We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bianca Breed a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bianca, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Working with resin & specializing in preservation allows me to memorialize a variety of significant materials for others. Meaningful projects I’ve worked on have included preserving wedding and funeral bouquets, pet ashes, dog fur, bird’s feathers, found beetle, and deceased pet insects such as a scorpion and mantis shrimp.

It is extremely difficult to choose the one most meaningful as each project has such a significant backstory, but today I will share about preserving a deceased pet praying mantis, one of my first memorial projects. The mantis, Zorak, was driven across state lines and dropped off to me, as well as some datura pods and seeds. Zorak was about 4.5 inches and passed in a position with is arms raised above his head. To hold a mantis such as this was amazing, and it felt so significant knowing that he had been so loved, and was a companion.

I prepped him for resin and spray painted him gold per request. It was also requested that the datura pods surround him alongside ferns, and the seeds be positioned to create the scorpio constellation. Every decision was intentional and I worked to make sure the composition was perfect. When those commissioning memorial pieces have requests or a specific idea of what they want with the materials they give me, it is an honor to be able to bring these visions to life. It’s another way that creating my work has allowed me to connect with people and their stories.

Bianca, 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 am an artist and nature lover, creating work inspired by nature and the earth. My art has spanned many forms throughout the years, with a dream to support myself through my work. This unexpectedly came to fruition when I began working with resin and pressed flowers, plants, and insects that I had collected over the years. I like to think this was a calling from the universe – I don’t remember a specific time where I realized resin was an art medium, or that I could preserve plants and natural materials. My first time working with it felt really life changing – I unlocked a creative side of myself where I felt so peaceful & focused being in the moment with my work; it had been a while since I felt that, having been in a creative rut for about three years working three service industry jobs around the clock. Resin was also an emotional outlet for me as the pandemic came upon us, and for the year to come. While my brand Bianca Breed has been built on my resin work, it is reflective of myself as an artist and wherever that takes me.

This came about when I posted my first ten resin coasters with preserved plants in March 2020, shortly after I lost my three jobs at the time due to the shut down. The coasters sold immediately to friends and folks in the Cleveland community, and I was commissioned by many to do more. The encouragement and enthusiasm meant so much, especially at a time when we were isolated. Due to this support, I was able to afford more supplies and to continue creating despite the circumstances we as a world were facing. Over the next few months it gained momentum, as others offered me their gardens to pick from, dropped off flowers and plants on my porch for me to use for my personal work, and continued to order commissions. I began trying new things with preserving insects and was able to expand to jewelry. As a kid I would create earrings with my mom’s tools, and getting to do this in my own way as an adult was so fun. At the root of my resin art, I felt an intense peace when creating this work. I have always felt a calling to pursue art and cultivate creativity within my life, and resin elevated this for me. Discovering this felt surreal, and it still does to this day. I have been able to grow as an artist, creating one of a kind work at nature’s whim and offer my services to others to preserve their significant materials, such as wedding and funeral bouquets, pet mementos, and pet insects.

The items I create are pieces that I envision as a centerpiece in one’s home or to adorn themselves with nature. This includes earrings, necklaces, rings, coasters, decorative trays & wood pieces, wall hangings, candle & incense holders, and more. Every piece is a one of a kind composition of flowers – the designs cannot be remade, and I allow the flowers to lead me as I create a piece instead of planning ahead. The designs I create are a snapshot of my artistic practice and the decisions I make with the plants I work with. This is also how I approach commission work and preservation of provided bouquets and significant materials. I align myself with my materials and don’t plan ahead – I create my best work when I am not overthinking and I am fully present with my work. Preservation is permanent, and I hold a sincerity when being chosen to create these projects.

I would have to say I am most proud of this mindful approach that I have cultivated within my art. By following this ritual I create my most authentic work, and have stuck with it over the years. Being supported by others means the world to me – people are spending their hard earned money on my goods, and in turn I am able to support myself and continue to grow and live my artistic calling. It is no small thing, and I recognize that daily as I now move through life dedicated to this practice. For this reason, it is most important to me to have integrity in the items I make and sincerity in how I execute them. I want to love what I am creating and feel inspired by nature and plants around me, and for that to happen I must stay mindful and intentional in my designs. I am proud of having grounded my art practice, myself, and small business on these values, and I am looking forward to where it takes me next.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience is a big one for me – it is something that is important for me to remind myself of, yet difficult. I have struggled with an autoimmune disease for years, and with it comes many ups and downs that often gets in the way of my art practice and work. I have many lost days due to experiencing intense fatigue, lack of energy, and many hours lost due to sleeping yet never feeling rested. I have been transparent about my symptoms and experience with my followers to normalize how many of us are living with an ‘invisible’ chronic illness, and to share my experience in hopes it will reach someone else going through the same thing. It is extremely difficult to keep up with my work while trying to navigate my health. Yet, I make it happen – because now that I have my small business based in my art and I am creating work that fulfills me, I don’t want to lose it for anything. It is up to me to keep it going, and I am determined to not let me chronic illness get in the way of something that I feel is meant to be. To me, this is resilience. It is not easy, and is a fight for me daily. But the joy and peace my art brings me & others is too important to me to let it fade. I choose to go about my days prioritizing rest and my daily needs so that I can create my most authentic work when I do have the physical energy to be in my studio. It has been a journey of finding myself, accepting my circumstances, and growing through these hardships in the midst of something I’m so grateful for.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Sharing our work! I have been connected to so many people by word of mouth, people sharing my posts online, friends giving out my business cards when someone compliments their earrings, and being recommended to others. It truly goes so far. As an artist supporting myself through my art and having created a small business based on my practice, I am experiencing firsthand how amazing it is to have someone enthusiastic about my work, and how huge it is when someone makes a purchase. I think a thriving creative ecosystem can be cultivated by “small” acts such as this.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.biancabreed.com
• Instagram: @basedbianca
• Other: TikTok: @basedbianca