About Art by Brey

Thanks for sharing your story with us. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I fell in love with art at a young age. My parents realized the potential of my talent and quickly entered me into art classes at the age of seven. While continuing art classes for over ten years, I realized how easy it was to express myself through the work that I produced. I left to attend college at the University of California – Irvine with the intention of becoming an art therapist so I majored in psychological sciences. During my time in college, it was hard to set time aside to produce quality artwork due to classes and work. Because art was such a big portion of my identity, I couldn’t neglect it for long. I decided to quit my job my 2nd year into college to strictly focus on producing artwork and creating different ways to capitalize my talent and earn a profit. I analyzed my surroundings to figure out when other college students needed artistically. Graduation caps were the first thing I realized.

Every year thousands of students at my own school decorate their graduation caps and some who aren’t artistic need help creating designs and executing their ideas. This was my perfect opportunity. I began a graduation cap decorative service. The only problem was that graduation season does not last all year long and I need to somehow combine my major with my talent. I self-reflected and remembered the reason why I love art so much, self-expression. Being able to express yourself through your artwork is something everyone should experience. I graduated college Spring 2019 and shortly after, I earned an internship at a local children’s therapeutic art center. I now assist children with disabilities and mental illnesses learn to express themselves through their artwork and analyze which each piece means to them.

On top of working for this center, I also began traveling to different elementary schools to teach art in lower income neighborhoods. The students at these schools that I typically work with have some type of hardship at home that impacts them mentally and even academically. Some of them have a lot of anxiety due to the current political climate and immigration laws while others worry about transportation to school or even where their next meal might come from. Going into work everyday seeing them excited to take a break from their challenging life for a few hours to get lost in their artwork is something that I enjoy seeing. These children deserve so much more in life but creating an environment where they can forget about their problems and use their art as an outlet to help with their mental health is just a start.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It isn’t always easy to produce art or stay in a positive mindset to encourage others to create. There was a time when I didn’t create anything for around four months. This was directly after I lost my best friend in a car accident. It was hard to complete day-to-day tasks so creating art wasn’t even on my mind. I was stuck until I realized that time doesn’t stop for me. I couldn’t mope around and constantly let my pain take over me because it would only hinder my growth. I had to learn that life goes on and continues no matter what struggles and challenges we are faced. This realization allowed me to create more lively artwork and I believe it was a turning point in my career. It inspired me to push my talents more and to try to help as many people as I can because I don’t know how much time I have left on Earth to impact other people’s lives. A lot of my artwork after this specific incident involves plants. I use them to represent my growth that was once at a halt.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Right now, people mostly know me for decorating graduation caps or for how I encourage and teach children about expressing themselves through different styles of art. However, I am constantly working to expand my brand and venture off into different types of art. I have begun to dabble in photography for celebrations and different events and will soon have my own studio for indoor photo shoots. As for my artwork, my commissions are always open for custom pieces but I never want to limit myself to just painting. In the near future, after I complete my Master’s program, I will be opening up my own therapeutic arts center under my families foundation and continue to help people learn to express and understand themselves through creating. I just want to continue to grow as an artist in as many way that I can while also helping people improve their mental well-being.

What were you like growing up?
I wasn’t like the typical little girl that enjoyed dressing up or playing in makeup. I was always outside being rough with the boys from my neighborhood or away at some type of Summer camp. I was also involved in many sports up until high school. I played basketball, did gymnastics, golf, volleyball, track & field, cheerleading, and even joined the band dancing team. On top of all the sports, I held school leadership positions and was even a Girl Scout. I just enjoyed learning new things and trying different activities. I am grateful my parents allowed me to venture off and explore all of these different activities, even though they probably did it just to keep me busy. I think it contributed to the outgoing personality I have today. I love going on trips and trying things people would normally be scared to do.

My family also started a non-profit organization when I was younger. We house homeless veterans all throughout Sacramento. So during my free time, in between all of my actives, I would spend time with the clients that we had. I would either cook for them, play games, or join my parents on local trips that we took them on. I believe this experience is what made me realize I wanted to help those with mental illnesses. We still have this foundation and have expanded to over 14 different housing facilities across Sacramento. I plan to go back and utilize my art therapy skills on our clients and help them.

Interview conducted by VoyageLA on September 10, 2019.