We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittany Sallier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brittany, appreciate you 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?
Unexpected problems I believe creatives face in this world is making our ideas strictly our own to share. What that means is, in this world of 8 billion people, ideas, thoughts and opinions have been done or created before. So when we come up with an idea, we try our best to make it original without making it feel like we are “copying” someone else’s idea. I just look at this world and the people in it as inspiration for when I create. I do create original works of art, but I will be the first to say I look for inspiration from those before me and thats okay.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For those getting to know me in this field; I am merely an artist trying to make a difference one day at a time. I started creating in the visual arts at a early age of 2 years old and did not find a passion for it until the age of 5 or 6 years old. At 2 we should all have been making irregular shapes and un-proportional people and buildings, so I guess I did not stand out too much. But by the age of 5, I was able to recreate what was right infront of me and that fascinated me. So I honed in on this new found talent and never stopped creating. The older I got, the more I wanted to make things look realistic. My mind sometimes wondered into abstract, which created this love for mixing the two, as one of my favorite Artists (Frida Kahlo) does in her surrealism pieces. This helps me create original pieces, combining my imagination with realistic subjects or focal points. When I create for myself or clients, I challenge our minds to think of a bigger picture, how do I want this piece to stand out among others?
But I not only create for my own profit in growing my creative business. I create to educate those after me in their own creative journeys. As a High school Art teacher, I push the standard curriculum to encourage everyone to find their own creative outline as Art is not only your traditional drawing and painting, but a way of thinking and viewing the world around you.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I’ve always had this “in awe” moment when viewing other creative’s works. We especially tend to have this moments in museums looking at works of Art we were told are the best of the best. Unfortunately we don’t ever get a chance to know how hard their life was and how hard they have worked to get their works admired until later in life. And even worse those artist never lived long enough to be given their flowers. I personally want to change this cycle for today’s artist, one day opening up my own museum. Social media does a good job, giving artist of today their praise with views, likes and followers; which can come with a fan base. But it’s something about being immersed in a building full of art from different people, different views, and different messages that warms my heart. So my goal is to create that space for Artist like me and you to view. That is what drives me to get better. When you are better you can make other’s better and a better environment for them as well.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn, and Im sure every Artist has experienced this; but your creative journey should not be measured to another artist’s journey. I remember being in the 7th grade watching my friend draw as we sat in our AP math class. Now how I was in an AP math class, the world may never know, but as an Artist math was never my strong suit haha. But I watched her draw and started to get discouraged as I thought she was so talented and my art didn’t look like hers. This put me in a space of wanting to stop creating, but she told me to keep going as she thought I was a great artist and felt the same about my work. I went through this constant back and forth battle from 7th grade to college on thinking I should quit art when my pieces didn’t turn out how I wanted. But it wasn’t until I found my own STYLE that really showcased my skill. I saw my works in a new light, a light I was pleased with because I knew it was mine and not the next persons. I realized every artist has their own unique styles and techniques which is why their work is beautiful. My friend from 7th grade had her own style or art that was completely different from mine. The older I got, the more I understood I was not behind in my creative ability, but taking time to learn what worked for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/arts.ywolf?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/b.nicole.sallier?mibextid=ZbWKwL