Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shannon Hickman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it 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?
I usually get inspired by checking out the work of other creators at local art shows, online—or even some of my close friends make cool stuff that inspires me.
The cool thing about acrylic pour painting is that there are so many different techniques to try. So whenever I feel like switching things up, I’ll find a new way to create a painting and see if I can make it work. Or sometimes if I come across a technique I haven’t tried yet on Instagram, I’ll save that post to an album and come back to it when I’m needing the extra inspiration.
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 create acrylic pour paintings using a variety of floetrol, oils, mediums, and other experimental additives.
When starting out, it took me a while to get the hang of the perfect mixture. I’ve learned that it’s not so much the colors I choose to paint with, but more so that precise mixture of floetrol, mediums, oils, etc. It usually always comes together nicely once the pour settles correctly. If not, I’m usually stuck with cracks, lumps, wasted product, and a straight up sticky mess.
When the paintings are dried to my liking, I’ve also been incorporating those paintings into mixed media pieces and clothing. And those pieces have been a hit with my customers.
The best way I can describe my style is colorful yet spooky, with a touch of psychedelia.
My acrylic paintings are the most special to me, though, because of the amount of love and time that goes into making each one. Each mixture of paint and resin has to be precise, and the drying process can either make or break a painting if that mixture is off. I have a hard time parting ways with my original paintings when they sell.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the ability to be patient was probably the most impactful quality to have in my journey. Because I definitely SUCKED at everything I tried when I was just starting out, but I just kept doing my thing and eventually it clicked. So practicing patience and just trying to enjoy the act of creating is more important than any outcome (to me at least.)
I also think that being resourceful was an important skill to have. If something wasn’t working, what YouTube video or article could I find that would help me? I would even play tutorial videos when I was working from home as background sounds. All of the information in the world is available if you just look.
Lastly, I didn’t realize how important it was to get involved in the art community. So a piece of advice to any artist starting out is to put yourself out there and talk to other creators face-to-face. Attend art shows and markets, even if you’re not sure if your product will sell. When at those art shows, get to know your neighbors and talk to every person who walks by your booth. Get your spiel or elevator pitch down so it becomes second nature because you never know who you’ll meet.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for people and brands to collaborate with. Particularly mixed media artists or illustrators who could use one of my paintings in their pieces, or literally just anyone who would like a funky background or pattern to incorporate into their work in any capacity.
I’ve also been reached out to by musicians who wanted to use photos of my paintings as album covers which I think is super cool!
If you or anyone you know would like to collab, email me at undergroundsludge@gmail.com or shoot me a direct message on any of my social platforms.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.undergroundsludge.com
- Instagram: @undergroundsludge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UndergroundSludge/
- Other: TikTok: @undergroundsludge
