We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sheree Brand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sheree, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

Despite drawing since I was three, I had never considered art as a career. Being a millennial, we were very much force-fed the stigma of the starving artist and because of this, getting a degree in art never even crossed my mind. I painstakingly got a degree in biology, started working in an office straight out of college; I did everything I was supposed to do and it never felt right. I felt childish that I couldn’t just get through the day like everyone else seemed to. It took four years of commutes, eight to nine hour work days, and feeling inferior for me to realize that I needed something different. That’s when I started drawing again. Art was something I did for fun, to unwind, it wasn’t a career option but I found myself drawn to the idea of a more flexible, creative path. 2020 gave me the opportunity to sell my art and make a real profit from it but it took another two years for me to give up the ghost of being a traditional nine-five employee and pursue art full-time. If I could go back in time, I would get a degree in graphic design and a minor in business or marketing. I would spend more time with artists and creatives like me instead of forcing myself into a path that never quite fit. I would make more art and spend less time in an office. I would build an authentic social media following before there was an algorithm to compete with.

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’m a heart-centric creative living in the Washington DC metro area. I began drawing at a young age and after pursuing a degree in biology and a career in higher education, realized that art was truly where my heart is. When I’m not working or drawing, I’mtypically reading, going to the movies, listening to music/ true crime podcasts, daydreaming, or spending time with people I enjoy like my partner or sisters. I truly believe that there’s nothing laughter can’t cure and just wants to leave the world a little more joy-filled than I found it.

As the owner of Sheree Brand Art Co, I create digital art that puts the concepts of friendship and rest on a pedestal. My work combines dreamy, vibrant colors with the comfort and ease of genuine friendship to create intimate, cozy scenes that feel nostalgic and relatable. As a woman with five sisters, I acknowledge that a lot of my identity is tied up in the ideals of sisterhood, community, and the ease of intimacy in relationships among women. This very much inspired my brand and why my work highlights and elevates women of color, friendship, and shameless idleness.

Through Sheree Brand Art Co, I sell original art, collaborate with clients to create unique, branded images, and create custom illustrations to be used as gifts, cards, etc.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

While running this business, I’ve had to learn repeatedly that a, “no” isn’t the end of the world. Being an entrepreneur/ artist requires putting yourself out there in ways that you’ve never had to before. Whether it’s applying for a vendor position, a grant application, or even a small loan, a “no” is always a possibility and I’ve had to unlearn over and over again that that, “no” is not the end all, be all.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I started drawing because I was bored at my 9-5 and eventually, people were paying me to create custom drawings and even to illustrate a children’s book. After a couple of years of doing only commissions, I began to create original work and did my first vendor event in December 2019. In 2020, I pivoted to Etsy and did fairly well with online retail before returning to in-person events in 2021. In 2022, I did a 15 image deal with Mastercard and was paid more than half of my yearly salary for the job. This commission allowed me to leave my full-time job and pursue art full-time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shereesbrand.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shereedraws

Image Credits
Headshot by Destani Mechele