We were lucky to catch up with Shelley Whiting recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shelley, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I wasn’t drawn to art right away. My brother did art in high school and now is a working professional doing community murals. Initially I ran cross country and was on the honor roll. I quit running because I got sick my freshmen semester. After that I became a huge slacker, my grades suffered n and I became clinically depressed. I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I started doing art. I was a perfectionist my freshman year in high school and hardly ever turned in my projects. They just weren’t good enough. I didn’t become good until I took art as an independent study as a junior and senior in high school and could do my art the way I wanted. When college came around, I realized I wanted to major in art. It wasn’t a lucrative decision, but I did get a BFA in painting at ASU. I had to learn the skills first. I benefitted from my 2D design class as it helped make my art look more orderly. To this day I still want to learn more art skills. I have taken two classes in printmaking at Mesa Arts Center.
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 love to paint. It literally consumes my life. I have two days off in the week and I spend them going to art studios to do open studio painting. It’s the shining part of my week. I work a normal dishwashing job to pay the bills, but I always look forward to creating. I get a dopamine rush expressing myself. I am lucky to have found this purpose. I love painting people the most. My style comes from caricature and distortion. My art is not the most marketable as it is more personal. I paint about my religion and mental health.
I remembered my first religious painting I did it on a whim. I painted about spirit babies, which I still do. I had never been very religious my whole life. My family were very outgoing in their faith. I would hear “Wow, your mom is really spiritual.” I couldn’t debate it. I just really wasn’t. I wouldn’t say I was a jack Mormon but basically a bit of slacker dragged to church. After the Spirit Baby series I decided to paint more about spirituality. My spirituality grew as I read every anti and pro religious book. I now know the negative side of Mormonism, but it doesn’t phase me. I still don’t have a strong faith, but I have a budding one.
I often paint about my Bipolar Disorder and OCD. My 20s were not a fun time. My mental health has improved throughout the years. I was fraught with constant anxiety and turmoil. Art was the one staple that helped me survive those years.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
HUMILITY I learned a lot in my life from my mom. She was a college graduate, writer, and poet. But she also struggled with intense stuttering. I think it’s one of the reasons my mom’s personality was shy and understated. My mom was always humble. She always had a kind spirit about her. I learned from her how to stay grounded.
WORK ETHIC
My dad worked for the Arizona Republic for years. Now that I work a job with a daily grind I know now the exhaustive wear it does to your body and mind. I take that ethic and apply it to my art. I have to do art all the time if I’m going to improve my craft.
SELF IMPROVEMENT
My twin sister always grades herself at the end of the month. She has a calendar and makes notes. At the end of the month, she assesses her strengths and her weaknesses. My twin grades herself on her reading, writing and reading her scriptures. A lot of time she gives herself a low grade. I find that’s real to be that honest of oneself. I try to apply the same principle.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My twin sister is definitely my support system and the one that lets me relax and talk about my problems. She’s a very sweet girl and very protective of me. I know that I can confide in her about anything. Last year I was the victim of a sexual assault. Many things were racing in my mind. Especially what happened? What was this? I finally got the courage to tell her. It took a couple days for both off us to process it. She finally asked a few close friends about the matter, and they agreed said that it a sexual assault. It wasn’t an easy year; I was upset and jumpy the whole time. She was always there when I needed to talk. With her help was also able to be positive. I started painting flowers at this time in my life because I wanted to focus on optimism and self-care.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shelleyjwhiting.blogspot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelley.whiting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelleyjwhiting
