We were lucky to catch up with Zachary Shannon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zachary, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Painting and art started out as a type of therapy for me. It was a way to kind of let go and let my mind drift instead of letting myself get too into my head and take me to some kind of dark place. The idea came from some late nights with a friend who would come over with art supplies and let me explore something new. Eventually once I moved to Las Vegas it started to become more. Not only was it my own personal type of therapy but I started building more confidence and sharing it with more and more people. Through the tool of social media I started to see how my art could impact others and I thought, “why can’t I sell my art?” After someone asked about buying a painting I gained the confidence needed to really start marketing my art and finding ways to reach more people. As that has grown, so have I and I thank whatever is out there for it every day. It’s been roughly around 8 years since I started painting again and I’m still loving every minute of it as I learn more and more each day!

Zachary, 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’m a 27 year old painter based out of Las Vegas but originally from a small town called El Dorado in Kansas. I got into painting to help express myself in ways I couldn’t communicate with words and it’s grown from there. Since I have no formal training I gravitated towards abstract expressionism because I wanted to be free of any rule when I started laying down paint on the canvas. Through experimentation with many different mediums I have found a style all my own over and over again. My art is an extension of myself and my life is constantly inspiring me!

I am most proud of my current collection that I am working on that I am referring to as my “Passion Series”. It is a collection of paintings inspired by the love of my life, my wonderful Fiancé Natalie. I am also quite proud of an album cover I have created for a musician by the name of Thorn Haze that is set to be released later this year!

When it comes to my work the most important part is that it touches someone. I have a specific idea or emotion in my head when I start a piece but what I love about abstract art is the different ways it can connect to people through emotions and feeling. I create for myself primarily because I want to love what I create but I want others to be able to connect to it in their own ways as well! I hope that anyone can find a little something in my work that they can feel a connection to.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My social media originally gained a lot of followers because it started out as a poetry account but as I pivoted to painting a large part of that group moved with me and continued to support me. When it came to social media the most important part was that I was always myself. I never post anything that isn’t genuine or not me. I love laying myself out there completely exposed to the real human being behind the device and it may not always lead to the largest following but for the following that I do have I know that they truly see me for who I am and are always so supportive.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When it has come to my most recent work it all boiled down to really opening myself to love. After not having many great relationships i started to close myself off more and more to the idea of being with someone and knowing that kind of happiness. I ended up falling in love with my best friend and after some time we started to build quite the bond and life together and it opened up a whole new world of inspiration and has led to me creating not only my best work but giving me a happiness in life that I never truly knew before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZachShannonArt
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zacharys10/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/zachshannonart/
• Other: Email: [email protected]