We were lucky to catch up with Echo Sheppard recently and have shared our conversation below.
Echo , so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Whenever I’m feeling I don’t deserve success, I try to remind myself that there is space for everyone. Often we seek a product or service from work we connect with or a person we connect with. Everyone offers their own special twist. Even tho there are millions of tie dye artists and painters I can trust that the people ment for me will find me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I work under the name Empyrean Dream, the definition of Empyrean is ;
relating to heaven or the sky.
“the empyrean domain where human will and God’s will became as one”
And dream, is self explanatory. When searching for a name to go by I wanted something otherworldly, dreamy, and related and to the air element. After many days of searching I came across empyrean, a word I never heard of before and found it was perfect. I am an artist and I see my artistic expression a collaboration of my dreams and messages I get from the my higher self. Translated from images in my head into paintings, clothing, and other things I feel inspired to do. Empyrean dream encompasses all I do.
All of my life I have identified with being an artist, even when years passed by and I didn’t create I felt strong in that title. Mostly because I come from a long line of artists in my family, everyone created something, maybe also because I had a knowing that’s what I wanted to do with my life. It wasn’t till I was 19 years old that I found myself beginning the journey of taking my art more seriously. I was back in my hometown, working the same job I did in high school looking around thinking “ this could be it for me if I don’t do anything to change it” so I began, painting every single day, looking for opportunities and claiming the title as a artist again.
10 years later in my present moment, I’m just now really feeling the success of all the work I’ve done. My paintings are still important to me but along the way I began tie dying and carving linoleum to print my designs on clothing I dye. Tie dye has been a huge outlet for my expression with color. I use ice and dye powder to create my fiber arts which gives an organic flow to the color. Doing all my own printing in house gives me the freedom to print as needed and not over produce, I love making custom orders for people with the colors that call to them and prints if they choose. Tie dye has also given me space to focus on my paintings in a more relaxed way, my paintings ; /
(landscapes, portraits , and surreal scenes.) When I have more time I can go deeper within them and not feel the rush to produce , lately I’ve found a deeper connection with my paintings than I did before when they were my main source of income.
This year I hope to continue deepening my relationship with my work, my community and keep finding ways to use art to give back, and make a difference.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
You need to believe in yourself, stay true to your heart, and be consistent. My journey was sustained by the belief I had in myself, somtimes that belief wouldn’t make sense and somtimes you need to protect that belief from people that don’t understand it, Half the time I couldn’t explain it, I just had the thought in my head that if I keep going and believing in myself than I will make it.
So my advice to others would be: look into your heart and find what fuels you, forget the how’s of it all and just take it step by step. If you can trust your heart to lead you it will bring you to places you couldn’t have imagined. Everyone on earth has a purpose here and you can find it if you stay strong in your belief in yourself and keeping going.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my mother has done for me, was giving me the space to be myself. Her unconditional love never made me feel like I had to be a certain way to be loved. I never thought I needed to pursue a specific job, or schooling to get her approval. I feel that has saved me a lot of time and helped me gain my confidence as a young adult and person I am today.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empyrean.dream?igsh=MWpiZnY3dWFscmc1eg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18ub5aPej2/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Dawn Love
