Meet Abby Jane Bruner

 

We were lucky to catch up with Abby Jane Bruner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Abby Jane, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

I find it easy to create when I am the only one in the room. A lot of my ideas are inspired in my alone time. I tend to second guess myself a little more when I am creating in a room full of people. However, the more I have showcased my art in front of others, the more I have grown. I have had to learn as a go. Saying yes to things and teaching myself to learn new designs and new skills has taught me valuable lessons in adaptability and confidence. Trusting myself when creating has led to the most success and growth. I think it is important to actively seek to connect with others in the room. By building relationships, I have learned to create an environment where collaboration is encouraged, and perspectives are valued. I have learned from other creatives by staying open and acknowledging that what I have to offer is just as important. I have learned to celebrate small wins. Acknowledging my contributions, no matter how small they are, has been a great way to hold space for my creativity and keep myself moving forward when things get hard.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I feel like my brand is multi-faceted, because I pursue more than one dream as my career. My day to day consists of working part-time as a PA, running my business “Abbj Design” and pursuing my artist project “Abby Jane”.

I have been a musician for most of my life. Music and songwriting has been a big passion of mine since I was young. “Iluv2sing” was my first email address. In high school, I started performing covers and originals at local restaurants, and once I got to college, I started a band in 2016 called “Breakup.” For a few years I really put music on the back burner. Recently, I began releasing music as a solo artist, “Abby Jane,” and it has been a really special process.

Along with my love for music, I have always had a special place in my heart for event design, flowers, and interior styling. I started my own business, “Abbj Design,” a few years ago. I focus on floral design and event curation for branding events, intimate gatherings, celebrations, and industry events. I love watching an event come to life. I am passionate about helping someone feel at home in their space. I love to help make someone’s day. Most of all, I love creating beautiful spaces for people to gather and make memories that they will keep forever. I am grateful I get to work for amazing people and utilize my creativity and organizational skills. I am busy but I am thriving.

I am most excited about two things. The first is my latest EP release, “I Don’t Want to Pretend.” I really found myself through this project, and it has been a dream to write and release these songs and share them with others. I have always loved being a part of the recording process and am fascinated by all of it. I am excited to get into more writing rooms, play more shows and hopefully release a full length album. Second, I am really excited about some of the events I have booked for the fall/winter, as well as upcoming events in 2025. I am excited to share new styles and designs. I am excited to build new floral installations and work with more brands. It has been special to share my creativity through music and design. Both of it connects in my brain and I use one to inspire the other. My goal is to continue to learn, grow and share beauty with others around me.

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?

When I look back at my journey and think of my best qualities and areas of knowledge, I believe the highest are resilience, empathy, and determination. Through difficult times in life, I have chosen to push myself and learn from my own pain and hardships. I think it has given me drive and empathy as a person. Therapy has been a significant tool for holding space for myself as a creative. It has given me knowledge and provided me with the space to move toward my goals in health. I have always been hard on myself and in my earlier years, I have struggled to believe my “dreams” can be a reality. It wasn’t until I took the step to talk to someone that I was able to find confidence in myself as a person. Some of my advice for those early in their journey, or even those at any age who might feel stuck, is to read the book *The Artist’s Way* by Julia Cameron. This book helped me with artist development, confidence and knowledge. I learned so much about myself and what I want in the process. I think the biggest thing I can hold onto is that success will never be the ultimate thing to fill up my life. There will always be highs and lows and I’ll always find more to strive for in order to find the next dose of “happiness”. True happiness comes from the people in my life that I hold close. It comes from enjoying the creativity. I believe it comes from something that is bigger than myself. Creativity is a gift, and I think it naturally falls into place when I work hard and I remember not to put my entire identity into it. Listen to the kindness of others around you and grow alongside them. Celebrate the tiny victories and keep trying when it gets hard. There is enough room for you to share your gifts with the world.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

To be honest, my greatest challenge has been accepting myself as an artist and creative. Owning what I feel and want in a confident way, is a current challenge I keep running into. It has felt like a mental challenge to have more than one thing as my overall “brand”. Sometimes, it gets hard to find time and energy to share my music, my job, and my designs. The connecting, the sorting of the Instagram pages, pitching myself as an artist, the calendar—one thing weighing out the other each week—answering the “What do you do?” question with full confidence, the list goes on… I have slowly been learning the beauty in accepting myself for who I am and simply making it more about doing what brings me joy rather than what others view it as. Lately, I have realized that I can trust myself and that is enough.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Emily Stearns

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