Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Trena Brannon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Trena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I was interested in doodling, drawing, and coloring as a child. I chose higher education in a career that had nothing to do with doodling, drawing, and coloring; however, I held my love of creating close to my heart. I would watch craft and painting shows on TV, attend many recreation center art classes, and then online classes became available. In the last few years, online learning has exploded. Today, I am where I am with my art skills because of the hundreds of teachers/crafters/artists I’ve had the pleasure of learning from. They’ve also influenced my spending – I dig all the art supplies, including digital art. Whatever is in my hand is my favorite.
I could have sped up my learning process by majoring in art in college, learning the skills earlier in life, and starting my career in the art world. Working in Corporate America and Higher Education has given me life experiences that I can apply when creating and preparing to have my own business. Not to mention, the salary supported the purchase of my art and craft supplies. My favorite color is the rainbow+. Please don’t ask me to pick just one fave.
I believe everything that happens in our lives prepares us for future things. It’s difficult to say what ‘obstacles’ stood in the way. I look for the teachable moments in challenges; therefore, my obstacles become lessons.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Although I had joy in doodling, drawing, and coloring as a child, I chose a technical path when it was time for me to choose a career. My mind vacillates between left and right, and I found ways to tap into my right side. I discovered cake decorating. I doodled and drew on all my meeting notes. I loved coloring with my children and helping them with their art projects. I also loved looking at their books – pointing out all the beautiful images along with them and thinking, one day, I’m going to illustrate pages for children to enjoy. One day I’ll be ready.
My dear friend Marge introduced me to stamping, which launched me into a world of collecting crafts and art supplies. I had so much fun creating greeting cards that I started a blog and shared tutorials. I would get compliments from my friends and family. They would tell me you should sell your cards. So, I started a side business selling greeting cards. I specialized in cultural cards and inclusive designs. It was hard to find cards with people of color at that time. I continued to doodle and draw, hoping to one day draw my illustrations to color in.
Along the way, I joined arts and crafts design teams, bought many different art supplies recommended by Carol Duvall’s guests, started taking classes in-person and online, and found my interests expanding beyond stamping.
For years, I continued to work a job daily and create in the evenings. I am very fortunate that I have a supportive husband and family. As my children got more independent, I had more time to invest in art and my business. I attended stamping and art retreats around the country. I taught at local stamping stores and also at Dick Blick. I had the awesome opportunity to design stencils for StencilGirl® and met some wonderful people. I enjoyed selling greeting cards; however, creating original cards is not a sustainable business model – it is not scalable.
Four years ago, I decided to create a plan to leave my technical job and grow my side business into a full business. I knew I had to find a way to leverage my art skills in different ways. That was also when I learned what a ‘surface designer’ did. I invested in my education by enrolling in an eight-week online surface design course called Immersion. Shortly after I enrolled, the pandemic started. I was working from home with no commute time. I had extra cycles to invest in my education. During the course, I learned Adobe tools, and I heard many successful artists share how they were making an income in ways I had never heard of – the possibilities are endless! I learned how to create an income with art licensing while maintaining the copyright to my art. I looked for additional classes and communities that gave me more information, ideas, and skills. I had the realization that I had licensed my artwork with StencilGirl®. :) I made the connection when I learned all the options for licensing. I was excited to explore more – look at my art differently, and set up my business to accommodate the expansion.
In 2021 I visited one of my Facebook page groups and saw a post asking if anyone in the group was a children’s book illustrator. Her friend was writing her second book and looking for an illustrator. I thought if only I were ready, I would respond to this. At that same moment, the voice of Bonnie Christine popped into my head, saying, “10 seconds of courage.” So I did it – I reached out to the author. I shared my Instagram profile and asked about the possibility of talking with her. She responded! She told me about her first book. She said she could not tell if I had previously illustrated any books. My heart sank slightly, but I was also encouraged because she asked me to share more about myself. Of course, I came clean and said I have never illustrated a book. It is one of my dreams. I said to her. She wrote back and told me that she understands dreams – she had a dream of writing a book.
We set up a time to meet over Zoom. We talked, I sent her some sketches, we talked again, and then she said, “I would love to work with you on this project.” Talk about excited! My poor husband had to listen to me tell him about the whole conversation, talking even faster and louder than usual.
For the next six months, I drew and colored pages, we met over Zoom weekly, and Snowy and Zoey’s Big Life Lesson became available just in time for Christmas shopping. Another thing that excited me about the book is the story about friendship, being different, and inclusion. Since then, Hilda and I have kept in touch. We have a friendship that spans halfway across the world. She lives in Dubai, UAE, and I live in southeast Michigan, USA. We are hoping to meet in person this next year.
I have rebranded myself from a greeting card maker to an illustrator and surface designer. I also teach on SkillShare. Practicing my craft, research, and learning about the industries has taken time and dedication – and now, my art and I have found our place. Totally worth it!
Through all my experiences, I have met many beautiful people who have encouraged, mentored, and made connections for me. Networking is huge in all industries. I’m not talking about networking where you know people. It’s the people that know you – your integrity, your work ethic, and your willingness to collaborate. It’s not just about how good you are at your craft but also about people wanting to work with you.
You may feel unprepared – not enough time at your craft, not as good as you want to be, you don’t know enough about the industry. As Bonnie encouraged me, I encourage you to muster up 10 seconds of courage to send that email, make that call, or reach out to that person. You never know what is possible until to try.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
It is when someone tells me how something I’ve created makes them feel. They want the greeting card because they will give it to someone who will love it; the greeting looks like someone they know. They want that design on a tea towel in their kitchen because it makes them smile. It brings me joy to bring joy to others.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I’ve learned that you do not have to have an MBA to run a business. Growing up, I did not know anyone who owned their own business. The few small business owners I met as I got older had some formal education in business. I thought it would be difficult to keep track of business expenses and fill out a Schedule C for taxes. What I found is that I needed to educate myself on what’s deductible and what’s not, and I can use a spreadsheet to track sales and expenses. The information is available; you do not need a business degree to understand it. I also found that Schedule C was clear when I read and researched parts I did not understand. It is also helpful to be engaged with a community of small business owners. You do not have to figure out everything on your own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trenabrannonart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trenabrannon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrannonFactory
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trenabrannon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/trenabrannonart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@trenabrannon
- Other: Blog: https://trenabrannon.typepad.com/
Image Credits
Nita Simms