We recently connected with Tess Davies and have shared our conversation below.

Tess, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I resigned from my position as gallery manager in 2019 to pursue art full time. I had enough projects at that point that the transition made sense, but it was definitely scary losing benefits, stability and security, and completely betting on myself. Before painting murals, I learned a lot about marketing and managing artists from my gallery position, so I am definitely grateful for that experience.

Tess, 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?

My name is Tess Davies and I am a studio artist and mural painter from Nashville, TN. Since 2019, I have painted murals for clients including Madewell, Hermés, Hilton Hotels, the Four Seasons, and Lululemon. My available work can be found at Nashville Artist Collective and Design Supply in Birmingham, AL. I do small scale and large scale paintings, custom commissions, and indoor and outdoor murals.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

2020 was a particularly frightening time to be a creative. My husband is a musician, and we both lost a lot of work and had just bought our first home in March of that year. I also had major surgery and was losing my sister to breast cancer at the time. We weren’t sure how we were going to make ends meet, but we got through. It’s always a reminder to me, whenever I feel like I don’t have many projects lined up or I am feeling financial stress or imposter syndrome, that if I could make it work during what truly felt like the end of the world, that I can pretty much handle anything.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to be proud of any project I am working on. I get in my own head a lot and am my own worst critic, but I want to set an example for my daughter that it’s so important to have pride in your work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tessdaviesart.com
• Instagram: @tessdaviesart

Image Credits

Mason Goodson