Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Jean Bryson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could tell my younger self to start making art sooner, I would. I grew up thinking that a career in anything “art related” was next to impossible to make a livable wage from, so I didn’t even try until later in life. I was also concerned my work wasn’t “good enough” to sell, but as I shared my creative process on social media and my following on @its_art_oclock grew, I started gaining confidence in my abilities. I now share with others how important it is to just start. The only way you can improve as an artist is from doing, so the first step is to just begin.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Sarah Jean Bryson, I am a self-taught watercolor artist and illustrator. I was born and raised in England, but currently reside in Los Angeles, California. I earned a BA degree in Acting and Creative Writing, and always had a love for “the arts” in general, however it wasn’t until 2018 (and severe post-partum depression after the birth of my daughter), that I decided to try painting with watercolors for the first time. I began my, now popular, Instagram art account @its_art_oclock initially as a means to document my progress of making art and exploring art therapy techniques. I quickly found that watching paint flow in water was extremely relaxing and took my mind off any negative thoughts.

I decided early on I would make the effort to take time daily to create art, whether I got 15 minutes or 2 hours my goal was to create whenever my daughter would nap. That was my “Art O’clock” which is where the instagram name came from. The more I did, the better I felt but also, I started to see a huge improvement in my artistic skills from simply “playing” with paint. I now use my platform as a way to inspire others to start an art journey and “Make time for Art” in their own lives. I firmly believe that a daily creative practice can not only enhance your artistic skills, but also your overall well-being.

I find ways to fit art in to my life every single day, even on vacation. I love to travel and will create full art journal sketchbooks capturing moments from each trip. I often share with my followers the best way to do this, the tools I take with me and ways I make time from other things in order to document trips. I recently went on an art retreat to Morocco and enjoyed painting on the plane as well as plein aire painting on location. I am always trying to find fun ways to show people how easy it is to incorporate a few moments in a day to do something creative.

My artistic style is self-described as “a little bit of everything: colorful, fun, and often using generous amounts of water.” My initial approach to a main piece of artwork often involves splashing excessive amounts of water and paint onto the page. I love observing the fluid movement of watercolor before commencing my work. For me, the calming process of creation is just as important as the final result. I enjoy playing with art supplies, seeing what they can do that maybe weren’t designed for. Watching paint flow through water droplets is one of my favorite exercises and is a great way to calm nerves. Watercolors is my favorite medium currently because of it’s fluid movement, but I have never met an art supply I didn’t like! I enjoy junk journaling, gel printing, urban sketching and stamp carving also!

I became the brand ambassador for Art Philosophy Co. watercolors and Viviva colorsheets in 2020 and Schimoni Art Watercolor Brushes in 2021, I remain with all 3 of these brands to this day and love that all the products are artist grade, non toxic and vegan. I have done commissions for several companies, venues and collectors around the World since I began and also teach in person watercolor classes and on Skillshare and YouTube. It’s pretty amazing to see how a side hobby to keep my moods in check has turned in to a way of life and joyful career for me.

To keep up with my artistic journey, you can follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube you under the handle @Its_Art_Oclock.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my social media audience slowly over time from 2018, I made sure to directly correspond with people who asked me questions in the comments about my process even when I had a very small following. I have some incredible followers now, many who have stayed with me as i’ve grown as an artist. I try very hard not to gate keep information as an artist, I think there are too many people who don’t share techniques for fear of being copied. There is more than enough room in the Art space for everyone though. The more “yourself” you can be on social media, the better i’ve found. I was also consistent in tagging the brands I used in my artwork, which later led me to several of my ambassadorships and paid opportunities.

The biggest advice I give to people who want to grow with art on social media now is: Have well lit footage and share clear bright photos/videos of your artwork. There is nothing worse than poorly lit images of artwork in my opinion. Unfortunately being “good” at art will always be subjective, so don’t be disheartened if your work doesn’t take off immediately. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, you may not have found the right audience yet.

Also be consistent with your content sharing. You don’t have to post daily, but if you post on a Tuesday for example, try to post every Tuesday. That way your audience knows what to expect from you and is more likely to come back.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to encourage people to just start creating. The watercolor techniques I teach can act as a form of therapy too, focusing on painting drastically helped me when I went through post partum depression and I try to encourage others to at least give it a try to help improve their mood. You don’t have to be an amazing artist when you start creating or sharing your art, you just have to start. The act of doing is what improves your skills. Just like a sport, the more you practice, the more you learn. Repetition with pen or brushstrokes builds muscle memory, as you play with paint colors you will find yourself learning color theory and the more you take inspiration from the World around you, the more you will start to observe. I am a true believer that “anyone” can create art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://direct.me/itsartoclock
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/its_art_oclock
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZB9mx8MPyxTVX7FEwLp3Xw
• Other: I teach watercolor classes on Skillshare, when you use my link you get 1 month free access to all classes on the site. https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/user/its_art_oclock?gr_tch_ref=on

Image Credits
My headshot main photo was taken by Adam Palmeter