Meet Bonnie Afsary

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bonnie Afsary. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bonnie below.

Bonnie, 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?

I keep my creativity alive by showing up to do the work, regardless of whether or not I feel like it. I feel lucky to be alive during a time when we have endless ways to access art. I’m so grateful to live in a city like LA where there’s a multitude of art galleries to visit and incredible museums with rotating exhibits. It’s also amazing, that with the click of a post, I can learn about other artists in different states and countries. I look at social media as a canvas on which millions of artists around the world can share their work. And of course, I keep my creativity pulsating by fueling my days with music. It’s profound how listening to a song can take on a life of its own and save the day.

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?

For the past several years my focus has been on painting, and in the last couple of years, writing. I was raised in an artistic household, so it wasn’t a surprise that I gravitated toward becoming an artist. My work typically consists of portraits, is primarily mixed media, and my preferred medium is acrylic; I’m in love with acrylic and the way it moves. I also use pastels, graphite, oil stick, and spray paint. I recently started posting videos of myself painting, occasionally with comedic voiceover, on Tik-Tok. Feel free to take a gander at @bonbonsart.

My writing partner and I have a half hour comedy pilot that is completed, and we are in the midst of writing our second half hour pilot. There’s nothing better than having chemistry with another artistic mind, creating something you’re proud of, and that is being recognized – we were a quarterfinalist at the Screencraft Comedy Competition, and placed in the top 10% in the Slamdance Screenplay Competition. It’s a very gratifying feeling

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The first thing that comes to mind is being open – just having a willingness to take in day to day experiences and find inspiration in things that typically go unnoticed. There can be magic hiding in the mundane and routine. Secondly, learning and observing is paramount, especially from the masters and greats you look up to. Also, giving is important; generosity is beauty in action. And I’ll throw one more in there – taking risks. Absolutely necessary.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I’m very lucky to have people in my life who share a similar sense of humor and can make me laugh, especially when life gets sour. My friends are the greatest. Most are artists, and their professionalism, support and compassion is priceless.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @bonbonsforart
• Other: TikTok: @Bonbonsart