We recently connected with Cassis Brown and have shared our conversation below.

Cassis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories 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 love being an artist more than anything, I love being able to use my art and creativity to express myself in different ways, but just like with anything, there are ups and downs to being a creative. I do have a regular job, and having the energy to both regularly work and create for my own personal pleasure is difficult to balance. Sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated. I have to remind myself that I’m still an artist, even when I’m not creating. But I love art more than anything. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing; I’ve felt ever since I was young that I wasn’t meant to have a “regular” job. I was meant to create and nothing truly makes me happier. For me, the ups and downs of being an artist outweigh the ups and downs of having a regular job.

Cassis, 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 name is Cassis Brown, I’m an artist, model and photographer currently working out of the East Coast. I graduated with a BA in Art and minor in The History of Art and Architecture from the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was my time here at UCSB that ignited all my passions. I joined the photography club my first year and was president my third and fourth years. In addition to growing as a portrait photographer, it was here that my modeling career began as well. I started modeling in the photo club when I joined, and fell in love with both being in front of, and behind the camera. After 4 years of improving my art, photography and modeling skills, I graduated in 2020 and went on to pursue art in my career. From then until now, I have tried to fuel my creative passions through a number of pursuits; including selling my art, freelancing, signing with a modeling agency in 2021, and looking for creative jobs such as Photography Production Assistant and Paint and Sip Instructor.

This past year I moved from California to Boston, and am currently working as an art workshop instructor, boudoir photographer and part-time model. I am also continuing to work as a freelance photographer and am working hard to get my art shop back up and running, so I can hopefully return to selling my art again.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is when you’re able to bring your vision to life in the way that you imagined. When you’re able to execute a concept for a project almost exactly as you envisioned it in your head; that is such an incredible feeling. Especially as a photographer, sometimes you have to wear multiple hats in order to execute the vision. In addition to being the photographer and editor, I often am playing the role of creative director, stylist, makeup artist, etc. The work I’m most proud of are the shoots where I’ve pushed myself to play all these roles myself, from start to finish; I thought of the concept, I did the hair and makeup, I did the styling and sourced the outfits… When you’re able to pull it all off and are proud of what you’ve produced at the end, its an incredibly validating experience.

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 is that art has to be born from pain. There’s this huge stereotype about “the tortured artist,” and that all great art comes from suffering, and that is just not true! Of course art can be a way to express difficult feelings and topics, and yes, art is definitely used a form of processing and healing from certain emotional experiences, 100%. I love using art to express my own challenging emotions! But art can be born out of joy. Art can be born out of nonsense. Art can be happy and silly and weird and still meaningful. You do not have to suffer to produce great art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cassisbrown.photography/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cassisxbrown
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassis-brown-9b9a4b1a8

Image Credits
Drew Altizer Andrew Dunne Alexis Floyd