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

Shea, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned my art form at the age of 6. It’s a childhood craft originating from an annual family tradition that I have honed over my lifetime and didn’t think of creating a business from it until I was in my 30s. I am still learning, trying to do new and different things, and stretching the art form beyond its original purpose because it keeps me interested. I have found that the most essential skills in creating a business from an art are patience, faith, and courage. There is always the obstacle of funding, but I find that my biggest obstacles are the ones within me.

Shea, 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 family had a tradition of creating wrapping paper through an ancient Japanese technique called orizome. At the time, we had no idea what it was called as my mother had gleaned it from an article in Better Homes & Gardens about holiday crafts. In my 30s, I started practicing orizome again and felt very connected it to because of the flow of water and color then the resulting patterns. I wanted to share these beautiful pieces with people and eventually created a line of luxury wall coverings and fabrics from my art. What sets my work apart from other textile brands is that all of my patterns are authentically created from dyed pieces of paper, not digitally drawn representations of dyed pieces (of which there are many out there). I’m most proud of having been able to break into the interiors industry using my art without having any formal art or design education and I did it while working a “regular” job.

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

I had to unlearn that art doesn’t just mean illustrative paint on a canvas. This is something I knew in a broader sense most obviously thinking of sculptures, and I grew up with art and design around me, however once I placed my self as the artist, I have had to battle inner demons telling me that my art wasn’t as legitimate as “{insert any other artist}.” I still struggle with confidence in how best to display and convey my art, but after 3 years in business I know that it does have a legitimate place.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish there were a place or places I could go to find help in running a business. The small business association is only for businesses with a certain number of employees – most creative businesses are one-person or just a few. If I could get a la carte advice on business analytics, marketing, market research, public relations, etc. that would be great. I still haven’t found a source for this. It’s a lonely uncertain game at times.

Contact Info:

• Website: chezsheadesign.com
• Instagram: @chezshea
• Facebook: facebook.com/chezsheadesign

Image Credits
All images credited to Shea Prasad of Chez Shea, LLC.