We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brianna McKay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brianna below.
Hi Brianna, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Fortunately, my purpose came very natural to me. Creating, doodling, and painting are all things that I thoroughly enjoy. I’ve always enjoyed arts and crafts since I was a child. I’d have to say that a few things helped shaped my hobby into my purpose. As I began to read and teach myself more about visual arts, specifically painting, I learned that art can be an emotional expression. I learned this sometime in middle school when I discovered the European Renaissance era. This was an explosive time that promoted the rediscovery of not only art, but literature and philosophy as well. I started going to museums, surfing the internet and reading everything I possibly could about this time. I was so fascinated by how drastically European art had changed. Looking at the paintings made me “feel” something. I wondered, could I begin to create things like that?
This “feeling”, this is what drives me. Whatever I create I try to put a little extra “something” so that my viewers can resonate or question my creations. I really enjoy the questions because they’re all so unique. It’s a little secret behind each piece, only I know the feelings I had while creating, but to others they could see something completely different. Whether good or bad, I want my creations to make you feel something. My purpose is to make people think, make people rediscover themselves in my work or even spark the creative fire within them.
I’ve always been creative but I am also fascinated with the mind, therefore, having the ability to fuel emotions through my pieces really makes me happy. I’m sure that’s what I was meant to do in life.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’ll keep it pretty simple, I’m an artist and a student so my life is quite hectic, but I always make time for my creations. I mainly focus on taking NSFW commissions and I have a pretty steady clientele for logo designs as well. Many clients return for more work in the future, so it’s really awesome getting the opportunity to work with people again. As a fulltime student I must maintain balance between my studies, my fulltime job and my commissions. I’m not hosting any upcoming events, but I’ll definitely participate in local events when I have a break next summer.
I have quite the boring office job during the day, my only excitement comes from school and my commissions. It’s a wonderful break form my mundane day-to-day. Something unique to “Artless” is what it truly stands for. The name is captivating because it makes you pause. When most people hear it, they aren’t really sure what it means so it raises immediate questions. My creations are Artless, I am Artless. All-in-all, I am authentic and raw in everything I do. I’m sometimes abstract and experimental, other times I’m intentional and precise. No matter what you get, it’s raw. If something makes you uncomfortable or makes you think, it’s supposed to. It’s really that simple.
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?
Self-care, discipline, and boundaries. These practices work together and keep me from burnout, which is something I’m sure many creative people can resonate with. Burnout is the most dreaded thing in a creative’s life, because once it hits there’s no telling how long it’ll be until someone or something pulls you out of it. For me, I suffered from burnout for over 8 years. Eight long years of no creating, no inspiration, nothing… Now that I’m 3 years solid into my journey again, I can share my method of success.
Self-care looks different for everyone, however it’s essential. If you don’t take care of you first, who will? I like to make time for myself and treat myself with serenity. Whether that’s treating myself to the occasional massage or taking myself out to a fancy restaurant every now and then. Self-care is also the little things as well. Making time for journaling, reflection, deep meditation and REST. (Had to put that in all caps because a lot of us don’t know how to rest) Rest is more than falling asleep each night, it’s shutting off your mind and doing a hard reset so you can come alive again, truly rested and refreshed.
Discipline is not a word I liked, ever. As my responsibilities grow, it’s become one of the most impactful words of my life. Personally, discipline is self-care. The discipline you have today when you tell yourself to sit down and study or draw is essentially “present” you saying “I love you” to your “future” self. Discipline is telling yourself not to let yourself down, it’s reminding yourself of how far you’ve come so that you don’t give up when things get tough, and it’s setting a routine so even when motivation tells you “no”, discipline tells you “yes”.
Lastly, boundaries. I know this is the “word of the year” on the internet because everyone is some self-proclaimed coach, but there’s still a lot of importance to the word. Boundaries are more than telling someone no because their approach annoys you, boundaries keep you authentic and protected as you evolve as an artist. Some may assume that because my portfolio consists of many NSFW pieces that I don’t have many boundaries, but I do. I’m not going to accept every commission, I’m not going to bend because someone flashes more money and I’m certainly not going to tolerate disrespect of my time or craft. I’ve had to navigate this journey on my own. I’ve dealt with clients attempting to steal my work, to people promising more money if I create something that I’m uncomfortable with. “All money isn’t good money” as my mother would say and the more I learn about this industry, she’s absolutely right. I’ve done work absolutely free because it’s something I wanted to do and I’ve turned down jobs because the client put me in an uncomfortable and unprofessional position. My boundaries keep me safe and sane. I sleep well at night knowing that I didn’t disappoint myself trying to prove myself to someone else.
I believe when you practice these three concepts, you don’t lose your mind in the crazy world. Try it out, see what you think. Might save you a few headaches!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Everyone has a different upbringing. I say this to recognize there may be cultural differences that may cause confusion to people. My parents were honest to me, that’s it. My parents were honest when it was difficult and honest when the world hurt me. Honesty allowed me to develop my own voice and opinions. That seems so broad, but I promise you it’s the most impactful thing a parent can do. Not everyone is as fortunate as me, a lot of people have parents that have lied to or shielded them their entire lives and they suffer immensely from it.
My parents always made me feel safe, but they never lied to me about the dangers awaited me when I left home. They always taught me how the world may view me before I even open my mouth. They taught me about my ancestors that paved the way for many of the things we have today. They were honest about the struggles we’ll continue to face and how hard I have to work to get a fraction of recognition in this industry. That honesty saved me a lot of surprises and disappointment because I was already prepared. I truly thank them for that. Honesty doesn’t need to be harsh to still relay the truth, that’s what my parents taught me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artistree.io/artless.space
- Instagram: Instagram.com/artless.space
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bri.mckay.m?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Sean Dackermann https://instagram.com/seandackermann?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
