Meet Pamela Wingard

We recently connected with Pamela Wingard and have shared our conversation below.

Pamela, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I lost my husband suddenly in 2021. It changed my life forever. I had to learn how to do a lot of different things on my own and learned to rely on friends and family for many other things.

He had always supported my creative pursuits, and I felt lost without him. I always turned up my music in my studio and painted with happiness and spontaneity while he worked at his computer downstairs. I found that I was unable to paint for many months. Then, I realized that I needed to get back in the studio for my own mental health.

I found solace and joy in my art.

Along with my older son Matthew, I started a new branch of my business and began designing prints and products inspired by my art. Meanwhile, I continued to paint my messy, abstract landscapes.

I had a few setbacks since then as I spent several months taking care of my mom, who was in the hospital. She passed away last fall, and I miss her every day. However, she inspires my creativity to this day. She wasn’t an artist but always had creative pursuits, from making handmade cards to painting pottery to sewing and cooking. I can’t do any of those things, but she encouraged me to draw and paint and was my biggest fan.

I moved from Charlotte to Charleston to be closer to family and the beach. I have always been inspired by the coast, and now I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by the beauty of the beach and the marshes of the Lowcountry. They inspire my work every 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?

I paint abstracted coastal landscapes which sell online and in various galleries, interior designers, and stores in the Southeast. I also license my work for prints.

Alongside my fine art painting, I am currently focusing on growing my new business called Barefoot Living, where we design coastal lifestyle products. We are currently in the design stage of a new collection called ‘Palm Tree Summer’ which we hope to release soon.

I am excited about my move to be near the beach and the beautiful lowcountry of South Carolina.

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

I have an MBA and a graphic design degree and worked for many years in corporate America. Those skills help me run my business today. As much as I’d love to spend all my time painting, I still run a business. It’s essential to keep up with the business side as well.

I’m creative and ‘artsy,’ but I agree with Pablo Picasso. ‘Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.’
I try not to wait to be inspired but do a little something each day to move me forward in my goals. Unlike many artists, I tend not to ‘feel like’ painting or going to my studio. However, once I make myself begin, I find my creativity takes over, and I don’t want to stop!

One of the most impactful steps in my journey is the willingness to listen, to learn, and to grow. I advise anyone early in their journey to develop a regular creative practice (even if it’s at your kitchen table) and put the time in to make good work. If you take lots of ‘baby steps’ forward, you look back and realize how far you’ve come, even though most of the time, it doesn’t feel like it.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I believe that focusing on our strengths is important rather than trying to overcome our weaknesses. There is only so much time in the day, and if I spent all day trying to improve my math skills, I wouldn’t have time to continue to improve my art practice. I have tried to outsource the things that I’m not good at by hiring an accountant and working with my son, who is the CFO of my product business. He keeps me organized so that I can focus on what I do best. I could spend all day working on my Excel skills, but I still wouldn’t be as competent at it as he is.

Also, I used to try to do everything in my small business and found that it left me little time to paint. I couldn’t always afford to hire someone, but I could pay someone to do smaller tasks like scanning my work or wiring canvases. This has been key in growing my business.
When we were raising our family, I hired someone to clean my house so I could paint. It sounds frivolous, but it gave me the freedom to grow my business and make enough selling my paintings to cover the cost. It’s not just about the financial side; it gave me time to focus on honing my skills.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Krissy Millar Photography

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your