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

Alright, Brittany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I think in a way I always knew I would end up doing something relating to art. Even from a very young age (2-3 y/o) I would make little drawings and color on EVERYTHING. I’ve always gravitated towards art. It was the one subject in school I actually looked forward to, and it wasn’t until college that I really started to believe I could make my passions a full-time gig.

Brittany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A little bit about me… where to start. I wear many hats. I’ve dabbled in just about everything art related. I graduated with my BFA in Interior Architecture from the Cleveland Institute of Art and currently work a 9-5 as an Architectural Technician in Lakewood. But before all that, I was just a student with a passion for design. My junior year in college I began to brainstorm the idea of my brand, Overpriced Advice. A lot of people ask me what the meaning is behind the name, and I answer with the honest response – it was my tumblr username at 13. I thought it sounded cool, had a nice ring to it, and I never looked back. Luckily for me the name stuck with people. It stood out. It was memorable. When I originally started the brand, I was focused on just clothes. I would create a design, have it sent to a friend who owns a local print shop in Cleveland – shout out Nuclear Printing. They’d order the blanks, print my designs and that would be that. I’d have some friends model the clothes, post them online and make some cash in the process. I didn’t do it for the money though, and that’s how some of the best things start. I just had an idea and was like “hmmm, maybe this thing I drew could be a design on something”. My first drop sold out in a week. I was on cloud 9. Long story short, I kept going, until money became an issue because I was just a college student. I didn’t know how to run a business and still don’t. I just make things and post them. I’ve never been someone who cared about other people’s approval or opinions. Everything I make is for me. It is an extension of who I am and what goes on in my brain, and if someone happens to dig it then that’s just a plus. I’ve had drops that put me in debt, and I’ve had drops that people begged me to restock. Owning a business is hard, but it can also be very rewarding at times. The future of OA is in a brainstorming place at the moment. I am looking to expand beyond clothing. I want to use only thrifted or up-cycled blanks. I want to use the platform to not only create cool things, but to also promote things that I care about.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It sounds cliche, but being able to express yourself. Your art is an extension of yourself. The ability to really move someone with what I create or receiving compliments regarding my work, leaves me with a feeling of joy and fulfillment. When I create art, that comes from the most raw, unfiltered, and authentic side of myself. For someone to tell me they love what I created when I am in that state is a blessing. Not everyone feels they have a talent or purpose in this life, and I feel lucky to be able to execute and share mine with the world.

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

I think this one of the few pros to social media. You have inspiration, advice, connection, and relatability within seconds through a screen. However, I think as society we need to be better about protecting the artist’s process. It’s very trendy on social media now to post reels of your artistic process, and in my opinion, that ruins the point of an artist’s process. We need to go back to a time with social media where artists posted because they were passionate about what they made vs. creating something just to try and make money or fit an algorithm.

Contact Info:

• Website: overpricedadvice.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/overpricedadvice
• Other: personal artwork on main instagram – @bgallls