We recently connected with M’lynn Suwinski and have shared our conversation below.
Hi M’Lynn, 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?
Growing up I had quite poor confidence and self-esteem. I’m not exactly sure where it originated but I believe it was due to a mix of mental health struggles and the lack of information on how to actually be confident. In my mid teens I reached a point where I was horribly uncomfortable with myself, my skills, nearly everything about myself. I knew I needed a change. I read a book about gaining self confidence and decided to give the exercise within a shot. I was to stand in front of the mirror for one minute a day and tell myself what I loved and appreciated about, well, me. A whole minute?! This felt as if it went on for ten. I didn’t feel great initially, in fact it felt terrible. After a few weeks of consistency I began to grow to love myself so much more than before, to notice the beauty in what I found previously to be flaws of mine. At the same time I began to really lean into art, creating large scale chalk murals. It was the only time everything made sense and my thoughts were still. I felt so very in flow and so confident. Others had been telling me I was good for years but I slowly started to believe it myself. I learned to rely on validation from within rather than what I formerly relied on. To this day, my routines consist of large amounts of the day spent talking intentionally positive to myself, in front of the mirror, in the car, any time I can get it in. Some call it delusional but I have the utmost confidence in myself now, I know I can figure out anything I need to.
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 am so incredibly grateful to have two sides to my artistic job. One being a muralist and the other running a paint and sip business. My paint and sip business, Portland Paints, is turning two years old December 2024. I have been creating murals for over a decade all around the world.
Back in November 2022, I was running errands with my grandma in Utah, discussing my future – as we often do. I was in my last month of my Bachelors degree and had recently moved to Portland, Oregon. Despite applying to many classic 9-5 jobs, I was receiving very few interviews and truthfully, that’s not what I wanted for my life. I knew I was going to pursue art then at that transitional period or I was going to do it in ten years when I was miserable and fed up a soul sucking desk job. I was looking for a way to continue doing art but needed to make a stable income and impact on my community. My grandma suggested paint and sip events. I immediately started thinking of all the ways it wouldn’t work. Where would I store the supplies? I live in the middle of the city in a tiny studio apartment! Where would I host these events? How would I get people to come? The list goes on and on. I flew back home to Portland a few days later and decided I needed to give it a shot. I found a bar to partner with, I built out an event page, I told all my friends about it. I decided if the only three people who showed up were my friends, I would still be happy. To my surprise, I sold out my first event! It went so well and people were already asking about the next event.
Fast forward nearly two years and I’ve hosted more than 50 events, more than 1,500 unique attendees, held throughout locations all over Portland and surrounding areas, and I feel that I am only just beginning. In the near future I am looking forward to hiring another paint instructor, a social media personnel, a photographer, and finally maybe my grandma part time when she is restless in retirement. I would love an entire team to help grow Portland Paints into a much larger organization than it is now. I did not know community prior to living in Portland, now it is my primary goal to build community wherever I can. I love working with small businesses local to Portland, spreading the word about their services and seeing where we can work together to create wonderful events for every person.
It is my dream to have an in person studies space where I can host different themed paint nights throughout the month. Having a physical space will be a pivotal point in running Portland Paints. On the days I am not hosting paint nights, I would love for the studio to be a space that other creatives can rent out for their projects and events.
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?
1. Belief in myself – If you don’t believe in you, how can you expect anyone else to? It was necessary for me to learn to develop my confidence and continue to maintain it. The way you show up in the world really matters. I’m not just selling an experience, I am also selling myself.
2. Adaptability – I cannot think of many things in my life that have gone how I planned them to go. Learning to think on the fly and make things work with what resources I have has been crucial in running a business as well as in my general life.
3. Consistency – Each day I do one step to further my career goals. It doesn’t have to be anything large, just a small step in the right direction to keep up the momentum is enough.
My advice is to remain consistent and build confidence within yourself. It’s wonderful to have a support system but you are the foundation for that support. I also like to remind myself that I am the sum of the five people I spend the most time with. I strive to surround myself with other creative individuals and business professionals in order to develop my skills and keep my motivation flowing. Consistency, even one step closer to your goals each day is an important practice that takes time to develop. Most of all, get out there and start figuring things out. Your first post, event, painting, anything, will not be perfect. Get away from your ego and allow yourself to be new at something, you will grow with effort and consistency.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking for collaboration! Whether that be in venue hosting, attendance, social media personnel, photographers, the more connection and community we can create, the better! I am searching for venues (bars, restaurants, parks, etc) that would love to have folks come in and paint for a couple hours. My primary mission running Portland Paints is to create a community driven space that connects small businesses and individuals from anywhere and everywhere. I host various themes and at a diverse range of venues to ensure there is something for everyone. It’s so very important to support local, small businesses. We’re all out here pursuing our dreams and anything helps. Even if you’re not a business local to Portland, I am interested in speaking with you.
I am always looking for people to attend events, whether you’re a local to Portland or you’re visiting. I would love to have you. I truly learn something new from each and every person who comes in to paint night. I have made lasting friendships from these events. Each event inspires me more and makes me eager to continue pursuing my dreams and goals.
To connect, reach out via email ([email protected], via Instagram @portlandpaints or filling out a contact form on our website)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.portland-paints.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portlandpaints
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portlandpaints
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Willow Voves
Erin Debusk
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
