Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Cavender.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Ominous Outlooks arose from something as simple as expression. From the dark corner of my life came this light that would turn into such a movement for me and everyone I have interacted with. After what had been such a rough first semester of college, I spiraled down into a deep pit of depression and despair. I couldn’t function as a person, but when life hit the hardest and all else had failed, I decided to pick myself up and turn to my art. It was art for me, not school or grades or everyone else. It was this that helped me climb back out of that hole.
My work became a voice for me. A voice for topics that simply could not be described by words. As I worked through my subconscious and past trauma, I started to show my work to others. Many of them were moved. They had experienced shared connections and experiences with me or got some message that they needed at the moment. That first few moments, to experience that became a life-changing for me. I started to realize that my work was not only for me, but it was something others needed to see. It gave a voice to the voiceless and a warm welcome to take whatever message the piece gave people.
And so was born Ominous Outlooks. Through doing shows, and working with the community, I used every chance I could to get my work out there. I worked my booty off because I wanted to reach everyone. And although I have much more space to grow, I have come a long way considering where I was a year ago. Each show or opportunity, I learn more and more and I look forward to what else I will learn in the future.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m not gonna lie, it has been an extremely bumpy road with many twists and turns, but I guess that also means I have overcome a lot. Just the place I came from to start. I was in a very dark place. I am bipolar 2 and have dissociative identity disorder, which is something I know now but didn’t know then. So, that threw me into a really rough first semester of college. I also have a lot of trauma from my childhood and PTSD. I think a big part of my work addresses that and reaches out to others who have gone through similar things.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
Ominous Outlooks is a surreal brand that works from imagination and experience. I mostly work with graphic marker and watercolor, but I also work with other mediums such as laser cut acrylic, custom quilts/tapestries, other paints, and more. My main goal and purpose in my work are to reach others and change the world around me. I quite often use ominous and general figures so that people are able to place themselves in the art and receive whatever message they need from it. I love all things imagination and constantly push showing the subconscious mind that no one really talks about.
I think that I’m most proud about the way my art speaks to people. I love having the interactions where somebody comes up to me and pour their heart out about the piece and their life. That is what I work for. Nothing can take that experience from me.
What sets me apart from others is that I work primarily from the imagination and direct experience. That is what takes the viewer into my mind and subconscious. It brings them with me to the place I have created. It gives them a first-hand experience to my emotions and the twists and turns of life. My work is a shared connection rather than a window into my world.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I honestly don’t know. I am one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason. Everything in my life has brought me to this point, and if I changed anything, today would be different.
I guess one thing is that I wish I had a mentor earlier on to kind of help me navigate the ways of the art world.
Contact Info:
- Website: ominousoutlooks.com
- Phone: 2103792715
- Email: ylime.cav@icloud.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emily.cavender.art/
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