We recently connected with Dawn Pierce and have shared our conversation below.

Dawn , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve always considered my self an artist. And as a child art and creativity was nurtured in me by my mother. I took all the art classes my schools had to offer to get an idea of what type I really enjoyed. Though, to be honest, I love it all. I thoroughly enjoy creating things, be it a painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. For the longest time I dreamt about having my own gallery, albeit it wasn’t until my mom passed last year that I decided it was time to buckle down and get serious about what I wanted the future of my work to be. Ultimately, I decided to start Fueled By Passion. It was one single painting inspired by my mom that sprang life to the business.

Dawn, 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?

Like I mentioned, I’ve always enjoyed fueling my creative side, since I was a kid. It starred out from drawing the wildest landscapes, to my very first painting of an Easter bunny in a basket, and blossomed into a mix of multimedia pieces. As a young adult it was always my dream to own my own gallery. Not to be famous – though a small popularity amongst the community would be welcomed – but to provide a bit of joy to as many people I can. While I was painting “Pathways” ( A pink and gold schemed impasto on canvas) was when I really started to envision what I wanted in the future. The inspiration for the piece came from my Mom. And the inspiration for the business sprang from the combination of the painting and the instructuon my Mom always gave me to go into business. Thus the birth of Fueled By Passion. With my 27 years of hands on experience in the industry, I’ve had the opportunity to hone my style of art in different areas. That being said, Fueled By Passion currently offers original works for mixed media canvas paintings, as well as various size prints of each painting for purchase. Outside of the business, I have been the go to person for my friends and family when they need creative advice. I have a pretty good eye for what type of pieces would work best in a given room. I’m best at solving the issue if a piece will stand out or be washed out in a room. For me, each one of my works has their own little story that is a snippet of my own story. I don’t create everyday. I create when I’m ready. Not in the sense that I lack motivation, but in the way that, the painting is not ready to come to life yet. I’d say day my biggest struggle with the business is the social media presence that so many people say you need. Personally, I am not a huge fan of social media. So it becomes very daunting and draining for me to tie it into the business. That aside, I am most proud of myself for taking the leap to breath life into a dream I’ve had for so long. Because I just want people to experience a dash of joy when they see my paintings, all my works are fairly and reasonably priced. I feel like art shouldn’t just be enjoyed by those who “can afford it”. Everyone, should be able to enjoy it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I have brought up a couple of times so far how I just want to bring joy to other humans lives. So, when I do and I see it in they’re eyes when they see a piece for the first time, that, is the most rewarding for me. I thoroughly take pleasure in watching others reactions to a painting. Taking in the colors and the textures and little nuances that go along with it. I love to paint and create, but the feeling after finishing a painting doesn’t compare to the feeling after giving the piece to another person.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Now, im not saying have had the worst life, but I would say I’ve experienced enough turmoil throughout my 28 years that many couldn’t possibly imagine. That being said, not once have I ever given up. Over and over I have picked myself back up, dusted off and pushed forward. In 2016, I had gotten into a horrendous car accident. Creating the most traumatizing and painful event in my life. During that event, my bestfriend died my other two passengers were injured. From that, I experienced what it was like to have a 6 month long stay between two hospitals. One of which was where I had to learn and teach myself how to walk and do simple every day tasks again after I was told it was not looking likely that I would be able to have full use of at least one of my legs. I spent 3 years incarcerated, where I honed in on what was really important in life and took a lot of time to reflect on who I was and where I wanted to be. On top of that, I had the time to learn the skills I needed in order to start, run and operate a business, while simultaneously enhancing my skills as an artist. Its been almost 3 years since I’ve been released, and I have done just as I said I always do. I pick myself up, dust off and push forward. I’m living the goals I had set for myself and the journey I wanted my art to take.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Fueled_by_passionny
• Other: Tiktok: Fueledbypassionny