Member Spotlight: Q+A with Stacy Bias
From rural Oregon to London and now Glasgow, ’ journey has been one of finding home—both in place and in herself. Stacy's story really reminds us that connection—to ourselves, to creativity, and to each other—is what brings joy. Enjoy this interview with her .
1) Stacy, you've made the journey from Oregon to London and now Glasgow! What has surprised you most about living in Scotland, and have these transitions influenced you/your creativity at all?
What's surprised me most about Scotland is how at home I feel! I grew up in tiny rural towns (some with populations under 2,000) and moved to the 'big city' of Portland, Oregon (population 600k) when I was 19. Conservative small town life was challenging for a closeted queerling like myself and Portland felt welcoming and inclusive. I thought London would offer even more, but the pace, the sheer magnitude of the population (8 million!), the lengthy commutes, and the high cost of living made it hard to build the kind of community I'd hoped for. Over time, I became more reserved and guarded, less like myself. Glasgow, though, is much more like where I'm from; a rainy port city with a vibrant creative scene, a culture of warmth, a queer community that seems to be invested in building connections, and an abundance of nature on the doorstep I feel more grounded, calmer, and able to be open here. It's helping me feel more like myself again and my creativity is flourishing.
2) What brings you joy?
Such a good question, especially right now. With so much grief in the world, especially for the communities I'm part of, prioritising joy feels essential. For me, joy comes through connection; with others, with nature, with creativity, and with myself. As someone with C-PTSD, joy wasn’t always easy to access, but years of deep therapeutic work (and leaving an overstimulating city!) have helped me reclaim it. These days, I find joy in wild swimming, learning silversmithing, having a meaningful creative work life, making new connections in Glasgow, spending time with my partner, and saying hello to every dog I pass on a walk!
3) Your bio mentions you've been involved with Body Positivity, feminism, and queer community activism. Do any meaningful moments from those experiences stick out that shaped who you are as an artist today?
This one’s hard to answer briefly! One moment that really shaped me was helping build one of the first large online spaces for queer women (trans/NB inclusive) in the late 90s. It ended up being archived by the US Library of Congress and played a small part in a Supreme Court case that helped protect marginalised communities' right to reclaim language. Another is a series of events I ran in Portland called FatGirl Speaks, which centred the voices of people marginalised due to size through storytelling, comedy, dance, and song. One moment I’ll never forget is standing at the back of our first sold-out venue, watching 20 dour-faced fat women rip off their saggy muumuus and then dance across the stage in their favourite form-fitting outfits, while the audience hooted and hollered. Moments like that -- where people feel fully at home in themselves and connected to others -- are what drive everything I do, and I try to bring that ethos into the quieter work I'm doing now.
4) You're exploring several artistic mediums - from silversmithing to embroidery to stained glass. Do these different crafts inform each other, and what draws you to learning new artistic skills at this point in your life?
Well, if I'm honest, the answer to that is ADHD! ;) By gawd, do we love a new hobby! But I think my move toward more tactile mediums is also about balance. I spent years working digitally; as a web developer, graphic designer, creative director, then illustrator and animator, and I’ve started to crave the groundedness of work I can actually hold in my hands. I would say that every new medium I try is informed by my illustration work, so that's the through-thread. Silversmithing is presently my deepest obsession and I am level eleven annoying to my partner with all my dinner table soldering chat! I hope I never stop wanting to learn new things, though. Especially now that I've tackled (some of) my perfectionism and learned how to enjoy the process of making instead of being solely focused on the quality of the outcome.
5) Building community as a queer creative over 40 in a new city comes with unique challenges. What advice would you give to others in similar situations who are looking to find their people?
Oh gosh, I don't know if I'm in a position to give any advice on this as I'm still mostly looking for mine! I turned 50 this year and while I've made a few amazing connections, it's slow-going! (I think a lot of us are at home watching Netflix!) I also have some underlying conditions that mean I have to be a bit more COVID cautious than most, which can sometimes limit how I'm able to show up in-person. In general, however, I think the key to building connections is just showing up consistently in whatever ways you can in whatever spaces you can, and seeing what you can offer. Pick your interest(s), your cause(s), your community(ies), and invest with time, attention, and resources and see what flourishes. That's what I'm trying to do, at least!
Thank you, Stacy, for opening your heart and sharing your journey with our community.
