Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shauna Bailey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shauna, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
For me, the best way to describe creativity is by comparing it to a campfire. It’s vibrant and alive, but needs to be monitored and fueled regularly to prevent it from being extinguished. Like a fire, it needs room to breathe, but also can be chaotic if left unchecked. There are times when it may dwindle down to just an ember, but it can quickly roar back to life if given a little attention.
When I view creativity as something that I must take care of and nurture, it becomes a bit easier to understand how to maintain through knowing myself. I’ve learned to pay attention to the moments that bring me peace, the places that make me feel recharged instead of drained, the people and conversations who spark new ideas.
I’ve learned that moments in nature make me feel refueled, historical fiction movies inspire me to make a mark on the world, and that doing things that remind me of my childhood make me feel free to create. Whenever I feel that I’m just moving through the motions, I try my best to make time for these things and they always have a positive impact on my creativity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My career is one that always takes a little it of explaining *(although recently it’s become quite a popular trend) – I am a live painter for weddings and special events. In simpler terms, I’m a professional artist, however, I specialize in capturing the mood and feel of events as they happen. Typically I’m in front of a live audience, or a couple hundred wedding guests for the first portion of the painting, and then I bring the artwork back to the studio to work on it for another 30-40 hours over the next few months.
My favorite part of the job is being able to connect with my brides and grooms and find out more about their story. I always tell them that my number one goal is to translate their love story into what feels like an epic movie-worthy moment on canvas. A painting is so much more than a photo, it’s more than reality, it’s a carefully curated depiction of what reality feels like to us when we are at our bests. And I love that I get to help people experience and remember a moment for all that it can be.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The absolute most important thing that I’ve learned on this journey is that who you are matters. It matters because you are the only one who see’s the world the way that you do, and people want to connect with that. When I started out I thought the best strategy was to be as professional as possible, so I rarely included my personality in my brand and paintings. It was actually some of my past brides and clients who started reaching out to me, connecting and relating to parts of my personality that I didn’t even realize I was showing. It’s so easy to get caught up in “what you’re supposed to do” as a business owner, that you can quickly forget that your only real job is to share your unique perspective and skills with the world..
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
“The Mountain is You” by Brianna Wiest is one of my all time favorite books, I recommend it to just about everyone. In fact, I even have notifications turned on for when Brianna posts quotes from it, because just about everything she says hits home so hard. The book is about getting out of your own way, and reminding yourself that you can take on just about anything and it will all work out. It’s blatant optimism, but in a way that is real and grounded in truth. I can’t tell you how many people I meet who are just stopping themselves from reaching their dreams. The second you realize that failure and change are things to chase, not be afraid of, everything changes.
“Your new life is going to cost you your old one.
It’s going to cost you your comfort zone and your sense
of direction.
It’s going to cost you relationships and friends.
It’s going to cost you being liked and understood.
It doesn’t matter.
The people who are meant for you are going to meet you
on the other side. You’re going to build a new comfort
zone around the things that actually move you forward.
Instead of being liked, you’re going to be loved. Instead of
being understood, you’re going to be seen.
All you’re going to lose is what was built for a person you
no longer are.”
― Brianna Wiest, The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery
Contact Info:
- Website: www.baileyartstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baileyartstudios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaileyArtStudios/
- Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wFqxRxSarHj82a4E6
Image Credits
Iliana Garcia Photo, D Park Studios
