We recently connected with Shay Kent and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shay , thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Wholeness Found, my abstract mixed media online class for artists, is the most meaningful project I’ve worked on.

Facing the blank page, finding our voice, loosening up, and feeling free can be incredibly intimidating and challenging to reach within ourselves as creatives. We feel less than or like others are better than us at making art. The comparison game is real! But art can feel like a friend to us. That’s how I view it. If I had to personify creativity, it would be forever believing, cheerleading you on, hoping for the best for you, and accessible always, no matter how long it had been since you’ve made art or how insecure you might feel. It’s always a loving presence in your life. One you can tap into, focus on, and choose for yourself.

In Wholeness Found, I teach my students to embrace uncertainty as part of the process, how to evaluate their work to decide how to move forward, and to be curious to explore. Through that, they feel free, comforted, and inspired. After taking my classes, my students said it feels like a spa for their creative souls.

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?

I remember as a little girl sitting cross-legged next to my bed, markers by my side, doodling and writing down thoughts. As I grew up, those markers changed to watercolors, and watercolors changed to acrylic paint until, eventually, it included the whole darn art store. But no matter what, art has always felt like a friend to me. It’s been my faithful companion, with me when things were good or bad, always listening, comforting, or inspiring. That’s what I share with my students today. They say my art workshops feel like a spa for their creative soul.

A handful of years ago, Oprah Winfrey had an online class with writer/researcher/social worker Brene Brown.

Together they hosted a book club for Brene’s new book, The Gifts of Imperfection. They brought on artist Kelly Rae Roberts who taught us the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Art journaling! This wild, loose way of making art, using words, smashing paint, gluing colorful paper, and putting it all together on a page in a meaningful self-reflected way.

I’d never seen this before, and I was hooked! It was here I was introduced to the world of online mixed-media art classes. I couldn’t get enough. At first, it was just me and the blue Ikea trolley cart sitting at the dining room table with just a few art supplies. But, it quickly grew into the light-filled studio, full of colorful paints, pens, and soft cotton watercolor papers, that I have today.

It was my dream to one day teach one of those art classes I took online. It had made such a difference in my life, and I wanted to share it. After a few years of being the student taking classes, practicing, and getting better at art, they had a call for new contributing artists. Without any knowledge about filming, editing, business, or marketing, I put in for it. Out of hundreds of applicants and only ten spots, I got one of them. I made it in!

Since then, I’ve taught tens of thousands of students online through my own company at Shay Michelle Studios or through collaborations with other artists. In addition, I’ve taught and spoken at in-person workshops and conferences throughout Tampa Bay, sold artwork in cute little boutiques, and shown my artwork at local art shows

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Oh my word, yes! Every day I show up to my job as a content creator/course maker, it illustrates resiliency. This is going to sound so totally crazy, but I remember the first time that I posted to Facebook. Years ago, I wasn’t on social media, and I felt super weird about saying anything publicly. I remember I wrote up my post and left it unposted for two weeks!!! I just couldn’t push the post button. I hem-hawed around it, debated, and had to muster up the courage to finally post that thing and say, here I am world, see me! It seems so wild to me now, but at that time, I wondered why in the world I would post anything and why would anyone want to read it?. But post it, I did. And guess what? I was fine! It makes me laugh to think that now I post all the time, show my face on camera, write up blog posts, and Instagram posts, do interviews like this, write newsletters, sell courses, join business groups, have shown my artwork in shows, galleries and shops, and am getting ready to launch a podcast! That’s some real growth and a show of resiliency to work through fear and being seen.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

“That felt like a spa, except for my brain. Like a spa for my creative soul!” Or this, “What an uplifting class! Like a breath of fresh air!” I’ve heard this again and again from students in my classes.

When someone takes an art class with me, I lead them to step by step through the process. From gathering supplies, how to create art, I’m like a friend sitting across from their table from them. I’m always thinking about their experience. Are they anxious? Where might they get stuck? How can I be a good encourager to them? All of the classes I teach have a self-exploration component to them. Whether we’re tackling the topic of our enoughness or what we might want to bring in or let go of in our lives, there is always self-reflection. Then we take what we’ve discovered and make art with it on the page. With paint, glue, paper, markers, lace, fabric, gemstones, etc., we set out to let go, relax, and have fun through making. As the students say, it’s like an art class for your creative soul.

I’m a natural encourager, and people have told me that my classes have helped them feel relaxed and inspired and that they’ve been able to do things artistically they never thought they could do. Just as if they went to the spa for the day, they have a chance to check out while also checking in with themselves, a place to feel relaxed and energized. A place to let go and enjoy. Then, and this is important, they can go back into life and tackle all the big and significant things they have going on. Art can help with that too! By giving us breathing space, we can take on life with more ease and perspective. What a fantastic thing!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shaymichelle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaymichellestudios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaymichellestudios