We recently connected with Robin Griffin and have shared our conversation below.
Robin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
Looking back at my career, I feel pretty satisfied with the way that all of my different professional roles have merged together in order to bring me to this point in my life. The concept of divine order provides a profound framework for my understanding the interconnectedness of all things. My belief in a higher, universal order fosters a sense of purpose and deeper meaning. Throughout the years I have steadily gained invaluable first hand experience working behind the scenes in the hospitality industry executing functions and special events for people inspiring me to continue to build upon an inherent passion to provide intentional means for purposeful connection.
When the world came to a standstill during the Covid pandemic, I embraced a newfound passion for painting as a therapeutic escape from the chaos and uncertainty surrounding all of us in the world. A practice that originally started as a simple release of emotions soon evolved from pour painting with my mother into a regular practice and profound love for artistic expression that transcends the individual self and fosters a connection to something greater than ourselves. My social media platform then served as a safe space to a build community to share intuitive artworks combined with bits of storytelling and detailed parts of the painting process. In a moment of clarity, I decided to channel this passion for painting with my love for diverse cultural exploration into a lasting legacy endeavor – the creation of an art and lifestyle agency aimed at uplifting and supporting the local community. What initially began as a personal journey of self-discovery and healing eventually blossomed into a worldwide mission to empower and enrich our environment through the transformative power of art.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Bobbie Bonita Art is a pseudonym and brand born from a desire to help humankind unwind joy. As a mixologist and freelance artist, I connect with individuals to create enchanting abstract artworks using mixed media techniques and found materials that help uplift peoples spaces and spirits. Additionally I offer food and drink craft paired with consultation services on product design and development along with providing event management and operational support for special functions and occasions such as weddings, corporate parties, fundraisers and festivals. I have been working independently as a freelance artist now for over three years and I have a strong passion for bringing a dramatic sense of wild color, wonder, delight and imagination to my projects and audiences.
A golden rule philosophy infused with a love for travel combined with a B. S. in Communications Media furthered by artistic exploration and a strong background in leadership and self-development enables me to actively listen, critically engage, understand and influence human behavior and emotions. Applying social adeptness along with a high level of adaptability to my event management and hospitality roles, I have over 12 years experience working as a luxury Food and Beverage Server at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, and as a Cruise Director at the Gateway Clipper Fleet of Pittsburgh. I currently excel in bringing impactful abstract concepts to life, producing potent digital content, providing seamless logistics coordination, developing diverse internal teams, and ensuring overall client satisfaction. I am always eager to travel somewhere new, soak up the local surroundings, learn different skills and explore opportunities that allow me to continue to grow and collaborate.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Creating art as a way to maintain mental wellness is a powerful and important motivation. Art serves as a means of movement throughout life to weave through many overwhelming thoughts, personal challenges and emotions, ultimately serving as a form of therapeutic release. By channeling my lived experiences and feelings onto the canvas, I’m not only navigating my own path to wellness, but also contributing to the destigmatization of mental health. Through my intuitive abstract paintings and functional furniture decor, I’m advocating for mental health to be treated with the same importance and consideration as our physical health, breaking barriers and encouraging open conversations about mental well-being. My dedication to this cause through my art and hospitality work is not only inspiring to others but also serves a crucial step towards fostering a more open, understanding and supportive society.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a visual artist is being able to work on something that makes an impact, holds an intangible value and serves an intentional purpose. I love being able to work on projects that I feel a deep connection with because I know that the work will then continue to serve its purpose and make a difference in the world even after the creation process is complete. This is truly a gift of joy that keeps on giving to people and also encourages us all to take time to be still. Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to work on a family tree painting commissioned by an aunt of mine that was to be used for signage at a family reunion. This is probably the most meaningful project that I have collaborated on to date because it gave me a chance to bring a concept to life for our family to engage with and something that we could also use to pass down to the next generation. My favorite detail about this project was how we enhanced the overall purpose of the painting piece by having everyone sign the painting piece with their own name and then also sign a guest book where they could share some short thoughts about their own favorite family memories along with leaving their personal contact information. Imagine all of the warm thoughts and fuzzy feelings that will be provided for people in the future whenever someone revisits this project!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bobbiebonita.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinbonita
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rfgriffin6?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinfgriffin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@robinbonita
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bobbiebonita?_t=8ZNYVA7u9ms&_r=1
