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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeAlright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tish Dinkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tish, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
My parents were firm believers in a relentless work ethic and encouraged us (my siblings and I) to always think outside the box. We were taught to always be on time and to always show respect to others. They believed that a valuable member of society should always strive to be the best that they can be, no matter the task – big or small, executive-level or entry-level. My dad would always tell brain-teasing stories to test our critical thinking skills, and if we were wrong he would always explain to us the reason why we were wrong in addition to what the correct answer was. My mom was a living example of how a classy and family-oriented woman should carry herself. We never heard her curse, and her soft-spoken demeanor accompanied her loving and nurturing spirit. But do not take her kindness for a weakness – she was still able to lay down the law and steer us away from bad behaviors before we got ahead of ourselves.
Early on, I learned to stand out from the crowd and to forge my own path on the narrow road of success. I attribute the person that I am today to the early impact and nurturing I received from my parents. They always supported me throughout my school age years by attending every competition or awards ceremony I was blessed to be part of. I’m especially fond of certain memories such as my mom enduring the summer heat for my 6th grade graduation or the time my dad surprised me by showing up to the regional spelling bee competition when I was in 8th grade (he left work early). Even as an adult, they have always supported any creative or professional pursuits of mine. I’m so thankful, honored, and privileged to be their child, and I will spend the rest of my life honoring them.
Tish, 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?
Art has always been my first love since I was a toddler. I would always draw my favorite cartoon characters and nature scenes even before I started school. During my middle and high school years, the neighborhood kids and high school class mates would pay me to draw self-portraits of Michael Jackson at the height of his Thriller album (I had perfected how to draw his hair and face from that album cover). After passing AP Art classes in high school, I had the opportunity to attend several art colleges on scholarship. However, I listened to several family members as they convinced me to go into the medical field instead. I was told that being an artist was a waste of time and pursuing a “real” career was the only option.
Fast forward, I retired from the pharmaceutical industry after 20 years of service and began working in leadership roles for several toxic corporations. This was in 2019, 6 months prior to the beginning of the pandemic. Prior to retiring I suffered several challenges that year, such a recovering from a rare skin cancer and dealing with the sudden death of my oldest son. Needless to say, I was at the lowest point in my life, which became worse once the pandemic hit. I was struggling to cope and wasn’t sure if I would ever get out of this darkness. Then one day, I came home from work to browse YouTube when I stumbled across a thumbnail of an artist that was pouring paint onto a canvas. Naturally I was intrigued so I clicked. The artist was a Canadian by the name of Olga Soby, and she absolutely captured my attention for the duration of the video. She was creating art in a style I had never heard of before known as fluid art (an abstract form of art). Her color choice, the way she poured the paint into the canvas, and the intricate techniques she used to create her composition absolutely captivated me. I was immediately hooked, and thus began a journey down a rabbit hole I have yet to climb out of. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years of watching tons of videos from several fluid artists and eventually purchasing supplies to begin creations of my own. But the true discovery was the way the process made me feel and the improvement I noticed in my mood and behavior after diving into this new craft. The icing on the cake was the amazing and beautiful masterpieces that I had created as a result of submitting to the process and letting things flow. My love for art was reignited, and my life was suddenly changed forever. I knew that if I could benefit from healing through art that I could help others in similar situations do the same.
As CEO & founder of Paintiza LLC, I blend my artistic passion with entrepreneurship. As a creative consultant, I help companies unleash their teams’ potential, boosting creativity and problem solving through ART based team building events. I am also an author! My impactful books such as “You Have No Idea the Hell I’ve Been Through” provide practical steps for overcoming life’s challenges. In “Yes I’m Single”, we redefine singleness as a state of strength and fulfillment. My upcoming book “Stop Feeding Them Pizza” explores the power of art-base team building activities, emphasizing how creativity fosters team cohesion, unlocks innovation, reduces stress, enhances communication skills, and accommodates diverse skill sets. As a speaker, I cover topics like benefits from team building art events and balancing entrepreneurship with singlehood. In my latest book entitled, “Paint Your Stress Away”, we explore the therapeutic realms of fluid art as a pathway to inner peace. We also embark on a creative odyssey designed to alleviate stress and cultivate tranquility through the mesmerizing world of fluid art.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
One of the most profound videos I have ever watched was the movie “The Secret”. This was the first time that I was exposed to the concept of how what we believe and think dictates what manifests in our life. Many religions briefly hint towards this, but it was never broken down in detail and to the masses in this way before this movie premiered. I make it a habit to watch it at least once a year to remind myself that I have the power and ability to have and do whatever I want if I truly believe it and work towards it. We are souls made of energy and are constantly attracting to us the type of energy field we are in (positive or negative). I have learned to stay in a positive and grateful state of energy in order to create and attract the things I want in life. Once I had this epiphany and mental shift, I began to see life from a better point of view. Suddenly bigger and better things began to opened up for me, and my only regret is that I did not know about this amazing concept sooner.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect is being immersed in the process. This may come as a surprise to many because I’m sure most people would think that the final artistic piece itself would be the most rewarding part. I tell my clients all the time that we should appreciate the process more than the final outcome. Why? There are several reasons. First, taking the time to gather materials, physically create the piece, and allowing negative energy to transform into positive energy while creating does more for your soul and your mental state. The feeling you receive during this process is indescribable and has a profound lasting effect on your life. Secondly, we aren’t perfect so not every artwork will be to your liking or standards but being able to start over takes you through that euphoric phase again. Lastly. The process is a way to not only continue to enjoy expressing yourself but it will help you to improve in areas that you believe you need improvement in. I love the subjectivity of being a creative because you only have to please yourself, and your creations shouldn’t conform to any set standards.
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All photos are courtesy of Tish Dinkins.
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