Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrienne May. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Adrienne, really appreciate your meeting with us today to talk about some particularly personal topics. It means a lot because so many in the community are going through circumstances where your insights and experience and lessons might help, so thank you so much in advance for sharing. The first question we have is about divorce and how you overcame divorce and didn’t allow the trauma of divorce to derail your vision for your life and career.
This is a big part of my story and is what put me on the path to being exactly where I am now. Almost every creative individual pursuing art in any form has gone through something life-shaking and often traumatic. It is in those seasons of life that our art is sometimes born. I was married at 19, and in the next 5 years that followed I nearly lost myself entirely. I experienced large amounts of verbal and emotional abuse. I believed lies that convinced me that I was not valuable or loved. My confidence and self-esteem were crushed. My anxiety was out of control and crippling me. I was raised in environments that didn’t speak much on the subject of divorce except that it was not a good thing, and not to be considered an option. Being a believer, I was faced with the reality that sometimes we are going to go through things that weren’t always talked about, at least, not how to handle them. When my spouse, at the time, first mentioned divorce, I panicked and lost who I was and thought my identity was how I handled this as a wife. Through those years, my spouse was in and out of the house and my life, and I started to fill those holes in my heart and mute the overthinking by simply picking up a paintbrush. I had a little side hustle going at the time, where I would paint custom ornaments for people every Christmas. As I continued to paint throughout the rest of the year, I started naturally talking about my passion in conversations with other people. Before I knew it, I had other small commissions that would come my way. Painting was something I enjoyed and it was one of the ways that I started taking better care of myself, and as I look back now, I can see how all the pieces started to fall into place and lead me into my next season of life. I was 23 when I accepted that an affair had been taking place. I remember the day so clearly. I was visiting with my family for Easter and that Sunday the speaker was talking about the difference between sacrifice and surrender. He said, “Sometimes we confuse those two words. We can sacrifice certain areas of our lives and hand them over to God, but we tend to hold on to some other areas. Surrender means laying it all down, even the parts we’re clinging on to, because maybe we’re scared of what He’s going to ask of us.” I was scared, scared of being in my mid-twenties and divorced. Scared of all these plans I had, just falling away completely. Scared of what others would say or think. Scared of learning to trust another person again one day. Scared to love again. But when I got back home and started the separation process, I had this calming sense that when God allows an ending, it makes the way for a new beginning. And that is exactly what happened to me. I was divorced at 24 and just a few months later, doors started opening for me to move back toward the coast, I learned to love again, and I was able to officially leave the corporate 9 to 5 world behind, and pursue my career as an Artist. To this day, my art is more than a job or even a passion, it is a way to share my story and testimony to give others hope. So how did I overcome divorce? Well, honestly it was never anything I could overcome on my own. I am here today only because of the One who created me. The One who silenced the lies and reminded me that my identity isn’t what I do or have done in this world, but is only because He loves me and chases after me in an unconditional way that I can’t always fathom. The One who gave me a new beginning.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
So after sharing a bit about what led me here, I’d like to tell you all a little about where “here” is. As I had mentioned, I did leave my corporate career in marketing behind and decided the best use of my marketing knowledge was to market myself. I am a sustainable, commission artist and I sell my work both online and in a physical shop in The River Street Marketplace in Savannah, Georgia. My paintings feature local Savannah themed art and other hand-painted souvenirs, but the really special pieces are a part of the commission work that I do. My customers will typically send me a picture of something or someone that means a lot to them, and I will hand-paint a piece of sentimental art for them to hold on to forever. To take the uniqueness of this even a step further, most of the materials I use, I hand pick straight from nature along my travels, or they are recycled in some way. From rocks, to sea glass, tree branches, wine corks, and the list goes on.
What makes all of this so special is that I’m not only able to do what I love for a living, but I’m also able to make a positive difference in other’s lives by sharing my story through my work. Creating art is my way of sharing love, inviting others to connect with nature and each other. Each piece is an expression of who I am and what I hope to convey to the world. Sustainability is at the heart of my practice, as I strive to protect the environments that inspire me.
Through my blog and art, I aim to foster a community that values conscious living. By embracing creativity and mindfulness, I hope to inspire others to find joy in their own unique expressions and to consider the impact they have on the world around them. This is not just about the here and now, it is a heartfelt endeavor to leave a lasting legacy rooted in authenticity and love.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would say for me personally it was these 3 areas that were the most important:
1.) Be wise. Nothing worth having has ever come easy. There were several years where I wasn’t feeling the motivation to keep going in my other jobs that were leading me here. I wanted to just go ahead and jump in to this enticing lifestyle of doing what you love for a living, but I had to be patient and put in the work until the time came to jump. Going through divorce taught me a new sense of independence and I had to focus on financial stability. It was tiring some days, going to school and still working 40+ hours a week; it was hard having to set some money spending boundaries and learn the discipline of following a budget, but I set goals and stayed away from the “debt is normal” mentality. I waited, and then when the opportunity was there, I was able to make that jump and take on whatever risk came with it, because I had been wise leading up to it. I didn’t owe anybody anything, so I had the freedom to take this chance.
2.) Be productive in the waiting season. Pretty much every choice we make, has some sort of impact down the line. Even though I was still working those 9 to 5 jobs, I was treating my decisions as if they mattered years from now, because they did. I chose to keep painting and pursue a side hustle. I chose to follow a budget and get financially set up for success and freedom. I chose to keep learning new things in the jobs I was in. I chose to further my knowledge of marketing and running a business. I chose to invest in my future. I chose to set goals and start taking whatever steps I could to get there.
3.) Just don’t stop picking the paintbrush up. Replace “paintbrush” with whatever it is you’re pursuing. Keep doing whatever it is, keep creating, writing, painting, singing, dancing, etc. because the truth is, these are all things that are a part of the human experience. So whether or not you’re pursuing it as a career, or even whether or not you or others think you’re “good” at it, keep doing it. These creative endeavors are meant to be enjoyed.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
There are three words I practice, whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed— pause, rest, & reset.
The best way for me to overcome the anxiety that comes from stress is to step away from whatever it is that is causing it, even if it’s something I love, and step into nature. My go to remedy for a troubled mind is a cup of coffee at sunrise or sunset, and a heart to heart talk with my Creator.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sincerelyadrienne.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennemaysart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriennemaysart
