We were lucky to catch up with Brittany Ellis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My resilience as an artist came from the challenge of being told no. Being an artist, you receive rejections sometimes more than you’re accepted into establishments. I take no as a challenge that drives me into turning that no into a yes. In other words you can say being resilient is my fuel. When I was in high school, I had a rejection letter book full of every rejection letter I received from art establishments. That book helped me accept rejection and work harder towards my artistic goals I have for myself.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a celestial texture artist, YouTuber, and sales specialist living in Houston, Texas. Nine times out of ten I’am asked one number one question! WHY SPACE STUFF? I was avid daydreamer as a child and space became my escape from reality when I was enduring a difficult experience . Everyone possesses an explorer spirit when it comes to the unknown. My artwork intrigues viewers through this curiosity. The wondrous explorer spirit connects us all whether we’ve been to space or not. Outside of my personal artistic pursuits I’m also an founding member of the Houston artist group named T.E.N. We work in various niches ranging from painting, tapestries, and mixed media art. Our mission is to challenge the social norms of the art world by choosing to be artists who support artists. Within the art world artist are coaxed into participating in the pay for play scheme with little to no show for their efforts. Our goal is to support artists by bringing awareness to their work through promotion.
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?
The three skills I would say that contributed to my journey would be creativity, persistence, and my inextinguishable desire for knowledge. Those attributes allowed me to experiment and not allow the prospects of failure to restrict me. As an artist sometimes we face the pressures of what an artist should be. Once we break free of these restrictions it allows us to create art that resonates with us. Advice I would give to anyone is to explore the curiosities they posses. Everyone thought history excelled because they dared to pursue their ambitions. Failure is just a moment in time you can learn from as a means to improve.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I’ve had a great deal of impactful people in my life in addition to my parents. I was fortunate to have parents that supported all of my artistic endeavors. Growing up my father was a car artist and my mother was educator. They taught me how to follow and pursue my dreams and accomplish the goals I set for myself. The only rule they had for to their children’s interest was to see it through. They believed in exploring our interest to the fullest through dedication. Outside of my parents my art mentor, Mary Lynn Grimes really propelled my professional career as an artist. She taught me that being an artist was okay during a time when I was deterred from doing art. Although my parents supported my artistic endeavors it was my Pre-kindergarten teacher that told me that I couldn’t draw. Hearing this at a child broke me. I stopped making art until the fourth grade when I met Ms. Grimes. I will forever be grateful for meeting her because she revived the confidence I lost in myself four years prior. Twenty three years later Ms. Grimes is still in my life as my mentor and a true family friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hollowdolls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittelinc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanyellisartist
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brittanyellis128
Image Credits
Photographer: Brittany Ellis
