Why I Thought I Was Abandoning Art for Tarot
On breaking free from art world gatekeeping and finding meaning wherever we look
I've spent my entire career making art accessible to people who felt it wasn't for them. First, it was helping people feel welcome in museums. Then, I began focusing on helping teachers, students, and soulful individuals connect personally with works of art. After that, I expanded into helping people reconnect with their creativity after years of feeling divorced from it. And now, I'm launching a program focused on interpreting tarot cards—and I've been wrestling with a nagging feeling that I'm somehow abandoning “art.”
But here's the thing I realized: I'm literally teaching people how to interpret art through tarot cards. These cards are works of art specifically designed to be interpreted, to help us find meaning and connection. By feeling guilty about focusing on tarot, I was falling into the same elitist trap I've spent years fighting against.
The art world has always been full of gatekeepers telling us what "counts" as real art. You have to be a genius to be an artist. Your work has to hang in museums to be legitimate. The art you enjoy has to be approved by some grand establishment. I've internalized these messages so deeply that they've affected my own creative expression—and I know I'm not alone.
This gatekeeping is exactly what kept me from creating art for so long. It's what keeps so many people from engaging with art in ways that feel authentic to them. Whether you love classical paintings or fan fiction, whether you make traditional sculptures or create oracle card decks—there's room for all of it. Art doesn't have to be sanctioned by an institution to be meaningful or valuable.
By questioning whether tarot cards are "serious enough" art to focus on, I was unconsciously reinforcing the very hierarchies I've dedicated my career to breaking down. The truth is, art is wherever we find it. It's in museums, yes, but it's also in tarot decks, street art, comics, craft markets, and countless other places.
My work has always been about making art accessible and enjoyable to as many people as possible. It's about helping people trust their own interpretations and connections with art, rather than feeling like they need special knowledge or credentials to engage with it meaningfully. Teaching tarot interpretation isn't abandoning that mission—it's expanding it in exactly the way it needs to go.
Because ultimately, everyone deserves permission to enjoy and create whatever art speaks to them. We don't need anyone's approval to find meaning in the images that move us. That's what art is really about—and that's exactly what I'm teaching through tarot.
If you're interested in exploring art interpretation in an accessible, magical way, I invite you to join me in The Interpretation Room. Starting in January 2024, we'll gather three times monthly to interpret tarot and oracle cards in community—no special knowledge or experience required. You already have everything you need to find meaning in these beautiful works of art. Learn more at interpretationroom.com.