Art takes time. Good art takes even more time. In the modern world, many artists have to make compromises between spending time making art and taking care of other business, like their jobs. The solution many choose is becoming an art teacher, but that can still take away from creating art. An integral member of the arts department at Belmont Hill since 2022, Ms. Bradley continues to develop as an artist and, beginning in the fall of 2026, will shift to teaching part-time at Belmont Hill. For Ms. Bradley, “it can be hard to gather the energy to work on [her] own pieces after [she gets] home from a full day at Belmont Hill.”
To continue her lifelong artistic dreams, she wants to dedicate more time to making her own art, and she is excited about the greater number of “unknowns” that come with committing to her art professionally, rather than the more stable life of full-time teaching. In the words of Ms. Bradley, “It was really difficult to make that decision, but I tried to give myself the same advice and support that I would give to one of my students if they were in the same position. I hope (selfishly) that my pursuing my own art can help students realize that art can be a valuable path that is worth following.”
She knows it will be difficult, that there will be much less certainty, but she remains optimistic. Each painting she creates allows her to follow her dream, and she just needs more time. She says, “I think I would regret it if I didn’t try it.”
Nevertheless, Ms. Bradley isn’t leaving the Belmont Hill community; she will still be around on campus for a while. She is transitioning to a future as a full-time artist. When asked for a statement about art for the students, Ms. Bradley replied: “I guess I will just say that art is something you can do your whole life if you’re lucky enough to pursue it. What you create creates you – I didn’t come up with that idea by any means – but I really believe it. I know that I will always be making things, big or small, and the form it takes or materials I use will always be changing, and I think that’s kind of cool.” We look forward to welcoming her back in the fall and following her ongoing artistic journey.
