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

Alright, Piper thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It all goes back to junior year of high school. Throughout high school there was always this pressure to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life to then figure out what type of education you receive after graduating. Being one of the top students within my class, this pressure weighed heavily on me. I felt that I needed to want to do something that would catapult me to success but to be honest I wasn’t really interested in becoming a doctor, lawyer, etc. By the time junior year rolled around, I stressed day and night.

I would openly talk about this stress with my art teacher and she was the one who planted the seed of an art degree in my head. To give a little background, I went to a fine arts magnet school and was exclusively taking classes concentrating on the visual arts. Everyone within the visual arts magnet were really close and we would constantly talk about things going on with our peers and teacher of that class. That class felt like a safe judgement-free zone. I really valued my art teacher’s opinion as I viewed her as my school mom. So, when she mentioned the idea of an art degree, I felt that even though it wasn’t the ideal “catapulting to success” degree, it was still acceptable. I thought about this for a few weeks because I really did not want to disappoint anyone with this decision.

But finally I got tired of stressing and decided that after graduating from high school I would be pursuing an art degree. Once I openly told people about my decision, everything felt at ease. I felt very content on my decision. I felt really happy about telling people about it too. All the pressure and weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Shout out to Ashley Houlihan my high school art teacher and the OG FAME squad, they know who they are.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Once completing the fine arts magnet program and graduating high school, I went on to the University of West GA earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in May 2021. I would say due to my networking and the usage of social media is what truly got me into the industry after college. Anyone who has worked alongside me including peers and professors knows that I work very diligently, always trying to do my very best. After graduating, I have had people constantly refer my talents for jobs which is how I feel like I have gotten my foot-in-the-door. Word of mouth referrals mean everything.

Currently the products I provide revolve around painting. I provide services of murals all the way to custom pet portraits. With my works, I strive to bring to life the client’s vision. I strive to communicate openly and honestly with all of my customers. I take every job, no matter how big or small, super seriously.

Currently I am most proud of all the experiences I had been apart of. I have been apart of 4 mural projects and currently have my work displayed at Fur Babies Cat Cafe and The Blue Door Gallery, both in Carrollton, GA. I have proudly completed more pet portraits that I can count and I am so thankful for the public’s continuous support. I am an animal lover so any artwork I can create with animals as the subject matter that can bring joy or happy tears to someone, means the world to me and brings me so much happiness.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Since 2020, I have been working on a series called “Cats+ Home” which is all about coexisting with cats within a home space. For me the cats serve as a symbol of love and family. I have been very passionate about this series and constantly have new pieces planned out.

Within my junior year of college, one of my professors wanted me to pivot away from this “Cat+ Home” idea. I really took this criticism to heart as this was a person of authority and they had to know what’s best right? This class that the professor taught was a hard one where to pass, one essential had to make 1 to 2 pieces a week to be able to meet the class’ requirements. At this point, receiving critiques was not a new concept but hearing that my professor wanted me to do a complete 180 was devastating. I took a week to brainstorm new ideas and nothing stuck. After that week of creating nothing, I started back with the “Cat+ Home” idea because I couldn’t waste anymore time. Ultimately this class was about concepts, quality and quantity of artworks and the professor’s opinion really didn’t matter as long as one ticked the other boxes. So the “Cat+ Home” series preserved.

At one point, I think the professor was a little frustrated with me because I didn’t take their advice. I did feel bad because it was unlike me to not listen. Me and my professor eventually had to talk about it because I didn’t want them to feel like I didn’t hear them or valued their opinion but it was more so about keeping up with the quantity of pieces that needed to be created. From then, the professor understood my point of view and we just agreed to disagree on the subject matter.

Just to let you know though- for my college senior show, I lined the space with all my “Cat+ Home” pieces and the professor actually was proud that I didn’t listen and told me my show was beautiful.

Moral of the story- not everyone will like your work but if it makes you feel inspired, happy, fulfilled, and wanting to work, continue to do it.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Last year my mindset completely changed about supporting other artists. Before last year, I felt I needed to do every type of work so I could get the most clients and the most money possible but that is crazy.

In March 2022, I did my first pop-up shop in Adamson Square in Carrollton, GA. I got assigned a space next to Candace Fincher, an amazing watercolor artist. From that event, me and Candace became friends and she started helping me with Etsy, events, and everything in between. She taught me to help your fellow peers and wish them the success you want. I truly believe that I became a better person and artist after meeting her. Now if there is a project I know a peer would excel at, I will refer the client to them rather than stretching my limits. I also will openly share events and knowledge with anyone who asks because there is no reason to gatekeep.

So after that, the short answer is that I think artists need to support artists. Know someone who could create that piece better then you, refer them. Know someone whose works align perfectly with an art show theme, send it to them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://piperheaton.wixsite.com/website-3
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artsbypiper/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artbypiperh/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5DQ-rZPkgxzvZl8poFO5ig
• Other: Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtsByPiper