Gabby Dearman with her new Business License

1. First tell us a little about Gabby and about Bright View Studio.

“I consider myself to be a mixed media artist, because I do work in various mediums. I work mostly with acrylic paints, watercolors, Sharpie markers, digital photography, and some collage.

One of the unique ways I express my creativity is through painting during worship times at church and conferences. Just as a person might worship the Lord through song or dance or playing a guitar, I worship with my paints and brushes! Through the Lord’s leading, I share pictures that encourage, inspire, bring revelation, and help connect people with Jesus. There’s nothing better than that!

Bright View Studio was birthed in the fall of 2010 right after I attended the Gathering of Artisans conference in Black Mountain, North Carolina that was hosted by Matt Tommey of The Worship Studio. That conference gave me the confidence and eagerness to refine my vision for my own creativity. Within a couple of weeks, I had created a Face book page for Bright View Studio, and ordered business cards. It felt right, I knew it was the right time to give a name to my work. I chose Bright View studio as the name, because that’s what I want people to feel when they encounter my art. A bright view of life… colorful, positive, joyful.”

[View as slideshow]

2. What made you decide to become “official”? Couldn’t you continue to do what you do without that status?

“You can’t fly without a license. Do you know what I mean? I think there comes a time when we have to get mature enough to accept full responsibility of our skills and talents. If I’m going to be serious about refining my craft and getting my creativity out there for people to purchase, then it’s my responsibility to take ownership of my vision and honorably align myself with my city’s regulations for conducting business.”

3. What were the challenges in taking this step and how did you overcome them.

“Being a right-brained person, things like paperwork and numbers overwhelm me. I had to work through some fears and apprehensions about starting a business. You know, the “what-ifs” that tend to haunt the mind prior to making a big decision. Recently, I’ve seen more interest in my artwork, and a few people have bought paintings and photographs that I have done, so I think that helped me overcome my fears and decide it was worth the risk to make things official. Also, I have several amazing people that have been supporting me and encouraging me in this part of my creative journey.”

4. So where does Bright View Studio go from here?

“In addition to continuing to create artwork, I am getting things organized to begin offering creative coaching and instruction in my community for all ages. I want to help people find the joy and confidence in creating, and to have a healthy creative outlet. Eventually, the goal is to rent a studio space where I can create, sell, and offer classes, so I am working up to that. I also plan on writing and illustrating children’s books in the near future.”

5. What advice can you share with others?

A. “Don’t get overwhelmed by your dreams. Just start where you are and take little steps in the right direction.”

B. “Surround yourself with people who encourage you and allow you to be who the Lord created you to be.”

C. “It really is okay to be nervous or scared, just don’t let that stop you from going forward.”

D. “Learn God’s voice by being in His Presence, and follow where He leads you.”

You can find Gabby online at BrightViewStudio.com as well as on Face book.

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WHY? Because your creative mind can get stuck from either having an idea without knowing its full potential or from having TOO MANY ideas and not acting on either of them…

SO, AFTER YOU’VE DONE A MIND MAP…

The next thing to do is to take the creative ideas you’ve uncovered from the mind map exercise and truly determine which ones make a viable business concept.

SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL: Before I go on, you MUST get to a place within yourself where you can be open to parting with an idea.

This mindset allows you to be in a place of neutrality: a place where your emotional ties to a concept will not smother sound advice and judgment that may or may not agree with your concept. A place where you can hear and obey God’s will especially when it differs from your will.

Here are 3 important questions you need to ask yourself about the ideas you circled in the Mind Mapping exercise:

1. Is there a demand for this concept? Your idea is either a product or service for or to someone other than yourself. And those people must have a need or want what you provide. Just because you like it, doesn’t mean the public likes it. If there is no expressed need, scratch that idea (Ouch! That’s why I said you gotta be neutral!)

2. Who is mostly likely to need what this idea or concept provides? If the answer to #1 is “Yes” , then it should be easy to identify the answer to #2, by the way, the answer is not “everybody”! It may be “women ages 35-55 that live in” your area, or “men 18-24 and 35-45 that collect comics”, etc.

3. Where do they get there information? Whether it be Facebook, local television and radio, Twitter, a specific magazine…wherever they get their information is the place you where you want to meet them. That is where you connect and share your idea or concept.

What did I miss? What would YOU advise? Share your voice below…

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"Gideon, Judge of Israel"

The images below are from a long standing project that I’ve been tinkering with.

The story is called “Midianite Swarm” and it’s a retelling of the story of Gideon and how God saved a nation by working through the “least qualified”.

My artistic goal is to use imagery that blends the culture of the ancient biblical people with the look and feel of sci-fi.

Take a look at the sketches and then share your feedback.

Tremaine Jordan as "Gideon"

BY THE WAY: I used my brother, Tremaine Jordan,  as the model for the “Gideon” character!

[View as slideshow]

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Writer Sandra Renrick

This is the story of how a talented, creative, writer stopped dreaming about expanding her creative business and took action to make it happen.

Sandra Renrick had a passion for reaching an audience that shared her love for life, books…and natural (non-chemically treated) hair!

Sandra listened to me “nag” week after week about how there was a blog within her waiting to breathe free! She signed up for one of our webinars, and in 2 months, has an established following of readers and soon to be customers.

I knew Sandra would be able to take what she learned and put it to action, but what caught my eye was how swiftly she began to move!
Because of that, I had to interview her so that you could hear her story:

1. Sandra, tell us who you are and what you do as a writer/blogger:

I am the youngest of eight children. I still like saying I’m the youngest even though I’m over 45-years-old. I have a twisted sense of humor, and my nieces and nephews think I’m corny. As a blogger, I’m just beginning to find my voice. Currently, I’m writing about my experiences as a woman who has natural hair. Also, I plan to write about books and my other life experiences.

2. Now tell us about your creative background (training, experience, etc):

Natural Hair

I studied creative writing in high school and college. In high school, I attended the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, SC. I earned a degree in Journalism from the University of South Carolina in Columbia. I’ve held several jobs in broadcasting, and I have worked in book store. I’ve always had a very creative mind. As I child, I had an imaginary friend named Laura. I created an entire fantasy world in which we both lived. Also, I learned how to read newspapers before I could tie my shoes. It’s tough when you are the only lefty in a family of right-handers.

3. We see you recently launched your blog. Share with us how long was this a goal of yours and what lead to you finally taking action.

I started thinking about launching a blog a couple of years ago. I bought several books including Blogging for Dummies. I read the books, but I still failed to take any action. I was spurred into taking action by listening to the talented Mr. Tony Snipes. Tony got me to see that I didn’t have to have everything figured out. All I had to do was to sit down and to write. I actually started writing articles for my blog before I thought of a name for it. I also decided in advance to go with a Word Press template.

4. What obstacles did you face in meeting your creative goal and how did you overcome them?

I had to get out of my own way. Seriously, sometimes I can be my biggest hindrance in trying something new because I have tendency to over-think things. I’m a calculated risk-taker, but I had to learn once again to invest in myself.

5. What role does God play in your life and in your creative work?

I think of myself as a work in progress. Over the last year, I have committed myself more to God and to my church. What I have learned is this: that sometimes writing a check isn’t good enough. God’s work requires a little sweat. As far as my creative work, I think of inspiration as God’s whisper. When I come up with a new subject to write about, I get very excited.

6. What advice can you give the rest of us?

Just Do It. I know it’s a cliché, but if you can’t get an idea out of your head, chances are that you are on the right track.

Be sure to visit Sandra’s blog :

http://forevermenaturally.wordpress.com/

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