We were lucky to catch up with Shaylen Broughton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shaylen, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

When I first started out I had no idea what I was doing, to be honest. I made connections through my career as an Interior Designer that led me to a few big commissions which were enough to get me through the first year. After that, I tried a lot of different avenues, including social media, Etsy, art fairs, and galleries. I spent a lot of time researching online, looking at how other artists were doing it. Mostly it was a lot of trial and error. I picked up side jobs here and there, assisting other artists I had met at social events or online. Anytime I needed extra money I would figure out how to get it. I tried never to make the money aspect the driving force behind my creative work. After a while, it just worked itself out. I think the best advice I have for anyone starting out, is to try different things, the way that works for me or anyone else might not be right for you. There’s nothing wrong with getting a side gig to make extra cash when you need it. Also, go to all of the social events and connect with others, you never know who might be an art collector or gallery owner!

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 love for making art started before I can remember. Apparently, when I was a baby, I only wanted to watch Bob Ross, if anyone tried to change the channel I would cry. When I was about 7 years old my Grandmother Grace, who was a professional portrait artist, taught me how to paint with watercolors and oil paint. Drawing and painting became an obsession and I knew from a very young age that I wanted to go into some type of creative career. I was told painting wasn’t really a career option by my school counselors so I chose Interior Design. I received my BFA from SCAD in 2011 and went on to work as an Interior Designer in the Hospitality field until February 2014. When I left my full-time career, it was scary, but I knew I needed to shift my focus to something that gave me more creative freedom. So I took a big risk on my dream and started sharing my paintings on social media. By March 2014, I had enough commission work to start an LLC and call my “little hobby” a full-time job. When I started out I was painting pretty much anything someone would ask for, landscapes, portraits, and cityscapes mostly. I eventually started experimenting with abstract watercolors as a meditation practice and a way to get into a creative flow. Once I started sharing these they became a crowd favorite, and I absolutely loved making them. This led me to experiment with fluid mediums, acrylics, and inks and it became an obsession and a love affair with my creative practice that is still going strong 9 years later. My goal in sharing my work and creative process is to share the pure love and joyful energy that is created in process, in hopes that it will touch other people in a positive way, whether it inspires them to create something or they want to bring this energy into their space and give my art a forever home.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to fully and authentically express myself, and having others connect with what I am creating. When I first started out I had the mindset that I needed to create things other people would like, in order to be successful, but when I started sharing my abstract work, I realized that my people would find me, I just needed to be unapologetically myself.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think most people who have never worked as an artist assume all we do is play in paint all day, which sadly is not the case. There is a ton of admin work that goes into making a living as an artist!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sabartstudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabartstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaylenamanda
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaylen-broughton-54110b4a
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sabartstudio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sabartstudio1804

Image Credits
Profile photo: Kate Rolston Studio Process Photos: Prism Creative