Meet Sunny Dublick

We were lucky to catch up with Sunny Dublick recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sunny, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I paint! I’ve loved to draw since I was little.. it used to be Sailor Moon doodles in the margins of my notebooks. From there it evolved into other subjects portraits, landscapes etc. I have kept a sketchbook with me since High School, but had never really been super consistent about it. Sometime in my mid 20’s I remember feeling pretty down and lost in my career, so I signed up for a painting class. It reignited my love of art and expression, and I became sort of obsessed. I started with all abstract pieces in acrylic but as time went on I found such a love of portrait painting. There was definitely a lot of frustration at the beginning as I had this vision in my mind of what I wanted to achieve and I just wasn’t able to create it, but that drove a lot of really great experimentation that I needed foundationally. Painting for me is adult play time. It’s so very important to me to have something I can just get lost in. When I paint its a complete zone-out of the world, I am laser focused on the task at hand. I heard someone refer to it as moving meditation which I find to be so accurate. Having this creative outlet, you are literally forced to turn out a different part of your brain. You get to let go and surrender and live in this world of ultimate possibility. It’s sharpened me so much as a businessperson, but also as a human, seeing life through the creative lens.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a creator of brand + marketing strategies, as well as works of fine art. On the business side, I created Sunny Dublick Marketing in 2017 after I was part of a round of layoffs at my last corporate job. At that point I was on role #4 in my career, and while I knew I loved marketing, I never loved working for any of the companies I was. I always felt boxed in, underutilized or written off. I felt like I had so much more to give, so I started freelancing in the process of trying to find another full time job, and it wound up taking off to the point where I didn’t need to find another job- I created one all on my own. I focus on consumer & marketing research to provide impactful insights that allow you to truly move the needle and drive revenue for your company. So much of the marketing world as we know it today has been defined as ads or Instagram– I don’t do any of that. I provide you with the foundational strategy you need to stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work so you can get out of the sea of sameness and make real impact with your customers. On the flip side, I’ve been painting for about 15 years and have exhibited at Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston Artists Guild & Brookgreen Gardens. I am currently in the middle of my first series of the zodiac, based on photos of 90’s supermodels, I have 7 down, 3 in progress and 2 more to complete! Work can be found at @sunnydstudio

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

Hmm… I think I would say Curiosity, Authenticity and Bravery. First and foremost I think we all need to be more curious and open in all areas of lives. Even if you are an “expert” you still have so much to learn- and why wouldn’t you want to? Being a student of life is such a powerful position because you are always bettering yourself and what you bring to the table. Authenticity is something everyone talks about.. but so many people are afraid to be, especially in a business setting. I have had loads of feedback on my personal brand- it’s too sexy, it’s too weird, it’s too in your face… but that’s who I am. It would be so easy for me to fit into what every other marketing company is doing, but that flies in the face of everything I know as a marketer and as a person. How much of a disservice would I be doing to market myself as being this super prim and polished marketer and then you talk to me and you get something different? I am not here to sell anyone a lie, I am here to be who I am- and those people who don’t like it, I’m not a good fit for. The best feedback I have gotten is from clients who say you are exactly who I thought you’d be from looking at your website and LinkedIn. Lastly, I think bravery is so important in business/life. Fear of rejection is so real, but you can’t receive if you don’t ask. You have to be OK putting yourself out there, to me that’s the bravest thing you can do- keep trying, even when its hard.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

So many… I am the ultimate book nerd so it will be hard to narrow down here. Deepak Chopra’s 7 Laws of Spiritual Success is such a game changer from a mental/mindset perspective, as is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Those are moving mountains type of books in my opinion… but I also HIGHLY recommend anyone read and “do” The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I will warn you, it’s a lot of work, but it’s so revealing. 2 of the most important nuggets of wisdom I have taken from it are my Morning Pages and Art Dates. Morning Pages are 3 pages of journaling, stream of conscious, as soon as you wake up. It’s daunting at first, but essentially what you are doing is getting all of the junk out of your mind and onto paper so your brain can be open to creative thinking, its crazy how relieved I am every morning after I finish, I have had so many amazing insights through these pages as well. The other concept of Artist Dates was really odd to me at first, but its essentially carving out 1-2 hours a week to do something out of the ordinary and see something new. Go on a new hike, check out a new museum or store, put your phone away! It’s really helped me stay inspired and excited about this time each week. The book has these weekly items to do as well that are just so insightful- it doesn’t matter if you are an artist, I really believe this book is for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sunnydublick.com
• Instagram: sunnydstudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnydublick/

Image Credits

Caroline Herring