Meet Emily Farewell

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Farewell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Emily, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I was always a shy kid. Never enjoyed being in the spotlight and kept to myself mostly. When I moved to Maui in 2018, things changed for me. My boyfriend at the time left and moved back to the mainland, and I decided to stay in Maui by myself. I learned independence and gained confidence living alone on an island. I worked at Cafe Mambo and gained friends quickly, integrating myself into the culture of the island. I created my own Art business while in 2018, making stickers, cards, and prints of my watercolor paintings. In 2020, I got a spot on Front Street in Lahaina, selling my work and painting live on the sidewalk. It was terrifying having people walk by and watch me paint. I was completely in the spot light. As time went on it became more and more comfortable. I began doing more shows and now I do live wedding paintings and very much enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone.

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

I began my art career in Maui, Hawaii. Before, I worked in restaurants and traveled doing landscape photography. I currently am a wedding and family photographer, but still dabble with landscape photography occasionally. I photographed many families and wedding while living in Maui. Now I photograph mostly South Asian Weddings with Paperboys Co in Fredericksburg VA as well as shoot my own weddings. My art business exploded while I was in Maui. I sold my work in many shops on Maui and Oahu. Several days a week I would set up on Front Street in Lahaina and sell my art as well as paint live. I have always been an artist. My mother is an artist as well and both of my parents encouraged me to expand my art and photography career. I now focus on Live Wedding Portraits as well as Pet Portraits and other commissions. I work with oils, watercolors, and acrylics mostly.

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?

Perseverance, patience, and drive is what I had and still have while building my art business. Being an artist is a lot of work. It has its ups and downs. It busy moments and its slow moments. It is best to find peace in both of those times as the busy moments motivate you to do more, and the slow moments bring you rest and time to recharge. My advice is to focus on having fun while building your career. It is so easy to get caught up in making a name for yourself, you lose why you decided to do it in the first place.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

Encouragement. My parents have always encouraged me to follow my passion for art and photography. Also, my Grandmother. She bought me my first camera.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.efarewellartistics.com
• Instagram: @efarewellartistics

Image Credits

They are my images.