Today we’d like to introduce you to Belinda Johnson.
Hi Belinda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always been creative and loved creating. My Mom was an artist; she mainly painted beautiful oil paintings, but really, everything about her was creative. So, creativity was just part of my upbringing, celebrated. I believe she taught me how to see things differently, and I took that into my art classes throughout school. I never really painted paintings, though. I think I thought hers were too good, and things like, “I can’t paint like that.” One of my favorite series of hers was these beautiful flower paintings, like big tight shots of flowers. They were BEAUTIFUL, and my sister and I had a hard time deciding how to split up the flower paintings after my Mom passed in 2018. The year following my Mom’s death, I started painting. I had recently moved to Nashville after a long career in Television Production that just basically broke me. So I packed up and moved to Nashville in October of 2017 and moved in with a long-time friend and her family of seven! I mean, they already had 5 kids, a dog, and 3 cats; what’s one more person and her dog?? (My doggo’s name is Thor, btw. He’s bigger on the inside.
My friend that I moved in with, her name is Tina; she’s like one of those awesome bossy friends. She’s known me for a very long time and knows that I am creative at my core. We used to work together, and I made everyone handmade invitations for weddings and baby showers. I did photography; I had to make my cubicle at work pretty; I loved event planning, yada yada… Well, one day Tina said to me, “I want you to paint this for me.” Or something to that effect. I said, “But I don’t paint.” ” “Oh, you can totally paint this!” she said. “Just paint it for me.” I protested again that I don’t paint, but you know those awesome bossy friends, the ones that see the things about you that you don’t see and call them out of you. She offered to buy the canvas, paint, and brushes. They went out of town for a week, and I decided to give it a go. It was a huge canvas, and I didn’t know where to start, but eventually I just slathered some paint on, then some more, then some more, and lo and behold, something beautiful came out of nothing. I remember looking at it when it was completed and thinking to myself, wow, I love this. This is a beautiful painting! I want to do this ALL THE TIME! Tina came home and said she hadn’t seen me with that much joy in a very long time. 100%. That’s exactly how I felt. It was bliss.
At the time, I was editing full-time for a very large kids’ YouTube channel. I did start buying my own paint, brushes, tools, canvases, oil pastels, anything I could get my hands on. I started painting, and drawing, and creating, when I had downtime. Then Covid hit, and that job went away; all jobs went away…As I was stuck at home, I decided to just paint and create as much as I could. I painted cards for the nurses at Vanderbilt, I started a sketchbook, I wandered my neighborhood, taking pictures of houses and flowers to try painting them. This is when Florals came into my playbook. I love abstracts, and I love flowers, so it seemed like a good idea. I created my first Floral painting in fantastic bright colors of acrylic paint and oil pastels and SOLD IT to a beautiful Boutique in Texas. My first sale! It seemed too good to be true that I could actually do something I love and brings me incredible joy, AND get paid doing it. Now, after that first painting, I didn’t sell much. I think I thought things would just come easily, but that was not the case. After Covid, I decided to take a year and focus on making and selling art and see if I could do it. I didn’t have a plan, just went for it. I made a website, and instagram and Facebook pages. I set up a tent at Art Fairs and Markets, I took courses, bought so many art supplies…on credit and sold a handful of paintings… It was very very hard and very discouraging. I went back to full-time work, doing some video editing and I started teaching Elementary school for the first time. That was pretty all consuming and exhausting. I’m now beginning my 3 year teaching, and I am ready to put my Art back in the highest priority. Painting brings me the most joy. The idea of bringing light and color and beauty to someone’s home or office, whatever, THAT is what I was made for. What’s cool about that, is I had that thought and made that decision and then this interview opportunity came up me. I took that as a beautiful sign. Earlier this year I sold one of my larger paintings, and hand delivered it to the buyer. It was bliss. Life should be bliss. I’ll also be adding more prints to my website, along with some photo prints, and other cool things along the way. Here’s to new beginnings and following your heart.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I’m still carrying debt from that focused year of art (and Covid…not gonna lie, that set me back financially, but it’s also pushed me forward creatively). I am still teaching, editing videos, and doing a few other part-time/pop-up things to make ends meet, but I do believe that with consistency and diligence, my Art will become the main focus permanently. I’ve also learned to look for guidance. Others have done this before me, and there are lots of tools online to help with an actual plan for success, so I am gaining that knowledge as well…instead of riding on a wing and a prayer.
I think the other big struggle is the people in your life who think it’s a ridiculous idea to think that an Art business could pay the bills. So you have to be strong in your convictions and also find people who will celebrate you as an artist. I think this is one of the blessings of living in Nashville; people here don’t bat an eye when you say you’re an artist. They just want to know: music or physical art. Ha. That’s the best. Nashville is such a creative city, filled with creative people working hard to make their dreams come true, and that energy is definitely palpable.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My main artistic medium is acrylic paints, though I am learning to use oils like my Mom. I also love to mix acrylics, oil pastels, colored pencil, and other unique tools into my work. I mainly create abstract and floral paintings. My paintings are full of COLOR! I love color, and you can see that in my work. I do occasionally make more subdued pieces, and those pieces I usually see the finished work in my head before I start. With the others, I have no idea what will come out the other end, and often I’m like, whoa! How did I do that?! That’s beautiful! It doesn’t feel boastful; I’m truly like, “How did that happen?” and I have no other explanation but God. Like He gave me a little glimpse into the other side or something. It’s so fun.
With my floral paintings, I do usually start with a sketch and work from there. Again, I love color and will exaggerate the colors and shapes. If you look at just the flowers of the world, you can see that God created extravagant beauty, just because…beauty! There’s often no other purpose but just for our eyes and hearts to experience beauty for beauty’s sake. I used to periodically struggle with the idea of Art. Why does it matter? But the more I meditated on that and looked at the world…I started to realize that sometimes beauty is the only thing that heals. Looking at something beautiful, surrounding ourselves with beautiful things – not necessarily expensive things, but beautiful things…it changes you, changes your brain, your heart posture. If God thought it was important, then how could I think any less?
What I am most proud of… I am most proud of my first painting. To this day, it brings me joy and reassurance that I can do this. With God, I can create beautiful things, and how cool is that? I’m proud that I haven’t given up. I’m proud that I had the tenacity and courage to show the world, this is me, this is what I create, and I want you to see it and experience it in your own life.
I think what sets me apart from others is my use of color and my connection to the Creator. I can’t create anything without Him, so each painting is infused with color and life and joy and pain, hope and peace and grace and strength. And I believe that when someone purchases a painting or a print from me, those things literally come through the art and into their home or wherever they choose to display it.
What makes you happy?
Creating makes me happy. I’m at my happiest when I am in Hawaii (where I grew up), one of the most beautiful places on the planet, just inundated with beauty, and I am creating something beautiful. I feel free. I feel fully me and I feel fully connected to creation and the Creator.
Beyond that, I am happiest when in community, with deep friendships, great conversation, great food, safe to be myself, laughing and enjoying life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beautifullybelinda.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeautifullyBelinda/
