We were lucky to catch up with Johanna Chaw recently and have shared our conversation below.
Johanna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Leaving a decade-long career in private wealth management to become a full-time artist is, by far, the most rewarding risk I’ve ever taken. My life was pretty chaotic growing up. After graduating with a BFA in Art History, all I wanted was a routine and stability. I took a job in a wealth management firm and continued my studies in finance. Entering the corporate world was a major unexpected turn but it was a clean slate for me to redefine who I was. I welcomed the idea of going outside of my comfort zone to learn something completely new. Originally, my plan was to work in wealth management until I could save enough money to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree but life had other surprises for me. I thrived as a career woman and eventually went on to become a fully licensed Investment Representative at one of the Big 5 banks of Canada.
Though returning to my artistic roots always lingered, I also envisioned moving up the corporate ladder and considered going into Compliance someday. As the stress and pressure of my career accumulated over the years, I began feeling a disconnect within me. I often found myself questioning why I was in finance. On paper, it seemed like I had it all figured out but in reality, I was deeply miserable. Even though I had accomplished everything I thought I was supposed to do, something was fundamentally missing. I struggled with my career change for years, not knowing where I would even begin. On good days, I would convince myself that everything was fine, but on bad days, my inner voice would scream desperately for a change. It took a while for me to understand that when you try too hard to convince yourself that everything’s fine, chances are that it’s your fear holding you back.
By 2018, my career in private wealth management was pretty much set. I had reached a point where I needed to decide whether I wanted to keep my career the way it was until retirement or if it was time to explore my aspirations in Compliance. It dawned on me then that neither of those options resonated with me anymore. After some serious soul searching, I realized that my lifelong dream has always been to become an artist and I was ready to make it happen. I finally left the finance industry in December 2019.
After that, I spent the next year working as an Office Manager and Consultant for one of the world’s leading animal protection organizations. My time in the non-profit sector helped me gain experience that I never would’ve gotten in finance. With the pandemic slowing the world down, I reconnected with parts of myself that I had forgotten about. I felt a shift in me like things were finally aligning. It presented an opportunity to do something bold again. I had amassed a wealth of knowledge and transferable skills that could help me build my business. I didn’t have all of the answers but it made sense, it was organic and it was authentic. Once my contract ended, I took a leap of faith and launched my business as a full-time artist in 2021. Risk taking is initially scary, but embracing it can lead to so much growth and purpose.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For me, art has always been about healing – a way of coping and finding calm in the chaos. I discovered the enso circle at a yoga class in 2011. I was completely drawn by its soothing elegance. In 2015, I started my first enso painting on a 40×40 canvas. I didn’t know it then, but I was developing my artistic process for my business. I took my time finishing the painting. I traded fear for curiosity, exploring contrasting emotions of chaos and calm. It was meditative, mindful and therapeutic. When the painting was completed in 2016, I was overcome with gratitude, joy, and a deep sense of peace. From then on, my art practice focused solely on the enso circle.
If you’re not familiar with the enso circle, it’s a meditative art form of clearing your mind to let your body create freely. There’s a profound meaning in the concept as it balances the simplicity of its geometrical shape with the complexities of life. I’ve always been intrigued by how the movement of a single continuous brushstroke could reveal a reflection of myself the very moment I draw the enso circle. When I’m calm, my circles are exceptionally round and peaceful; when I’m not, it’s reflected in the expressiveness of the enso. Each enso circle is one-of-a-kind because it captures the essence of one fleeting present moment. It’s pure, authentic and embodies mindfulness at its core.
My art and mindfulness practices are closely connected. The themes I study stem from psychology, wabi-sabi philosophy and the concept of kintsugi. Contemplating my own journey in life, I explore emotions that came from chaos and suffering before transforming them into serene reflections of inner peace, healing, strength and resilience. My art is about welcoming stillness into your heart, nurturing a deeper connection with yourself through mindfulness, accepting imperfection as part of life and embracing your strengths and flaws with complete sincerity. It’s more than just art. It encourages you to live your truth.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I survived a harrowing experience many years ago. It started as an out-of-body dissociation when the image of a vase with a small crack appeared in my mind. Like a metaphor of how the night unfolded, the crack kept getting bigger in my mind until the vase shattered into a million pieces. Art has always been a coping mechanism so it felt like art protected me from what had happened to me. The next day, I woke up to a different person, utterly alone and without purpose. I had fallen into this dark abyss, consumed with immeasurable hurt and shame. It took a good two years before I finally sought help. I’ll always remember the kindness that my doctor showed me when I confided in her. As women, we tend to carry so much on our shoulders and put ourselves on the back burner even when we’re in survival mode. “You took care of everyone else while carrying this. It’s time to let us take care of you,” she said. The quiet internal struggle that violence against women leaves you with simply isn’t the kind of trauma you get through on your own. With the help of my doctor, I’ve since built a solid support system of women who continuously help me in my healing journey.
When I discovered Kintsugi – the art of repairing broken pottery with gold – I felt a deep comfort knowing that broken pieces can be mended beautifully and tell a whole story. This calming hope in my heart was the breakthrough in my personal healing journey and the beginning of what would become the main signature style in my art: The Kintsugi Enso. The imagery of these chaotic lines and the broken vase finally made sense. I’ll spend the rest of my life healing from the night I was attacked, but I know now that the cracks in the vase were a reminder of my strength and resilience. Healing is a long, ongoing, roller coaster of a journey. It isn’t linear. You have to keep getting up. Take it one step at a time, one moment at a time and one gratitude at a time. You are not defined by your trauma. You survived and you are here. That means something.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Oh, absolutely. My art serves a purpose: to inspire healing and to find inner peace through mindfulness. My practice explores several themes within the realm of mindfulness, and each of my signature styles dives deeper into a specific concept. My main signature style, The Kintsugi Enso, explores healing and your ability to always rise when faced with adversity. We all carry scars from some form of trauma or hardship that we endured in life. Your scars, like the gold kintsugi lines, are symbols of your strength and resilience, a reminder of your courage.
Our stories are unique to our own but we can relate to each other through our shared experiences, emotions and the desire to find calm in the chaos. Growth, healing, inner peace and mindfulness are profoundly intertwined and I think everyone searches for that connection in life. I want to inspire others to take risks, to go after their dreams and to find purpose. I can confidently say that I’m dedicating the rest of my life to spread mindfulness, helping others find healing and stillness within.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.johannachaw.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johannachawstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johannachawstudio
Image Credits
Johanna Chaw Studio