Brie Hayden shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Brie, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I have been working on two personal projects outside of work that have brought me joy lately. For the past six months I trained for and completed a 50km ultramarathon trail race. This was the first time I’ve run this distance and won first place among the women, after running for five and a half hours straight. This race was a discipline-focused project I put on myself to help me better handle pushing through challenging tasks, time management, problem solving, and improved mental toughness. The second project I have been working on is a public scavenger hunt in my city, Richmond, VA. I took on this project as a creative challenge and a way to bring the community together through exploration, curiosity, and holiday cheer. Planning the clues has been a great mental exercise and I’m excited for it to launch in December.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Brie Hayden. I’m a full-time artist based in Richmond, VA and I specialize in creating hyperrealistic graphite drawings of antique bottles. I hunt down my subjects, connecting with bottle collectors or families with unique stories, and archive the bottles through works of fine art. I include a research component to each piece, digging up sources such as old newspaper advertisements and business directories to piece together the bottle’s story. Through my work I’ve learned a lot of interesting history and enjoy sharing that with my collectors, further connecting them to the pieces.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My parents have always encouraged me to go after what I want, instilling that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. They raised me to be confident and an active learner. Their support in my more unusual endeavors- studying abroad outside of my educational program, getting a one-way ticket to another country, starting a business from scratch in a profession known to be challenging- helped me feel confident in those choices. Having them as a safety net is what allowed me to full explore these avenues. They continue to help me push forward with new goals, cheering me on the whole way.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering proves resilience to yourself, not in the moment, but on the other side. If success had been easy, I think I wouldn’t have the hunger that drives me to continuously set higher goals. I actively seek difficult tasks, taking on a heavy work loads, setting tight deadlines, which brings about “suffering,” in a way that helps me grow. I strongly live by the notion that you grow in proportion to the weight you take on.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’ve fully committed to the project of myself as an artist. Without a blue print on how to become well-known in the art world, there’s no clear timeline on ‘how long it takes.’ I continue to develop my technical skills and concept of work, with a strong focus on better understanding marketing. When you don’t let failure be an option, you give yourself no choice but to continue to push forward.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I think I deeply understand that you create your life. Certainly there are things out of your control that will make things more or less difficult for you, but I feel too many people just let life happen to them. I feel such a strong sense of freedom in taking ownership over the wins and losses in my life. Being able to take accountability for things not going my way helps me problem solve and reflect to help reduce or avoid that in the future. The same goes for accomplishments. Understanding that I achieved those things through my own hard work, gives me a sense of confidence that I can achieve more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://briehayden.com
- Instagram: @briehaydenart
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