We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Monica Shulman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
The thing that has helped me to develop my confidence and self-esteem the most has been to have patience with myself and realizing that most everything is a long game. There’s no instant gratification when it comes to being confident and it wasn’t something that came naturally or easily to me when I was younger. Like anything else, developing confidence and self-esteem is like a muscle that needs to be worked out and strengthened over time. When I first started out in my career as an Artist, I suffered from such intense imposter syndrome – it was debilitating and kept me from even trying to do things that intellectually I knew would be good for me from both a business and a personal standpoint. So much of my identity was wrapped up in something else and as I was trying to reinvent myself I had to dig really deep and push past fear and self doubt. I knew I had to deliberately put myself in situations where rejection was possible because I knew I had to give myself my best chance to reach my goals and so I became comfortable with being uncomfortable and eventually started to develop a tolerance for that discomfort until I became more self confident. The more I stopped resisting change and the less I played it safe, the more confident I grew. I accepted that I could be rejected or that I could fail at what I was trying and this patience and mindset has been part of my process and my growth and success.
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’m a mostly self-taught painter best known for my colorful and rhythmic abstract paintings. I’m also a photographer and after more than 20 years of not painting, 9 years ago when I left NYC and moved to the lower Hudson Valley of New York with my family, I found myself inside a Michaels store and on a whim bought some art supplies. I’ve always been artistic and creative but I was desperate for a creative outlet and while I had been working as a photographer for a few years (after leaving my job as a corporate lawyer) I felt inspired to paint again.
I started painting in my basement and on my kitchen table in my free time – which admittedly was very limited with two young kids.. I was just exploring and having fun and seeing where it could go. Eventually, I rebranded myself and my photography website and then rented a small space. I was selling my work and started to take commissions for clients. When I grew out of that space I moved to a larger studio and in the nearly seven years since I’ve opened my studio, I’ve leveraged my relationships, taught myself a lot about marketing, networking and more, and have worked with private collectors, art dealers, television producers, interior designers, bloggers, influencers, real estate developers, galleries, curators, shop owners and so many others.
I sell my work both directly and through multiple platforms and I’m currently exploring ways to scale and expand. One of my goals is to print my work on fabric for apparel and to create other merchandise using my artwork. I’m also exploring collaborating with brands. 2024 has gotten off to a strong and exciting start as an exclusive selection of my artwork is currently available for sale at Bergdorf Goodman’s with the iconic New York City’s store’s collaboration with Chairish. It’s a dream come true! I’m honored and so excited about this show and the work is available for purchase there through April 8th. I also have a show coming up in the fall in a beautiful gallery in the Hudson Valley.
My art has been featured in The Washington Post, Popular Photography, Create Magazine, Art Seen, Westchester Magazine and more. I’ve shown my work at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City, the National Association of Women Artists, Frieze Los Angeles, Art Market Hamptons, PULSE Art Fair, The National Arts Club, among others. A major career milestone occurred in 2022 when I was inducted into the National Association of Women Artists. In the summer of 2023, I was invited to participate in my first international artist residency program at RUC – the Rural Residency for Contemporary Art in the Italian Alps. I traveled to Cividate Camuno, a small city in northern Italy near Breno, about 90 minutes from Milan, where I explored, lived and created a new collection over the course of one week. This was a life changing experience that I’m still processing months later.
Aside from all the accolades, personally I’m most proud of my family and professionally I’m most proud that I’ve built something from nothing. I get to make art and tell stories through color, texture, light and contrast. I make beautiful things in an inspiring space for my living. I’m inspired to reach out and make connections and create meaningful work every single day. The art world can often feel like an elitist mystery and being an artist can sometimes feel lonely because I create on my own, but I feel proud that I’m carving this path and meeting and working with so many dynamic, brilliant, creative people who I can learn from and be inspired by every day.
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?
It’s tough to just pick three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge because I think it’s always important to be open to learning and changing methods and that’s a skill itself. Three themes of entrepreneurship for me have been to network relentlessly, learn how to ask for help when you need it (and understand that not everyone is open to giving help), and always remain curious.
For me, putting myself out there and networking is not something that always came easy. It still doesn’t because I’m an introverted extrovert but it’s gotten easier over time. Early in my career I got this advice from someone I admire greatly: make a list of all the people you already know from all areas of your life and revisit that list often to be sure you keep adding names. Stay in touch with people and see if there are ways that you can help them, as well. Don’t just reach out when you need something. It’s important to reciprocate help and knowledge to people who help and advise you. Of course it’s important to have boundaries but like anything else, you will get the vibe from a person if they are a good contact or source. You never know where a connection can take you. Stay active on multiple channels, attend events for your industry at least once or twice a month (it used to be once a week for me but that’s harder now in the stage of life I’m in with kids) and keep an email list that you stay in touch with regularly with news and updates. Staying open-minded and curious is vital for your personal and professional growth and learning.
Similarly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to your network and someone you trust. Sometimes it can seem like people are smarter and know more than you do but usually they’ve just been where you are before and can help you on your way down your path. Grow your network, do the work, and research and tap those sources.
I always give two pieces of overarching advice that I’ve received in the past and that have had the most impact on my career and my overall development and growth. The first is to get used to the idea that nothing is “easy” and some of the things you’ll need to do will be outside of your comfort zone. These are hard truths that are easier to face if you just accept them. The second is to get very clear on your WHY and to stay focused on that.
From experience I’ve learned that most things worth doing take a lot of work. Even if you have a mentor to guide you, you are the one who has to do the work and the work is hard and can feel overwhelming at times. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is a life skill and like a muscle that needs to be worked out. If you stay clear on why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’ll achieve your goals. Even as you reach your goals and milestones or as they sometimes change, your “why” often stays the same so I like to have it as a guide post to keep me focused.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Whenever I feel overwhelmed I give myself space by taking a break. I put away my phone. I move my body. I step away from whatever I’m doing to take a moment to decompress and regulate my central nervous system. I read a quote once that said “there’s power in the pause” and it really stuck with me. Taking a moment to stop and give myself space is a gift I give myself when I need it. Sometimes I just need or only have a few minutes but taking a moment to not be reactive is really important for me and it’s something that I’ve only gotten good at in the last few years.
Over the last 4 years since the pandemic, I’ve made it a point to exercise and move every single day and this is another key way that I get ahead of feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. I incorporate movement into my schedule and view it as an appointment with myself that I can’t miss. My movement routine is really important to me and when I deviate from it, I feel it in my body and my mind.
Movement has become a habit as natural as making my bed daily, driving my kids to school, brushing my teeth, etc. I don’t go without it. Oftentimes if I’m having a hard day or I’m feeling dysregulated, I know it’s because I didn’t move enough. I often get bored easily so I switch it up and either do one of my HIIT classes, a trampoline class, or I ride my Peloton. I have apps for all of my exercise classes and activities. I also walk outside with my dog daily and I either call my grandmothers who always make me feel better while I’m out walking or I just listen to the silence of nature. I really just like silence and don’t want to hear noise when I’m stressed or overwhelmed. I don’t have a gym membership. Instead I just have some basic equipment and weight set I got from Amazon shoved in a corner of my bedroom and work out there. It’s about 60 minutes a day that I’m moving to make my anxiety and stress better and to stay in shape physically and mentally and it’s definitely better for me than doom scrolling or just sitting in a state of overwhelm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.monicashulman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monicashulman/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monicashulmanstudio
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicashulman/
- Other: https://www.monicashulman.com/sign-up https://www.chairish.com/shop/monicashulman
Image Credits
Federico Photography Living Notes Photography
