We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Samsil. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.

Brittany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

That is kind of a funny story. When I was selling paintings as a teenager I just signed my name and called it a Brittany Samsil painting. Fast forward to when I turned 26. I hadn’t painted in 10+ years and just on a whim painted several WW2 paintings. Needing somewhere to take them and to be displayed, I walked into Bokeh Lounge in Evansville, IN with them. I asked the bartender who was in part ownership of bokeh lounge if they’d be interested in displaying them there. She said yes and asked what she should refer the business to when people asked. On a whim I said Art by Brittany. I never new Art by Brittany would be what it is now.

Brittany, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I learned from an early age to use painting as an escape. My earliest memory of connecting with art was when I was 6. My mother and I had lived in a homeless shelter for a bit and there were art classes for the kids there. I would later use that escape (painting) as a teenager but also profited off of my creativity by selling them in coffeeshops. My mother was an artist as well. Every house we had were filled with wall murals that she had hand painted. We grew up poor but her murals always made the place we were staying in feel like home. She was always busy so there was never one on one teachings as to how she painted. However I always had access to the supplies she used as a painter. I would create things in my room. Abstract and landscape paintings were my favorite as a child and teenager. I stopped painting after High school. It wasn’t until after a heartbreak at 26 that I thought, what am I doing? I’m better than not living up to my full potential. It didn’t Dawn on me until then that I could profit off my work. I think we all get stuck in our daily routing of working, paying bills, eat and sleep gets to us. That’s where I was and I felt stuck. I wanted a more exciting life then what I had been doing. I wanted to create and bring a smile to people’s faces. I painted several WW2 paintings and took them to a local bar. They said I could display them and the same day one of the owners asked if I could do a family portrait. I was VERY nervous and hesitant at first. I had to remind myself that I had just done several realistic paintings and could do these. I think it helped that she also saw the quality of my work and was persistent on me doing them. Long story short. The commissioned family portraits came out good and my paintings sold and the rest was history. As to where I am now. I’ve had to learn everything from scratch because we’ll…you see where I started. I learned marketing, what sells most, communication and the most important is I learned what I personally enjoy doing. I realize people like it when you’re being yourself. Some people buy art from an artist because they like them personally or feel a connection to that artist. Now days I just do what makes me happy. I take commissions all the time because it’s what keeps me being a full time artist but I also add my own touch into it. I have never denied a commission because I like the challenge. The most challenging this last year was an ancestry painting. A gentleman wanted a painting of his great great uncle. There were no pictures of him. All they had were what this guys relatives around him looked like. His dad, his son and cousins from 100 years ago. It was amazing to think wow this guy trusts me to make a replica of I believe his uncle looked like off of 5 different photos. I used the dominant parts of the facial features from the grandpa to son because he had to of been the one to carry them on. Then I went in with a beard similar to his realitves. The end result was great. He looked so perfectly in between them. The guy who had ordered it was amazed and that’s one of the most rewarding feelings. I like challenges, something that breaks me out of my norm. I’ve been working on challenging myself more often with furniture art. Art that looks like art on a wall but actually turns into a table and etc. I try to figure out what people want vs what I enjoy. When I find a middle ground I just do that.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I believe when we’re children people have expectations and beliefs that are pushed on us. Growing up we have to be what our parents want us to be or what society wants us to be. As you get older you realize what’s wrong and what’s right for you. I called this shedding and I actually use this term a lot. I know it doesn’t just go for me but goes for almost everybody. I’ve had to unlearn a lot of things. Specifically the way I talk to myself when I am creating. As an artist I spend most of my time in my head. I had to learn to brush out a lot of negativity I had on myself. Especially as my business grows and my following grows. What has helped me unlearn self doubt is listening to motivational podcasts while working. I do this every day unless I’m listening to an audible book which is normally about building yourself up.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy is just to put yourself out there. I started with walking into a local bar several years ago. If I hadn’t of done that I would still have those world war II paintings in my closet. I try to make connections with business owners who don’t have much on their walls. Coffee shops, restaurants, bars and even barber shops. Those are the places where people sit for a while and they typically look around. You might as well give them something to look at and to purchase. I’ve went on trips that were across several States just to walk into businesses to get my art in. A few times I’d walk in and they would want to display them and they would also buy a piece of artwork that I had on me. I plan on doing another trip on the west coast because I haven’t hit that area yet. When you’re on vacation and somewhere different walk into a few businesses and see if they are interested in your work. That’s the best way to grow your clientele is by getting it displayed. When artist told me that they aren’t selling any artwork I tell them the wrong people are just seeing it and they need more people to see it to want it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artbybrittanysamsil.com
• Instagram: Art_by_brittany_
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Brittanymixedmedia

Image Credits
Mike McKinney