Meet Shannon Harfosh

We recently connected with Shannon Harfosh and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

For me, keeping creativity alive has been about finding beauty and vibrance in everything. It started as a young child growing up in Syracuse, New York. My Aunt Liz who is a talented artist would gift me a new set of art supplies each year for Christmas. When you think of children’s art supplies, a brand like Crayola comes to mind. My aunt, on the other hand, gave me professional supplies like Prismacolor colored pencils and Cray-Pas Expressionist oil pastels. She believed in me. Her support encouraged me to develop my artistic nature and very early on, I learned to care for my art supplies. I still have them today.

Growing up, I would spend countless hours on my bedroom floor creating art from a blank slate. Even as a child, I found this process exhilarating; you never know where a piece of art will take you. When my pictures were completed and in my excitement, I would run from my bedroom to quickly show my parents my latest creation.

In order for me to continue to keep creativity alive today, my environment needs to inspire me. The space has to be clean, a candle needs to be lit, fresh flowers placed in front of me and music playing. I usually draw inspiration from my surroundings or experiences. For example, when I worked in New York City, I was inspired by the bright lights, taxis and city views and now living in Arizona, I am drawn to the beauty of the mountains and being out in nature. The work I create is an expression of my every-day inspirations.

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 focus on creating art that my collectors feel inspired by. “Your colors” are what I usually hear when people talk about my work. I paint in acrylic and turn my original paintings into high-quality fine art prints for everyone to enjoy. What I think makes my style of art unique today is that I use acrylic paint on watercolor paper. This was something I fell into after receiving watercolor paper as a gift. When I have events, people always ask what paper I use and if they can touch it because it gives a level of texture they have not seen with acrylic paint before.

My passion for art began in high school. My teachers were amazing and provided a wonderful foundation to grow as an artist. Art was the one thing that came naturally to me. It was a period in my day that I always looked forward to and I would stay after school to work on my pieces. I found myself saying yes to opportunities that came my way, even if that meant taking on more work. Suddenly, I was participating in a portfolio project, having my art shown at our local library and university as well as winning my first Scholastic Award. This was the beginning of an exciting period in my life.

After beginning my college career, I chose to expand my knowledge through taking classes within the business curriculum, leading to a degree in Business Management. I did this in hopes of one day growing my own art business. Fast forward, I spent 10 years working in the health insurance industry while simultaneously building my side art hustle. I would spend nights and weekends just like when I was younger, in my space creating. I began selling my art online and participating in local events in the Tristate area. These ranged from art markets to local pop-up events and selling my art at various coffee shops in Hoboken, NJ. I love sharing my art and my journey with the community and remain connected today.

If I am not painting, I am chasing my 3-year-old daughter, McKinley, around who shares my passion for art.

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

• Believe in yourself. I feel like now more than ever with social media, we can spiral and compare ourselves to others. One way I do this is by envisioning my future self. Who is the artist I want to be and then I focus on this.

• Be authentic. As much as people are interested in your work, they are interested in you and your story. I love the quote “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go who we think we are supposed to be and embracing who we are” – Brene Brown

• Be consistent. If you want to be successful, regularly create new work and stay connected with customers and your community.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

My biggest area of growth has been in taking a leap of faith and moving cross-country this past year from Hoboken, NJ to Scottsdale, AZ.

In 2022, I lost my beloved husband and best friend after a brief battle with cancer. I wasn’t sure if and when I would paint again. When I said in the beginning that my excitement for art as a kid was fueled by my support from my family, this only magnified once I met my husband AJ. He was my biggest fan. He was at every event helping set up and enthusiastically bringing me coffee or food. Behind the scenes, he was helping package and ship my orders, doing my taxes and always ensuring I had the latest technology for my customers. After he passed, the thought of creating again pained me. He would no longer be the first person to see my work. I knew he would never want me to stop pursuing my dream and I dedicated my first series in honor of him.

I titled this collection my “Heaven Series”. There is a quote that says “The sky looks different when you have someone you love up there” and this resonated so much with me.

At the moment, I am very focused on my “Western Series” which is about surviving grief and widowhood and finding joy after loss. I am self-represented and sell my work online and ship directly from my studio in Scottsdale.

I also offer wholesale for retail shops and love doing Farmers Markets and Pop-Up events locally. For a more‚ ‘behind the scenes’ look into my grief journey and art, you can follow along with me on Instagram @shannonharfosh.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits

Bella Wang Photo