Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Easley.
Hi Heidi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Bankruptcy to business owner before the age of 30.
Before the age of 30, my husband, Bobby, and I found ourselves overextended, lost our jobs, and went through bankruptcy. I felt ashamed, embarrassed, broke, and alone. I didn’t want my friends to think differently of me, so I kept my struggle a secret. We lost our cars, our home, and just about everything else. At the time, I felt like a complete failure and thought my life was over. All while having a toddler to raise.
Using art to heal, I started painting little wooden surfboards during my breaks and lunch while working as an art teacher making 22K a year as a teacher. My students would see them and ask, “Mrs. Easley, can you paint me a surfboard? Can you put my name on it?” I kept telling them the boards were just for fun, but after about the 150th request, I finally thought, “Maybe I could sell these.”
I called my mother-in-law with my idea, and before I knew it, we were meeting with the head of Pier Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. My wooden surfboards were still wet with polyurethane when I showed them to him. He looked at one and said, “I think you could make a lot of money with these.” We rented a small space in front of Starbucks, and I roped my whole family into helping. Bobby and my father-in-law cut and sanded boards. My mother-in-law and I primed them and stacked them in totes. Even my daughter, Pixie, who was only 2 at the time, got involved and painted surfboards while I worked on designs. For the first time in a long time, I felt hope.
Then opening day came, and no one was buying them. I sat in that little booth feeling devastated.
So what do you do when you’ve lost everything? You go to Buffalo Wild Wings and have a drink at the bar.
I remember thinking, “Life is hard. How can I fail this much before I’m 30? This was my plan B. What am I supposed to do now?”
Then Bobby called and said, “Get over here. We have orders!”
I didn’t believe him at first, but when I walked back across the street, a little tipsy, he showed me a stack of order tickets and said, “Get to painting.” You should have seen the smile on my face.
A moment before, I had felt like I was on the ground, done for, count me out. Then it was like God scooped me up and not only said, “It’s going to be okay,” but also, “You are going to be able to paint for the rest of your life.”
We painted over 1,000 surfboards in just two months and earned more than $20,000. Every $20 surfboard brought us $20 closer to a better future for our family. Sometimes we received 60 orders in one night, and I would stay up until 3 a.m. finishing them for the next day’s pickup. I was the slowest painter in the world, but learned to paint fast.
That small surfboard business was only the beginning. Today, I am an artist, author, creative business coach, and the owner of Paint Party Headquarters, a community that has grown to more than 3,000 members. Through Paint Party Headquarters, I help women use their creativity to make money through paint parties and art kits. I get to help others see that their art is more than a hobby. It can create income, freedom, confidence, and a future they may not have believed was possible.
My bankruptcy ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me. Although it felt like torture at the time, it taught me so much about money, business, faith, and myself. Most importantly, it showed me that God always has my back.
You can fail and still have a second, third, or fourth chance. Your life is not over because you made a mistake or because your first plan didn’t work. One of the biggest lessons I learned was about timing. If I had given up too soon, I would not have seen the awesomeness that was coming.
That is what I want other women to know: keep going. Use what you have. Start before you feel ready. Your hardest time may be preparing you for something you cannot see yet. Sometimes the moment you feel completely counted out is the moment right before God tells you, “Get to painting.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
SO many struggles! My biggest was when we had to move out of our home. I had made my daughter Pixie this adorable Tinkerbell themed room. It had a huge mural I hand painted and a cute little desk area that I thought would be where she would do her school work. She had this really cool closet.
When we moved out I took all the shelves out of her closet. My husband begged me not too, but I think I was holding on to that life. The shelving ended up in our apartment closet and then eventually to goodwill. However that feeling of everything being ripped away when I had such big dreams for my family was devastating.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m the paint party queen! I’m most proud of creating Paint Party Headquarters. It’s where I teach thousands of people all over the world how to host their own paint parties. I provide designs, marketing, and everything they need to get started!
We currently have 3000 members inside Paint Party Headquarters. I also wrote a book called “Your Dreams Don’t Die… They Haunt You” It’s an international best seller and I’m so proud of it.
I really want artists to know they don’t have to be a starving artist. I feel like my job is to share God’s love through art. Show kindness through painting.
Any big plans?
My main focus has been growing Paint Party Headquarters. We are hosting our 6th Paint Party Business Live in 2027. This is where we bring all of our members together. We’ve done everything from hosting a circus to a cruise! We love to have fun!
On a side project we are growing our farm Whimsy Hollow. We host photographers at our greenhouse! And people love to use our greenhouse for surprise engagements. It’s www.whimsyhollow.net
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whimsyhollow.net
- Instagram: texasartandsoul_
- Facebook: texasartandsoul
- Youtube: Texas Art and Soul
