of yourself that exist in other realities, and how to manifest the life you’ve always dreamed of.
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Ember Muninn has been creating art since they were a child and was accepted to the prestigious Emily Carr University of Art and Design straight out of high school, where they moved from small-town Abbotsford to big-city Vancouver, to be immersed in full-time art-making and community living. After graduating from Emily Carr, Ember went back to school to study massage and eventually moved back to Abbotsford, where they’ve been moulding a career ever since as a professional artist.
Ember is a celebrated artist here in the Fraser Valley and recently won the Arts Advocate Award from Abbotsford Art Council’s 2023 Arty Awards. Ember is an abstract artist, bookmaking instructor, and curator/director of Snag in the Valley, a community-building art event that spotlights the live work of four local artists and features a raffle of the pieces created during the show. Catch Ember’s work at an upcoming solo exhibition at Slice of Life Art Gallery in Vancouver from February 15-18, 2024. Ember will also be teaching a workshop nearly every month in 2024 at the Slice of Life, with the first workshop on January 14, Introduction to Bookmaking. Follow Ember on Instagram to stay up to date with all other upcoming events. I have a feeling that 2024 is going to be a big year for Ember and you don’t want to miss anything!
Photo courtesy of Ember Muninn
In this episode, we talk about the highs and lows of being a full-time artist, including:
Finding part-time work to support being a full-time artist, including their most recent job with Go Play Outside Abbotsford. Ember has worked a vast array of jobs, such as in a toy store, an egg plant, commercial kitchens, massage therapy, a pizza shop, an independent book publisher and a jewelry designer.
What art school is like, and the pros and cons of getting a Master’s degree
How to access the different parts of yourself that live in alternate realities through meditation and healing practises
Networking and building community here in the Valley, especially through their work with Snag in the Valley
Their relationship with the metaphysical realm and how that inspires their abstract art, such as their portal series.
How to protect your mental health and energy as a full-time artist
How to get out of a creative block by connecting with the community
The business side of being a full-time artist, like how to market yourself in the community and find opportunities to showcase your art
Ember’s role models, Sandeep Johal and Drew Young.
How to get over self-doubt as an artist and learn from other business owners
What makes good art
How to determine the price of a painting
Maladaptive daydreaming and how to manifest your dreams into reality
Photo courtesy of Ember Muninn
“If you hear a part of you inside yourself telling you to make art, I think you need to listen to that part. I think if you don’t, then your life won’t feel satisfying to you. And you’re going to be unhappy … because I think that you have that dream inside of you because you have the capability of achieving it. You just have to believe in your ability.”
Photo courtesy of Ember Muninn