We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Cox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I think that in order to take a risk you have to be willing to make sure that you believe in what it is that you have a passion for. It can’t be something that you take lightly, and you have to be willing to give it your all. Drown out the negatives that try to swindle their way into your mind and surround yourself around other like-minded individuals that truly want to see you win in your craft. I believe that when you put these key components into your toolkit of life, you can truly conquer the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started becoming interested in art when I was in Elementary school, I would say around ten years old, I would often get lost in doodling on scrap paper during my free time in class and had a fun competition going with some of my classmates. We would draw some of our favorite cartoon characters, superheroes, nature scenes, buildings, etc. and challenged our fellow peers to select whose pictures were the best. While there were no prizes to win, there was something very meaningful and rewarding to me about having my picture chosen amongst some of my peers who were equally as talented. Later in my high school years, I began taking art classes to learn more about the history of art. This consisted of gaining insight on who some of the most talented artists of all time were, I also learned about 2-D and 3-D art, as well as the importance of textures, shadowing, gradation, and the various art tools that are needed when creating a particular piece. One of my most memorable moments with my love for art was creating a self-portrait as part of my art exam. I remember my art teacher showing the class how to step-by-step draw each detail of the picture that we had chosen. After my portrait was completed, I received my grade, and took the portrait and my report card home to show my mom. It wasn’t until my mom told me that she was taking my picture to an art studio to get the portrait matted. When she finally brought it back to me, I was astonished to see that my art could now be protected, and I could hang it up in my room and further dream about the creations that I would continue to make. When anyone would ask me what I wanted to be, I would always respond “an architect”. The funny thing is, I didn’t research what all entailed of what being an architect consisted of. When reading up on the skills that an architect had to possess, I was a little intimidated and thought that I would potentially need to pursue a different career. Ultimately, I never got into architecture, I never gave it another thought because two weeks after my 17th birthday, I gave birth to my son. While I knew that I had a lot of decisions to make, my truth was that I was REALLY scared. One of the last things that I wanted to do was fail my child, and not create the life for him that he deserved. After much thinking and weighing my options, I decided to work immediately after high school, and take some college courses when I could. This was harder than what I thought! What took most individuals two to four years to pursue, it took me over 13 years to earn my college degree. My vision of starting a traveling sip and paint business began by talking about what I would want to experience if I was soliciting the service from a sip and paint service. What started out as nightly talks with one of my best friends, turned into my vision coming to fruition, I think my friend knew that I either didn’t know the first step to take, or she knew that I was going to stay stagnant in just dreaming, so she pushed me off of the cliff. I use this analogy because she knew something that I didn’t! She knew that with just a little push that I could indeed fly! To say the least, she believed in me. I was ready to brand my business name and become the Sole Proprietor of “Creative Arts by Stephanie”. Once this was done, I began researching the different areas that had the sip and paint services where the clientele could come into their space, but there was not a service that traveled, and brought the same services to their private homes, or location choices. I also researched how I could make the experience comfortable, fulfilling and most importantly, enjoyable for my clients. One of the incentives that I offer my clients is their choice of the portrait that they want for their party. No matter how time consuming the picture is for me to draw, I believe that the customer is worth the investment of my time, skill, and expertise in creating the canvas that they will ultimately bring to life. I also pre-paint a demo piece that is used as a guide when my clients are painting. Lastly, I teach on correcting any areas of the painting that the client is dissatisfied with after they begin. I don’t believe in accidents with art, as anything can be corrected with faith, patience, the proper tools, and paint colors. What I want from my service is to know that my client is fully satisfied with the professionalism, and attitude of gratitude that Creative Arts by Stephanie has brought to their life, and the life of their guests during each party. In addition to private sip and paint parties, I teach the skill of painting one-on-one; I do online paint parties, I conduct mental wellness workshops, leadership trainings, staff appreciation through painting. When requested, I also provide pre-drawn canvases, a paint demo, and all of the supplies via shipping to businesses that utilize my service without me being in attendance.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The biggest reward that I gain from being an artist is that my clients get to experience the feeling of freedom that comes with creating. I encourage my clients to create a piece that represents themselves, and step away from the normalcy of what we think art should look like. My clients get to use their own imaginations and forget about the world around them. When you are really invested in creating, you remember to breathe, exist in the moment, and be intentional about nurturing their emotional growth; releasing all of those negative endorphins that tend to consume our minds, bodies, and spirits.

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 believe know as a creative, I am often times seen as different based on how I view myself and the world around me. I am indeed a unique individual! I truly feel when it comes to my art in a way that a non-creative could never understand. There are times when I am intense with my art, and there are times when I am incredibly gentle and nostalgic, wanting to remain in that space forever. I see things in a way that others don’t, and this can sometimes be looked upon as complicated with relationships. I see things consciously, from within. I see the delicacy and intimacy of art. I create mindfully, being intentional about living in the moment. I truly create from my heart.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: too35
• Facebook: Stephanie Cox
• Linkedin: Stephanie L. Cox

Image Credits
Stephanie Cox