September 18, 2015 30:28 E8

Turning "failures" into bestsellers with Michelle Armas, artist [S01E08]

Summary

My guest on this episode is Michelle Armas, an abstract expressionist painter whose blog and Instagram accounts are overflowing with adoring fans. As a new momma to a beautiful one-year-old daughter, Michelle has an inspiring and insightful approach to parenting and creativity.

Welcome to the eighth episode of Process!

Let's get to it...

Listen to this episode

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During our conversation, we cover:

Which of her bestselling pieces were originally "rejects", and how she turned them around
How she turned to art (oiling painting) when she hated her job
Where she "learned" her confidence and work ethic
How her bootcamp-style art training prepared her for the work she does today
What it feels like to approach a blank canvas
What she defines as a "creative low"
How motherhood changed her creative output

Here's my favorite quote from our conversation, where Michelle shares what she gained from attending an art school that required her to work and experiment non-stop:

"That's really how you evolve. If you don't have the mentality that you have to work at it all the time, you will never get to a place where your work resonates with that kind of of pursuit and experience, which is what art it and it's really what people are drawn to when they look at your work."

Show Notes

Throughout our conversation, we mention different things I link to below:

- You can find Michelle here: Michelle's website / @michellearmas007 on Instagram

- Popular piece we reference which was rejected by a client (and now it's hanging in my living room!): That Bowtie I Like

- Another popular piece Michelle references which evolved from a painting she disliked and ended up painting over until it looked like this: Secret Garden

Thanks for listening! And a huge thanks to Michelle for joining me on this episode #008 of Process.

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Oh, and just a head's up... Stay tuned for next Friday's episode. I'll be speaking with Jason Zook on his brand new currently under-wraps project!

xo,
Marcella