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

Alright, Britta thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’ve been self employed for almost 3 years now… it’s terrifying when I don’t have my next project or client lined up. So I definitely think many times throughout each month, how much easier it would be to get a “9-5 job” and have consistent income. But I’ve done that, my whole life… and the one thing lacking in all that was…my freedom. Being my own entrepreneur as a “starving artist” has so many challenges, but I get to wake up and do WHAT I LOVE! But I can also wake up and just spend the day with my kids. There’s no clocking in and out for me – I just make my deadlines, make sure I’m in good communication with my clients, and it’s far less stressful. I can still enjoy my life as a mom, homemaker, serve at my church, and play in my hobbies – while also kicking butt and making money with my art. It’s a beautiful place to be right now.

Britta, 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’m an artist. I’ve been painting since I was 8 years old. My grandma started giving me lessons around the age of 12 and I really pursued painting especially toward the end of my high school years. Now, many years later, after I have had my second child, I quit my great, stable career as a Graphics Director and Creative Director Assistant at my church, to be a stay at home mom and to pursue my own arts and digital graphic design. I can honestly say working for myself has its challenges… cuz duh, I’m a creative – I can procrastinate… like a lot! ha But one thing that working at my church really taught me is to have integrity and professionalism with my clients still – even though a good chunk of them are people that I know. I still want to remain clear with my pricing, messaging and outcome so that will translate to every client I have in the future. But I am also very willing to listen, work with and adhere to really anything my client wants – even if it bends away from my artistic style – I still want to deliver exactly what my client wants. This stretches me A LOT! But who wants to stay the same forever? Change is good! learning new techniques and strategies is good and it keeps me sharp! I’m most proud of my work, especially my paintings when I hear how the story that I tell really affects the client and onlookers as well. That’s not always an easy thing to do, especially with AI taking over art and media. But knowing that my client has 1) invested money into MY work and 2) is proud to own a piece of art BY ME is truly something to be proud of.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Best way to support artists and creatives? BUY MORE ART! I’ve come across a lot of people lately that are getting into art, and it’s really cool to see how it moves different people. Yes I know it’s not for everyone, but I have found even myself purchasing other artists work because I need to appreciate something and someone bigger than me and different than me. Instead of saying “that’s a cool painting, I can just go paint that for myself at home”, I am actively and intentionally supporting other artists so I can truly learn how to appreciate art myself! It’s not just to make money – you tell a story, you cause emotion, you create beauty. But I will say… what people can do better and educate themselves on, is the work, effort, years of learning it takes to get to a place of professionalism in the art industry. If a painting or a graphic is too expensive for you, do your homework. Most likely it is priced at the exact price point. Think about the time it took to make that, to learn how to use that medium, the countless college classes taken to gain that knowledge, the countless canvases and bottles of paint purchased to practice over and over for years to get an incredible result. Just think about that when you want to spend $25 on a hobby lobby painting that thousands of people own, rather than $400+ on an original that has come from the heart.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The biggest mission and goal driving my creative journey is simply that I am privileged to get to be artistic and creative because God gave those talents specifically to me! He didn’t make me an incredible singer, or doctor or engineer… I was made to create with my hands and that drives me to want to create more and more. I don’t have to do this for a living, but I GET to do this for a living. I am privileged and humbled to have the abilities that I have, and I don’t ever want to hide them. I want to share them with the world and tell stories and share beauty as much as I can!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brittabrunet.com
• Instagram: @brittabrunet_art

Image Credits

Mel Montano, Colton May