Today we’d like to introduce you to Ingrid Goldbloom Bloch.
Ingrid, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been fascinated about how things work, whether it is the inner workings of someone’s mind or the details of how something is made. As a little girl, I would accompany my father on his errands to the hardware store and get lost in the aisles imagining all the things I could make from the bits and pieces I came across. Since that time, hardware stores, recycling bins and roadside debris have been the inspiration for many of the mixed-media sculptures I create. I see the beauty in common objects. Each bit and piece is a mini-sculpture. An object intended for one thing becomes something else entirely when grouped together in new and interesting ways.
I never went to art school and only took one art class in high school. I never considered myself an artist because in my mind the “real” artists could draw well. I always thought of myself as creative but never claimed the word artist until my mid 30’s when I realized that the ability to see the potential in something and to bring it into being was art.
Like my art, I am interested in how people tick and how to help them draw out their potential. After a career in marketing and advertising, I realized that I wanted to help people, not products. I received a Masters in Counseling Psychology with a specialty in Career Development and have spent the last 20 plus years helping people become the creative force in their own lives. My art informs the work that I do with my clients as I can help them see career possibilities and think outside of the box.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My path has not been linear. It has taken a long time for me to find my passions and then integrate them into the life I have now as a career counselor/coach, artist, and mom. I have struggled with an internal narrative of what I “should” be doing vs. what I really wanted to do and what I was good at. Growing up, I got a lot of mixed messages about what I should be as a woman. On one hand, I should be home with my kids happily making meals from scratch and on the other hand, I should be traveling the country as a thought leader and powerhouse.
I entered into the world of business and ignored art for a long time because I didn’t give myself permission to be an artist. I kept both worlds separate as I believed they couldn’t co-exist. Only recently, have I discovered that my art informs the career counseling/coaching I do as it allows me to see patterns and possibilities for my clients. I can help them think creatively about their options and open up new ways of thinking.
I wish I had gone to a career counselor/coach much earlier in my life and I advise any young woman starting out to get help with both a therapist and a career advisor to help them claim who they really are. Discarding family messages in order to fully step into a life that is in alignment with who they are.
Started out not knowing what I wanted to do and often followed what I thought I should be doing vs what really made my heart sing.
What should we know about IGB Studio and Mosaic Careers? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I work in two worlds. The Corporate World with my career counseling/coaching business and Art, where I make mixed media sculptures using recycled and upcycled materials.
My business, Mosaic Careers, specializes in helping people improve their work situation by helping them create career possibilities, create a strategic and efficient job search and helping professionals deal with difficult work environments/bosses.
My Art, IGBStudio, focuses on mixed media recycled and upcycled sculptures and wall pieces. I am best known for my “Trashy Lingerie” series made out of woven soda cans. This series has been featured in numerous media outlets and currently resides with two Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museums and the Bikini Museum in Germany.
My recent work focuses on topical current events. My AK-47 made out of tampon applicators is called “Feminine Protection?” and my bra made out of eyeglass lenses (my eyes are down here) has been touring with the A Women’s Place art show.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
I am lucky that the Career Counseling/Coaching world most of the leaders are female. It is a wonderful profession for women and is very supportive of young women entering the field.
The type of art that I do has been very receptive to me as a female, however, because I weld and use a junkyard for raw materials it is still very male-dominated.
Pricing:
- Career Coaching/Counseling $150 per hour
- Mixed Media Sculptures $300 – $2,500
Contact Info:
- Address: Mosaic Careers
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridgoldbloombloch/
IGBStudio - Website: www.igbstudio.com
- Email: ingridalert@gmail.com
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingridgoldbloombloch/
Image Credit:
Dean Powell, Annie Kip
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