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

Hi Donna, thanks for joining 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 had a regular job (I was a nurse for 15 years) and there is not a day that goes by that I do not regret the decision to leave nursing and follow my true path as an artist.

Gone are the days of 5am wake up calls and physically demanding work that never got appreciated. I now get to set my own schedule, answer to myself and create beautiful paintings that change people’s lives and spaces.

I now wake up every morning (at a very reasonable hour) knowing that I have all the power to create the future that I want. I get to set my schedule as I see fit and sometimes that means not being in the studio at all. There are many hats I get to wear as an artist and some of those days I spend content planning, marketing, accounting, etc etc, all the things that are essential to making a successful business actually work. I love that every day is something different and often something new that I have to discover, learn or tackle.

I could not imagine doing anything other than being an artist. I am super grateful that I am one of those lucky people that have been able to find their passion and make it into a thriving business.

The question I have for those who have a regular job is, “do you kinda wish you got to be an artist?”

Donna, 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 Donna Giraud and I am from Vancouver BC Canada. I call myself a textural abstract painter. I take acrylic mediums and paint and arrange them in beautiful ways that tell a story and make you feel calm, peaceful and hopeful for what lies ahead.

I like to think that when it comes to art, people are looking for something that resonates with their core values and beliefs. My hope is to find art enthusiasts that believe in positivity and stillness but also love a sense of the outdoors and adventure. My artwork embodies these values and there is no better feeling than when my artwork finds the perfect forever home.

There are many exceptionally talented artists out there, but I believe that my attention to relationship building and my honest and authentic approach to buying art is what sets me a part. I offer an enjoyable and stress free buying process because I know that purchasing art is a big deal and investment. I want people to fall in love with one of my pieces of art and confidently feel good about bringing one (or more) home with them.

To make the process a little easier, I also offer the option of bringing a bunch of work into your home so you can “try them on” to make sure it’s the perfect fit.

Art has the power to transform a space and your heart and I believe that surrounding ourselves with one of a kind items that speak to our souls is paramount. My hope is that my artwork resonates deeply, makes you feel peaceful and nostalgic and you cannot imagine your walls without it.

I also truly believe that art is for everyone. Through in person interactions or social media posts, my aim is to always let people know that they don’t have to know anything about art to love art. Over the last 22 years, I have tried to create an unpretentious art environment where everyone is welcome.

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

I think now more than ever, it is important to support all the wonderful things that are happening in our community creatively. Art has the ability to start conversations, build connection and make people happy. Why would we not want this for our community?

It starts with the artists being brave enough to get out there to show their creations, but it doesn’t work if the appreciators aren’t there to support. And this doesn’t mean you have to purchase anything. It means showing up and just saying hello. It means following them on social media and posting positive comments because you love what they do. It means taking a card and referring them to a friend. Subscribe to their newsletter, share their posts, offer to help at one of their shows, the list is endless.

The smallest gestures can have the biggest impacts.

The more you show up and support, the more the artists will believe in what they are doing and therefore have the confidence to keep going so that they can show you even greater things. It doesn’t work if both of us us don’t show up.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think the act of being an artist is synonymous with the word resilience. Being an artist is one of the toughest professions to actually make work. You are constantly making things with the soul purpose of putting it out there for everyone to judge. And let me assure you, not everyone is gonna like what you do. To keep showing up day after day and continuing to create is the definition of resilience.

A specific example of a time when I feel I was most resilient, was my 2020 solo exhibition. It had been a year in the making and then we get hit by a world wide pandemic.

I could have easily said, “I will just wait this thing out or maybe do the show next year when everything is back to normal!”

But instead, I saw a rare opportunity to pivot and recognized that something like my art show was exactly what people wanted and most importantly need to to see.

With weeks to go, I completely changed gears and put the whole show on line. I had video descriptions and a guided explanation of the whole show in my gallery, a live chat box that people could chat with me while the show was going on and a positive message/theme to the show that people really needed to hear and experience in that moment in time.

It ended up being one of the most exciting and successful shows I have done thus far and I am super proud I was resilient enough to dig deep and find a different way to show the world what I had worked so hard on.

The art world is constantly changing and pivots are a part of the deal. Being resilient is definitely a quality that can make the ultimate difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.donnagiraudart.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/donnagiraudart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/donnagiraudart
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/donnagiraudart

Image Credits
Bryon Dauncey (artwork photos) , Jasalyn Thorne (photos of me) and ishot.ca (installed in home images)