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

Hi BJ, thanks for joining us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

Firefly Art was created because I love to travel, take photos, and sometimes turn those photos into paintings or drawings. I meet a lot of great people and they seem to like my art. When I began to sell paintings on Fireflyart.biz my goal was to make and sell original paintings at an affordable price. That is still my goal. There have been a few roadblocks the past two years forcing me to stop for a while and change direction for months.
The first couple years were pretty good, as I was selling from the website and at some summer Art Walks. Then my life was interrupted when my siblings and I dealt with the issues of elderly parents. I had closed my mother’s art studio which was a major undertaking, especially during the Covid pandemic. It was not long after that we moved them to an assisted care facility.
They seemed to do well there, but the next huge job was to clean out the house and make repairs. Less than a year later, my mother had a massive stroke. She passed away a short time later. Just a short time later, I took my father to visit family in Arizona and California.
Just as I was getting back into painting again, my husband and I were in a car wreck. We had the typical neck and back trauma, resulting in pain and headaches for months. I also suffered a hand injury. My right thumb was badly lacerated and fractured in three places. I did not paint for months.
That seemed unacceptable, so I began painting small paintings with my left hand. I also switched from oils to acrylics. Of course, details were difficult with my left hand, so I tried simpler subjects and abstracts. I called that collection my Left-hand series and posted some on my Facebook page and Instagram. I painted some large canvases, but was not satisfied with the results.
I am still struggling with the headaches, but my thumb is mostly healed. It is difficult for me to start again each time I am interrupted for a long period of time, but I have many ideas I want to try.

BJ, 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?

My husband and my sons all have their own businesses. They encouraged me to put my love for travel and creating art into a business. Since I have no business experience, I rely on them for assistance. Igniting Business.com made a wonderful website for me and taught me how to use the Shopify platform.
Painting is something that is fun and frustrating at the same time. I always want to improve on what I have just completed. Sometimes it is difficult to know what people would be interested in purchasing. Therefore, I love to paint or draw commissions. I love to talk with clients to really get a feel for what they want. I love to take a snapshot and isolate the part that really shows an exciting or moment that has great meaning or significance. I take out all the distractions or busy-ness out of the background and turn their photo into a precious moment in time.
Firefly art is known for mostly bright colors and peaceful outdoor scenery. It is also known for unusual paintings, such as the window paintings done in 2023, or the 3-dimensional, mixed media paintings incorporating found objects from the location of the painting. People always tell me Firefly Art has good original paintings at very fair and affordable prices, including commissioned art.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Being unsure I am actually a natural creative, I am for those of us who have never been told we are or can be creative. I am from a family of creatives, but I never had the time or encouragement to try creating. When I had children, I drew cartoons of the various funny and special things children did and sent copies of the cartoons to family who lived far away from us. My children each have their own cartoon books of their childhood.
I also did crafts while they were growing up. It did not seem like enough after a while, so I tried painting and did pretty well. It is often someone else who provides the encouragement for us to grow and try the creative path. Now, with social media, it is so much easier to get started on a new path to your own creative discovery.

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

The most rewarding part of making art, is watching the faces of children when they see the artwork. They really look at it in wonder. Original artwork is a wonderful gift for children and encourages them to try new ideas on their own.
The other most rewarding thing is seeing the pleasure on the face of a happy customer or recipient of gifted art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fireflyart.biz
• Instagram: seidel,bj
• Facebook: bj seidel
• Other: email:
  [email protected]

Image Credits

BJ Seidel