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

Hi Naomi, thanks for joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your creative career?

My prior job I was a sales associate at Ulta Beauty. I learned on a more professional scale the importance of self marketing and proper time management as a consultant and the relationship between consumer and product development. I learned this by observing on a daily basis my coworkers and through close conversations with some of the clients, from lower class to the more upper classes. And even though makeup isn’t exactly my thing (completely), I’m very inquisitive so the thought process was a natural move but to see the interaction and hear some of the conversations as well as partake in my own I will never forget. I remember my manager at the time saw me come in, after watching me quite a while regarding work ethic, and said to me, “Naomi you come in the building as a DM”. To me that was a big compliment because she was in a successful position in the company and even though I didn’t see myself long term in the company I knew the compliment was based on traits that can not only be applied to everyday but also to my own art business. To be compared to a District Manager and I had only been with the company for about a month up until that point!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Naomi and I’m an artist located in Wyoming. My love for art came about at 3 yrs of age, I started by tracing coloring sheets and when I became bored of that I started drawing my own coloring pages. I grew from sketching and coloring to painting. I specialize in painting landscapes, space, people and now Anime!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an Artist and creative for me will always be the freedom of expression and meeting/ interacting with those who share the same passion and admiration for Art. You can let the viewer/audience into your mind and internal world via the canvas or whatever the creation is. Brainstorming can alchemize into a new piece for each individual specific to their style but still be so beautifully intertwined with details executed perfectly in a creative pool.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to learn, and more than once I might add, is that the business is only as alive as the passion. However, the business aspect of being an Artist shouldn’t always be the main focus in my opinion. For example, you have a huge bill due and remember “I’m an Artist!” so you rush and create 3-4 pieces for a “quick sale” and you don’t get a sale but you have these new pieces and less materials than you started with without a profit and the bill is still due. On the other hand you see the bill and think, “I’m an Artist!” so you pick up a brush, a few colors and you vent onto the canvas. Your mind is racing with techniques for the pieces at hand and the dilemma, or any related emotions for that matter. Then you look up and you just created 3-4 masterpieces that display raw emotion and a focused level of detail and creativity and you decide to post. These pieces go viral or even bring in an influx of clients and you just poured your heart out on a canvas but that bill can now be paid 3 times over. I believe that lesson also goes into the saying, “Your talents will always make room for you.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nae_hendrixx/profilecard/?igsh=OG8wN2RlcWU0OWpj
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15fuXo4oGo/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Twitter: https://x.com/sensei_hendrix?s=21&t=MKQ0bWMRSO8tyoDHhocU6w

Image Credits

These are all taken by me. They can be resized if needed