Meet Ryan Renner

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Renner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Hi Ryan , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is definitely a real thing. I always think about the quote “Comparison is a thief of joy.”

With everyone on social media these days, it’s hard not to get caught up on comparing yourself to others. The world of wood mosaic art has completely blown up the past few years. On a daily basis when I’m scrolling through Instagram, I see dozens of artists artwork and it is truly difficult to stop myself from comparing. If I don’t, all those nagging thoughts start to stir in my head saying “you’re not good enough”, “you’re not working hard enough”, “you’re not being different enough”…

I think what has really helped me coming to terms with imposter syndrome is stepping back and realizing that I’m just me. I like who I am. I know who I am. And I have no desire to be like anyone else. And that made me realize, I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I just need to keep on doing what I’m doing because I absolutely love it and it makes me happy.

Something else that helps me get over imposter syndrome at the beginning was finding an amazing community through IG. There are so many insanely talented artists out there and I am honored to be friends with so many of them. Even though we are all completely different Stylistically, we still root for each other and cheer each other on choosing Community over competition.

Having this community and the open dialogue made me realize that everyone else goes through the same thing and has the same thoughts now and again. It definitely makes it easier.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I have been very open from the beginning regarding the reason why I created Birch + Bloom.

The short of it is, I was a stay at home mother for many, many years and at one point I needed something for myself.

While I am very appreciative I was able to stay home with my two children, I realized that for the sake of my mental health, I needed an outlet. I’ve always been an artist and having a creative outlet was a no-brainer for me. It was just finding the “this is it” moment. The “this is what I meant to do for the rest of my life”.

I have always been a painter, specifically oil and watercolor, but one day I came across some wood wall art and I fell in love with it. My initial thought was it was something I could expand on and put my own unique spin on it. However, there was one huge roadblock. I knew absolutely nothing about saws or most power tools. But that did not deter me. Another quote I absolutely love is “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” I was terrified at first, but the more cuts I did, the more pieces I created, the better I got. I started creating more complicated Designs and quickly found my own personal style.

Creating my art is Art Therapy for me. As soon as I head into the workshop, calmness comes over me and I can put aside everything and just create. And my art is something I have become quite proud of. Being able to create art from old, salvaged pieces of wood and turn it into something really unique and beautiful. I really truly have found my calling.

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

I’ve always been able to visualize something before it actually exist. Whether it be my art or decorating a room or painting a portrait. Being able to visualize something definitely helps and keeps me focused.

Another quality is I have always been the type of person that if I get something in my head, I will make it happen. I will find a way to achieve it. I don’t sit around and wait for it to happen, I make it happen. And I am a huge DIY so I’m used to learning how to do things myself.

Along those lines is, I am always willing to learn. We are capable of so many things, why not explore as many things as possible.

One piece of advice I can give for anyone who is early in their journey is to just start. We all start somewhere. It doesn’t happen overnight and you won’t be the best with just a snap of a finger. It does take work and just like everything in life, the more you do it the better you’ll get.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

One Particular challenge I always face is trying to stay relevant in the social media world. It is not my favorite thing and I would prefer not to even be on social media, but having a business, well it’s kind of imperative.

I struggle with coming up with daily content and it does stress me out. So I’ve learned to step away whenever my mental health is affected. Because above all, I just want to make my art. I love sharing it with everyone, and I am so unbelievably appreciative of everyone who offers kind words or bits of encouragement. But social media can be very daunting and stressful for sure. A constant challenge for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thebirchandbloom.com
• Instagram: @thebirchandbloom
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebirchandbloom
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/thebirchandbloom/

Image Credits

Ryan Renner – Birch + Bloom