We recently connected with Paige Rochefort and have shared our conversation below.
Paige , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I have found the more that I choose to slow down and allow myself free time within my schedule, the more I feel my creativity has space to breathe. Those moments of inspiration can turn into nights and even seasons of creative exploration.
If I find I am unable to block out hours to set my space and create, getting myself into nature for even just 30 minutes has been so inspiring and recharging. Or carrying a journal / sketchbook on me to keep track of the ideas that arrive in my head.
Moving forward into 2024 I am hopeful to keep a week each month open for myself to play, explore new mediums and concepts, work on personal projects, and just BREATHE.
I think having more time in general to just feel like my inner child and make a mess in my studio, just for me is SO important. Especially as I am still working as a primarily commissioned based artist.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am full time creative right now. Often flowing between murals, window displays, digital commissions, logos, paintings, collages, painting classes and markets.
In the summer months I am predominantly a muralist and the rest of the year, I am a try and balance the rest.
Moving forward I would like to solidify my own style, brand, and packages of what I offer for my clients.
I love that I can bounce around between mediums and projects and yet, I hope eventually I have my entire brand feeling more complete.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Enduring trauma in my youth led me to resilience. I believe that has been key on this journey as a creative. Using resilience to overcome, grow through and inspire me. My failures and past have guided me into places of new found appreciation, joy, compassion and understanding after and within hardship. It’s also allowed me to have the strength to continue onward and continue creating despite what I’ve been though. Because of what I’ve been through. Working harder to find the things that keep me in my creative element.
Realizing that I am not for everyone as everyone isn’t for me has also held me during times where projects didn’t seem to align and / or I lost bids and jobs. It is hard not to be down on yourself when you have losses. However, reminding myself I am not for everyone has allowed me to bounce back quicker and continue to work harder to discover who my clientele is and who I am as a creator.
Lastly, finding balance has been extremely important in ensuring I don’t enter burnout as frequent. Knowing when to call it a day, knowing when to clear my schedule for play and knowing the signs of burnout have all helped me steer clear of it (more often). I am no expert in this area and it’s required me to attend therapy regularly to implement the skill of balance into my life. Often I find I am running myself beyond empty for deeper reasons than because I made a commitment. Usually, it’s for fear of missing out on the opportunity, not being comfortable saying “no”, a lack of confidence that if I slow down, believing people will stop enjoying and purchase my work / services. Trusting my body and my needs each day has allowed me to honor myself and take it slower. I am still a work in progress for this and I don’t know if I’ll ever master it. Just knowing that I need time to be in nature or to sit and daydream has been so helpful in keeping me fueled up.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My therapist is completely to thank for this. Her wealth of knowledge and practices on what I can do to build my toolbox of skills, qualities and knowledge of success is all thanks to her.
It wasn’t easy to find her at first. I went three other places before her and was beginning to give up on my search. It helped to start looking into what each therapist specialized in to see if we were a good fit. Which I am thankful the others didn’t work out for me as I learned what I did and didn’t want. Once I found my current therapist, I couldn’t even really afford her at first. I could only afford to do once a month and had to work even harder to pay that bill.
Two years later of consistent therapy, I feel I have an entire toolbox full of things that help me with my current success. The biggest tool being to have a willingness to acknowledge my past, accept it, forgive, find my own values and grow. Learn from my mistakes, work hard not to find myself in the same spiral. Break the cycle of my past and in turn, apply these tools to my work and business too.
Contact Info:
- Website: Daydreamsbypaige.com
- Instagram: @daydreamsbypaige
Image Credits
Image 2: Lee & Birch St. Joe Image 4: Farmhouse Stony Lake Image 5: Five Forks Bakery Image 8: Sip Coffee & Cocktails
