Meet Georgia Tardy | Artist, Educator and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Georgia Tardy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Georgia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first started my business I had no concept of balance. I took any jobs without considering my capacity or bandwidth. For an early-stage entrepreneur, this is common and most times necessary to grow your business. However, operating this way is a fast track to burn out which happened to me many times over the years. Over time I learned from my mistakes, learned to say no without guilt and, prioritized my mental health and wellness.

Now I perceive balance not as a time-management tool but as a state of being. I filter the way I take on new projects and have a personal criteria for saying yes or no to new opportunities.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The artwork I create consists of paintings, drawings, and graphic design. I am also an art educator, teaching classes in my studio.

I am most proud of never giving up on my art and excited about how my work is evolving as I grow. I got to where I am today by creating a vision of where I wanted to go and working diligently to get there. No secret sauce, just a vision and hard work.

At this stage in my life, I want other artists to know that becoming a professional artist isn’t a myth, it’s attainable. The lessons I have learned all came from the hardest parts of my journey. So, don’t run from the challenges because that’s exactly where you will grow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a great question! Let’s see…

I would start the mornings with an outdoor workout at the John Chavis Memorial Park track. Then head to Blackbird Books and Coffe for a latte. I would probably make breakfast at home because I enjoy home-cooked meals. We would visit the sculpture park at NC Museum of Art and go on long walks at Shelly Lake or Lake Lynn. We would definitely head to Durham and check out the Sarah P Duke Gardens and then go to Queeny’s for the best bar food I’ve ever had. I would have to make a trip to my favorite cafe, Yellow Dog, for another latte. We would sip and stroll throughout downtown Raliegh and I would wrap it up with good conversations at State of Beer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shout-out to my family. My mother, grandmother (late) and brothers are the ones who embraced and encouraged my creativity at an early age. That encouragement allowed me to feel safe in discovering my artistic gift and pursuing it throughout my life.

My husband Reggie has continued that support and encouragement at this stage in my life.

Website: www.georgiatardyart.com

Instagram: @georgiatardyart