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

Sanise, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’m happier with a regular job while I’m still a creative. I was laid off from my remote (work-from-home) job in February 2024. It was sudden and unexpected. I was blessed to have a 16-week severance package offered to me from the company I was working for. In an instant, I was no longer working full-time and running my business part-time. I was now a full-time student and a full-time artist. I made art and enjoyed life as a creative. However, time was ticking and my severance package was slowly coming to an end. I was consistently applying for jobs for the stability that I was used to. I put my art in a gallery, posted content daily, and made all the heart my heart desired. I looked forward to waking up every day to continue my projects. The continuous pressure on my pieces to be profitable ruined my desire to create. I began to worry about my finances more and artist’s block set it. I stopped making art because I was feeling the effects of burnout.

I finally accepted a job offer in June 2024 and the newfound stability lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. I lost my desire to create completely and I was ready to start working again. Fast forward to the present day, I’m still in that 9-5 position and I don’t make art as much as I used to. The break that I am taking from art is far from permanent. When I finish school and graduate with my Bachelor’s I’ll be back. My creativity is recharging and I’m excited to make more pieces. I still have plenty of art available to sell and it inspires me everyday.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

It’s always hard to answer how I started because I have always been creative, even as a kid. I kept art awards and scholarships from as far back as around 2011. I tried many different hobbies such as crocheting, painting, pottery, embroidery, scrapbooking, etc. However, after I tried working with resin, it became one of my favorite mediums to work with.

I started making keychains with resin in 2019 and moved into larger projects as the years went on. I made coasters, small paintings, jewelry boxes, mini figurines, and decorative trays. My husband encouraged me to start a business with my pieces when we met back in 2020. I was too scared to put myself out there until July 2021 when I finally filed for my LLC in Virginia. We began attending small pop-up shops around the Chesapeake, VA area, and I officially began selling my work. Shortly after that, we moved to San Diego due to military orders in January 2022.

I sold my first resin painting in San Diego on Facebook Marketplace in early 2022. We then attended our first art show ever in Los Angeles on March 3rd, 2023 (The Spectacular Black Girl Art Show). We have been to several other events in the SoCal area, such as the Grand Avenue Festival, the San Diego Food & Art Market, and the Etsy SoCal Guild.

I’m most proud of our residency at the Emerald C Art Gallery in Coronado from April 2022 to September 2024. I was so proud of myself for landing the contract and I enjoyed my tenure there. The gallery will soon transform into a golf cart shop under the new ownership. This merger was the reason for our contract ending. I sold half of the inventory that I left there.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love having the ability to create what I see in my head (even when things don’t come out exactly how I planned). I can’t sing or dance very well. The best way I can express myself, my feelings, a song, or a place is through art. I took a break from making art when I started my full-time job. I miss creating my pieces and I can’t wait to get back into it.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m currently in school completing my bachelor’s in Business Administration. Working on my assignments and constantly studying has taught me many things about running a business that I never knew before. I hope to retain as much of the information as possible so I can apply it to my own business. My favorite thing that I have learned so far is market research. Reading about the things that market segments desire from a product was very interesting. This was one weakness of mine when I started selling my art. I never knew what my buyers wanted from a home decor purchase.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbynisey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Niseys-Art/pfbid0365eH6Afe6c9jGUpqYH6eGdxpU3vvqCEDHebN1Ax1tBwg8wtaBvAV4c3VkbVr6Ab1l/