We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shannon Joy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shannon below.

Shannon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on is “In The Black”. It is a creation born from the rubble of my own life, built with blood, grit, and grace.

It wasn’t a business plan or a brainstormed idea, really. It was a lifeline. “In The Black” came from surviving childhood abuse, domestic violence, and nights spent in a shelter with my babies while I earned my degree. It came from eleven relentless years of fighting in my spirit and in courtrooms to protect my children from their abuser. It came from rising again and again when the world told me I was supposed to stay broken. I didn’t just want to survive, I wanted to rewrite the story. And I did. I became the proof that you can be in the red – in debt, in danger, in despair – and still find your way into the black.

This project began as a visual love letter to women like me, women who clawed their way out of impossible situations and created something beautiful from the wreckage. I started painting portraits of survivors, telling their stories not as victims, but as victors – complex, courageous, and deeply human. Every line I drew, every color I mixed, was a declaration: “You are still here. You still matter.”

Later, the project grew when Aracelli brought the idea of the podcast to the table. That’s when we joined forces. Her gift was drawing out these women’s voices, capturing their truth through conversation while I capture their essence in art. Together, we gave form and sound to the stories that too often go unheard.

In The Black is more than a project. It’s a movement. It’s about reclaiming power, telling the truth, and honoring the women who went through hell and still came out holding light. It’s about being in the black, not just financially, but emotionally, mentally, spiritually. Its about being whole, powerful, and unapologetically alive.

Shannon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Shannon Joy and I own Shannon Joy Creative. I am an artist, writer, speaker, and survivor. I create at the intersection of pain and power, turning lived experience into liberation, both for myself and the women I serve.

My journey into this work wasn’t a career move. It was survival. I’m a mother who rebuilt her life from scratch while living in a shelter, earning a degree with a baby on her hip and trauma in her bones. I fought for 11 years to protect my children and gain full custody from an abuser. I know what it means to live in the red – emotionally, financially, spiritually – and fight your way into the black.

That fight became my calling.

I use my art, my words, and my voice to tell stories that matter, stories that are often left out of the spotlight. I’m a muralist, a poet, and the founder of In The Black, a creative and healing project that celebrates the resilience of women who’ve survived the unthinkable and risen anyway. I paint portraits of these women, write their stories, and now, alongside Aracelli, host a podcast where their voices are heard, raw and unfiltered. Each woman’s story becomes both testimony and torch, lighting the way for someone else who’s still in the dark.

I also lead wellness retreats and creative workshops for women who are ready to reclaim their narratives, reconnect with their bodies, and rediscover their power. Whether it’s through intuitive art, spoken word, or deep NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) work, my mission is always the same: to help women heal out loud.

What sets me apart is that I’ve lived it. I don’t speak from theory, I speak from trenches and triumphs. I’ve turned my own splintered past into sacred work. I know how to create beauty from brokenness, and I guide others to do the same, not by pretending it’s easy, but by showing it’s possible.

I’m most proud of the women who have allowed me to witness their stories: the mothers, fighters, the artists, and the survivors who said yes to being seen. In The Black isn’t about me, it’s about us.

If you’re looking for truth, depth, and transformation, you’ll find it in my work. I don’t sugarcoat. I don’t play small. I believe healing is holy and creativity is revolutionary. I believe your story matters. And I’m here to help you tell it.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes, my mission is to remind people that beauty is not a luxury; it is a necessity. In a world that tells us to keep grinding, to numb ourselves, to survive rather than feel, I believe art is a rebellion. A remembering. A return to ourselves.

My creative journey is driven by the belief that art has the power to heal what the world tries to silence. Beauty is not frivolous! It is essential to our humanity. It softens us. It saves us. It gives breath to grief and shape to joy. I’ve lived through darkness, and I know firsthand that beauty can be the thing that keeps us alive when nothing else makes sense. Whether it’s through murals that transform public spaces or portraits that honor a woman’s truth, I create because we need to see reflections of resilience, softness, power, and hope.

My work isn’t just about paint on a wall or words on a page. It’s about reminding people, especially women who’ve been through hell, that they are still art. Still worthy. Still whole. I want my art to be a mirror, a balm, a call to rise. Because when we see beauty, we remember there is still something sacred worth fighting for.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn is that I had to feel worthy before I could be worthy.

For so long, I thought I had to wait until I was confident, until the fear left, until the voice in my head stopped whispering you’re not good enough, you’re not ready, who do you think you are? But the truth is, that voice never really goes away. Imposter syndrome doesn’t magically disappear. You just learn to walk through the fire with it still echoing behind you… and you have to choose not to let it lead.

I’ve spoken on stages with shaky hands. I’ve painted murals while wondering if people would think I was a joke. I’ve launched projects like In The Black not because I was fearless, but because I finally understood that courage isn’t about not being scared, it’s about doing it anyway. Especially when you still feel unworthy.

I had to prove something, not to the world, but to myself. I needed to know that I deserve to take up space. That I can start messy, unsure, and still be magic. Worthiness doesn’t wait for perfection. It shows up in the trying. In the trembling steps forward. In the decision to start before you feel ready and trust that you’ll grow into who you’re becoming.

That’s how I built everything: scared, unsure, and deeply called. And I wouldn’t trade that path for anything, because it taught me that my worth was never up for debate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shannonjoy.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonjoy.art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/art.shannonjoy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-joy-art
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/6VDhQHMormF1Rb4FCawelg?si=bh2ZogNRT9-laywlpM4-Xg

Image Credits

BG Studio Photography