We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brette Sims (Brette the Bright) a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brette Sims, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I often say “my joy is internal”; meaning that it is not derived from any external source, but it wasn’t always that way. I grew up very insecure. I have two Aries parents who would often yell at one another and then me. So much so that it left me with chronic anxiety. When I got to college I knew I needed to make a change.
When I was 20 I wrote in my journal “I have decided to write in an effort to clear my head. At age 20, I have come to realize I have a personality that is prone to anxiety. For some reason I lack a great deal of confidence and feel like I don’t deserve the good that the universe throws at me. I want to completely own who I am and love who I am so much that no one can shake my self love.”
I believe the self love journey is never ending, but that marked the beginning of mine. I got motivated after reading the book ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. I went to courses, workshops, talks, poetry readings, art shows of women who fully embodied self love. I traveled. I learned from books. I studied Zen. I got deeply into yoga and meditation. I went on a journey to expand and explore myself in every way possible. I journaled my entire process and now its included within my Patron to help others along their journey. (patreon.com/brettesims)
I also started building a self love brand to support. my journey and to help other girls and women. It evolved from my college thesis statement. Now it is a global brand and has helped girls and women around the world. (stukdesigns.org)
Often the path was lonely, but I have always been used to being emotionally responsible for myself. I never had parents who in any way checked on or cared about my inner state, mental health or emotional wellbeing. I never had parents to pick up the pieces; no shoulders to lean on. I pick my family up. I fix things. I do the work. And in committing to the inner work, I gained a truly unshakable sense of self love and confidence.
Self-confidence, however, is temporary when Self Love is not a priority, so in order to develop confidence I went on an extremely deep self love quest.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hey, I’m Brette. I am an artist and humanitarian. I am unique as a creator, because of my story. I grew up in Oakland, where I attended a tiny all girls high school & inevitably became a community oriented womanist and socially conscious self love advocate. I had my first art show in high school, when I was 17 & sold the entire collection! I continued art at Loyola Marymount University & had to break away from my classical training to develop my own style as an artist.
Seems like a great story right?
Well, any seemingly great story comes with some struggle. I come from a family who never fully supported me as an artist or as a person. I was never allowed the space to be my true self. I was always in trouble for just being myself. My family externally pretended to support me. They were nice to me in front of others, but at home was another story. So, I had to learn how to love myself instead. I used art as an outlet.
My household was full of yelling and discord which left me pretty debilitating anxiety and sometimes depression, most of my life. It began when I was about 12 & returned again many times. It has caused many health issues & setbacks in my life. But at the same time anxiety appeared in my life, I also found that art uplifted it! My grandpa began teaching me how to draw when I was 12 (although I did art on my own before that since I was 4).
Many times I’ve come so close to just giving up on my purpose. There have been many days when I could not get out of bed, or could not find the fuel to push forward. But art get’s me up! Art has always been the antidote. Art has turned my life around, at times when I thought there was no road back to joy.
If you have anxiety or know anyone who struggles with it, then you know it is a lifelong struggle, and to move through it, you must find something you love. Art is my love. In my work, I am drawn to illumination in darkness. The deepest growth happens when you learn how to glow in the dark. In my work for my brand: #artbybrette (brettesims.com), I depict the moon, as a symbol of light surrounded by darkness. I depict flowers, as symbols of growth and presence. Flowers teach us how to STAY in the present moment.
My journey lead me to start a self love brand STUK Designs (stukdesigns.org). STUK Designs (pronounced “stuck”), stands for Strong, Talented, United, and Knowledgeable. STUK Designs is a community that promotes self love and creativity to underserved girls of color globally, through arts-driven programming and a clothing brand. STUK aims to “stick” girls to positive mental health and higher purpose instead of seeing them “stuck” in toxic jobs, environments or relationships. STUK’s philosophy is “Self Love First”, STUK believes that in teaching young girls self love, they will carry that Love through their adolescence and into their careers.
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?
Mediation, Networking, and Graphic Design are three areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey.
Mediation was important to learn early on in my entrepreneurship journey because it helps clear my mind, calm my anxiety and focus on the tasks of the day. It really helps order my steps in a clear, cool, calm and collected way. It snaps me and my companies into alignment. It helps me develop innovative art ideas! It really changed my life in ways I cannot even verbally explain.
Networking has been the key to every grand opportunity I have ever received. As a black woman I am often not just handed a “seat at the table”, but I am great at meeting new people, communicating and getting to know individuals on a real, raw and authentic level. This has lead to so many magical opportunities appearing in my life, including this interview!
Learning Graphic Design alongside my fine artistry in college was a game changer because I was able to pretty much create everything I needed for my businesses in house. I design my own websites, business cards, logos, flyers, banners, and more! It is such a powerful tool because I don’t have to wait on, pay anyone or rely on anyone to create the tools I need for my business.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My grandfather (a Gemini like me and a kindred spirit) was my first art teacher. I remember one of the first drawings I ever wanted to create was of a ballerina. I asked him if I could draw that and he said “you can draw anything sweet pea”. My grandpa was the only person in my family who was positive and affirmative. He always had unwavering faith that I would become a professional and very successful artist.
When other family members would cut me down, he would always lift me up. He would take me anywhere I wanted to go and buy me anything I asked for. I remember once I wanted to randomly see “Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway” I asked him and then we went in the following weeks!
He taught me so much about all forms of art and culture. He taught me so much about unconditional Love. When he was alive he was one of my biggest advocates and now I truly believe he is my guardian angel.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brettesims.com & www.stukdesigns.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brettesims & https://www.instagram.com/stukonselflove
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettesims/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brettesims & https://twitter.com/stukdesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brettesims & https://www.youtube.com/@stukdesigns
Image Credits
I shot all these images myself. The photos of girls are photos from my Org: STUK Designs of the girls we serve in Ghana. They are images of them with the coloring books we sell in the STUK self love shop!
