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

Shannon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’m not sure there was an exact “light bulb” moment, so to speak. In high school I used to draw all the time, and from it received a lot of odd jobs; tattoo designs, portraits of pets and people, murals, etc. Eventually I went to college to pursue an art degree. I had been painting for a few years at this time and painted a picture of my puppy, just for fun. I got a lot of inquiries for pet portraits from it. That’s what really started my career as a painter. After a couple years I was able to quit my barista job that I had been balancing with school and commissioned work – and just do commissions full time. That’s when I realized I really could be a full time painter, it was liberating.

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?

My name is Shannon Vaught and I am an artist based out of Oceanside, California. I graduated from the Laguna College of Art and Design in 2019, where I learned how to paint in the classical style of the old masters. We often drew and painted models from life. That’s where I really fell in love with portrait painting, which is primarily what I practice now. Though my style has evolved a bit since then to be more colorful and impressionistic, I still retain the love for realism learned there. I mostly paint alla prima – which means all at once, in one sitting. I really love the direct nature and freshness achieved in such a quick portrait. Right now, I am excited to explore some more narrative, larger portrait and figurative work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It sounds cheesy to say, but all of it. Painting is still, after all these years, what makes me excited about life. I can’t wait to get out of bed most mornings and get in front of my easel. A mentor used to tell me that mastering something like painting would take two lifetimes. It really never stops being a challenge, and that’s what I like so much about it. Painting has taught me so much about life, and I’ve really gotten to know myself through it.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My advice for social media is to just be yourself. There are some perks to having a large following on social media, sure. But it’s mostly a facade. I find that artists especially who are doing their own thing have the most success. People can tell if you’re being honest about the work you’re doing, if you love it or not. Don’t fall for gimmicks just because it worked for someone else. And don’t read too much into it. It’s just the internet after all ;-)

Contact Info:

• Website: ShannonVaught.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/shannonvaughtart
• Facebook: facebook.com/shannonvaughtart
• Twitter: twitter.com/shannonvaughtx