We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sierra Busch. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sierra below.
Sierra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I’m a nature girl at heart, having grown up in the Appalachian mountains of North Georgia and raised with some of the ceremonies and spirituality of my Native American ancestors. I never wanted to live in the city of Atlanta, much less NYC. But due to career circumstances with my boyfriend at the time, I was suddenly having to decide between leaving the relationship or shoving myself outside of my comfort zone to live in NYC. I was someone who was very dedicated to my goals and didn’t want to just follow a boy somewhere I didn’t want to be, but eventually I was able to rationalize the move because I knew I wanted to work in the art industry and NYC is the center of that world. So I agreed to go for 2 years, thinking I’d gather some relevant experience. I worked at an art gallery for a while, but a dream started to take root. I had studied abroad in a little village in Tuscany in undergrad and because I’d studied Italian before the program started, I was able to have so many amazing, immersive experiences with locals that I’d just never imagined I could have. Working at the art gallery taught me about a lot about sales, how to talk about art, and really built my confidence, but eventually I started to think about what’s next. I decided I wanted to lead my own small group trips to off the beaten path places in Italy. I wanted to be the bridge for them to have similar, culturally-immersive, meaningful travel experiences without having to learn a foreign language, rent a car in a foreign country, or spend so much time finding these amazing, out of the way areas worth visiting. So I started networking my way into the travel industry in NYC. Fast forward to year 3 in the Big Apple – I’m working at a luxury travel agency planning trips for VIPs around the world and it’s exciting but also very stressful. On top of that, I had been in a state of confusion about my relationship for longer than I’d like to admit. I loved him deeply but I think I was also sensing that we were not growing together. It was a painful, difficult and scary decision but I finally took a huge leap– I quit my job at the travel agency on 5th avenue, left a 7 year relationship, and moved to Italy where I worked for a tour operator in Puglia. This leap of faith and next level of pushing myself outside my comfort zone changed my life. Just a few months later, I officially registered Creative Edge Travel and began building my first tours.
Sierra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I have dreamt of being a professional artist since I can remember. My childhood memories are filled with creativity. I even remember my favorite tool as a 4 year old– a giant, dark purple crayon with sparkles in it, which I still have today. Making art and creating beauty in general has been a path that consistently comes easily to me, a constant where I find myself again when the expectations of the world start to weigh heavily on me.
My parents were always supportive of my work but encouraged me to find a career that would allow me to work in the arts without my sole income relying on my own artwork sales. I got a BA in Fine Art with a minor in Business and graduated with the vision of opening a Creative Arts Center. I began interviewing those who were running arts centers to learn as much as I could. It became evident that the job would mostly be fundraising and admin to keep the business running rather than actually immersing in the arts.
So I pivoted. I had fallen in love with travel, Italy specifically. I noticed how tourists were all going to the same sights, seeing iconic places but not truly experiencing the authentic Italian culture. I wanted to create a sustainable travel company redirecting visitors to small villages that hadn’t changed FOR tourism yet, where they could truly experience the everyday rhythm, meet locals, and not just observe the traditions from the outside but actually take part in them. I started networking my way into the travel industry in NYC where I lived at the time and founded Creative Edge Travel in 2017. One of my favorite things about my travel business is being able to support artisans, helping to keep their workshops open and keep the knowledge of their ancient techniques alive.
As the travel company grows, I’m able to shift more and more of my focus back towards my art, slowly arriving at my ultimate vision of spending the majority of my time painting and running my art business while supported by another income stream.
My art expresses the spiritual beauty I find in nature through landscapes and plant portraits. I’m often exploring the relationship between man and nature. But Sierra Dawn Art Studio is about more than the paintings themselves. In a world where corporations thoughtlessly destroy the earth, women don’t have a say over their own bodies, and everyone is painfully divided, we all need a place where we can feel connected to WHO WE ARE, to let the radiance of our essence surround us so that we can step back onto the streets feeling empowered, confident, and ready to make a difference by letting our true light shine. We all have an inner knowing that tells us exactly what we think and feel. But the noise of society masks that.
My goal as an artist is to help my audience find the beauty that expresses on the outside who they are on the inside. Because when you’re in a space that feels like YOU, you are more confident, peaceful, and empowered to share your whole self with others. And the world needs that.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Having spent a lot of time in Italy, I’ve seen firsthand how differently our cultures regard the arts. Italians know how to deeply appreciate beauty and craftsmanship. For them, it’s all about quality over quantity, even when it comes at an extra expense in money or time. The first thing that needs to change in order to create a thriving creative ecosystem in the US is the culture. We have to first learn to truly and deeply appreciate the arts and understand its impact, both on individuals’ lives and our society as a whole. The more we see well-known brands, celebrities, and important figures not only using artists’ ideas but featuring the artists themselves, the more the entire culture will model after that example and start to pause to appreciate the creativity at play and seek it out for themselves.
Of course, there are other elements at play. The growing income divide creates fewer households that can afford original artwork and the more it becomes a “luxury item”. The “cheap and fast” consumerism mentality is more and more difficult to combat against. The lack of funding of the arts in the education system affects our society’s disregard for the arts as well. These complex systems are difficult for the individual to take on, so taking a grassroots approach and living by your own values while encouraging others to do the same is sometimes the best we can do. Many don’t even realize the expenses and just how difficult it is to make a profit as an artist, so just sharing more about that can start to help wake people up and help them to become more willing to make a purchase to support us!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
It took me a really long time to start investing in myself. Coaches and programs just seemed out of the question. I had learned to always spend as little money as possible, and only with several strong reasons to justify it. I’m still cautious and selective about my spending, but my perspective has changed. Since I know that art is something that I will ALWAYS be doing no matter what, I can either struggle on my own for longer or pay to learn from others who can help me reach my goals in half the time. That’s more years of higher sales which will offset the cost of the program over time.
When choosing a program to purchase, I spend months just listening to their podcasts, reading their blog, getting their free resources, and following them on social media. By the time I’m buying from them, I deeply understand and connect with their philosophy and know exactly how they’re going to help me. Feeling an alignment is really important!
Being an entrepreneur can be extremely taxing on your well-being. You have to remember that this endeavor is ultimately meant to support your life, not become it. Not only is it okay to invest in things that will help you get there faster, but it’s really smart. If a $3000 coaching program is too big of a swing, start with pre-recorded online courses from sites like Udemy where they’re always on sale for like $20 or less. They even have some free courses! Check your local library’s programing and any local community centers. There are lots of ways to start getting more and more comfortable with investing in yourself– just don’t continue on the path toward burnout!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.creativeedgetravel.com and https://www.sierradawnart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative.edge.travel and https://www.instagram.com/sierradawnart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/817643212333569 and https://www.facebook.com/SierraDawnArt
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierrabusch/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@creativeedgetravel2067
