Meet Ryan Heimbach

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ryan Heimbach a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan , 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?

My self-esteem comes from seeing a project or a piece of art through to the end. It’s when I stop half way through or don’t attempt a piece at all I start doubting myself and everything can come to a halt. It also is helpful when I show some of my friends that are fellow artists my finished work to see how they see it to boost my confidence in the piece. Both confidence and self-esteem are things that need to be continually worked on. The best way for me to work on those things is to keep making pieces and experimenting with new concepts or ideas. If it has been too long since I have worked on something or came up with a new piece I start to doubt myself. Repetition and practice builds resilience against self-doubt or lack of self-esteem. Stay busy and stay focused.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I have been an artist for more than a decade and I love to work in all different types of mediums, to name a few, sculpture, charcoal drawing, and painting. You can find me on Instagram @ryanartwork to see my process and some behind the scenes footage.

In 2021 I was commissioned to make a piece that was featured on the 2nd season of the Apple Tv+ program “The Morning Show” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. The artwork is on display in the bedroom of the main character “Alex Levy” played by Aniston.

Currently I am working on a new painting technique that I haven’t quite refined yet and still playing around with names for the series. The pieces will be made on wood panels and it is the wood grain that helps give the piece its final textural visual effect. Part of the paint is removed to give it a faded away look and the pattern of the wood grain gives the paint that natural feel when it stays within the individual grains.

I also have been wanting to do more live art where I work on charcoal drawings during an event. This is something I did on and off a while ago and want to get back into it. I have worked on charcoal drawings at many different types of events ranging from private parties to charity events. I also set up a separate Instagram for this endeavor called @livecharcoal for more info.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

-Curiosity
-Consistency
-Refinement

Be curious about many different mediums, techniques, or anything that you may feel can improve or inspire your art.

Stay consistant with making art, even if you fail at a piece you at least learn what you don’t want.

Refine each project so your creative process can be as fluid as possible.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

There are a few books that have been meaningful in my artistic and mental development, which all have been written by Ryan Holiday. To name a few, “Stillness is the Key”, “The obstacle is the way”, and “Courage is Calling”. The main theme of the books is Stoicism and how to use it in the modern world. If I was to boil it down to a simple explanation it would be that Stoicism is about how you process and deal with your feelings/thoughts/emotions. Many people think its about not feeling anything or being almost emotionless, although its more about processing all of it in a thoughtful and strategic way so you can understand why you are experiencing those feelings and learn from them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ryanartwork.com
• Instagram: @ryanartwork @livecharcoal

Image Credits

Ryan Heimbach