Rose B. Simpson
Santa Fe, NM USA
"What I love about life is that we’re looking for and finding those moments where we realize that this is all a co-creation and that we have absolute control and power."
Career Roadmap
Rose B.'s work combines: Art, Environment & Nature, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
When I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, everyone was excited to go to New York and join the grind. That was everyone else's goal but I knew I needed to go home and ground myself in my values. That's what fuels my creative process. We need to think about why we do things. Is it for a European capitalistic dream or another reason? It's a privilege to have grown up with the perspective of what I love, value, and want to preserve. For me, that's place and land—the parent of my culture.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Fine and Studio Arts
Institute of American Indian Arts
Graduate Degree
Ceramics
Rhode Island School of Design
Graduate Degree
Creative Non-Fiction
Institute of American Indian Arts
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I come from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, which is my ancestral homeland.
2.
My mom was an artist and also started a nonprofit when I was a child, so I grew up engaged in cultural preservation practices and immersed in the aesthetic as a spiritual perspective.
3.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in fine and studio arts, followed by a master’s degree in ceramics, both from Rhode Island School of Design.
4.
After graduating, I knew I needed to go back home and ground myself in my land, culture, and values.
5.
I earned a second master’s degree in creative nonfiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts.
6.
I now work as a mixed-media artist from my home in Santa Clara Pueblo.
7.
In addition to my work as an artist, I’m on the board of Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, a nonprofit organization based in sustainable living systems and cultural preservation practices.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
Let's go to New York, join the grind, and become big time artists. That's the next step. That's the goal.
How I responded:
When I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, everyone was excited to go to New York and join the grind. That was everyone else's goal but I knew I needed to go home and ground myself in my values. That's what fuels my creative process. We need to think about why we do things. Is it for a European capitalistic dream or another reason? It's a privilege to have grown up with the perspective of what I love, value, and want to preserve. For me, that's place and land—the parent of my culture.