Brewtifully Made
Here, Tracy Dawn Brewer shares creative insights, discussions with creative souls who are invited to doodle along with her and share their creative processes, and more.
Adding a twist, each episode begins with a doodle prompt and you can catch the final pieces from the episode on her YouTube channel, linked on the website! If you choose to also create along with her during an episode, share your work with the hashtag #brewtifullymade so she can shout out YOUR awesome creativity too!
Brewtifully Made
Finding Confidence in Creativity with Andrea Regula
Andrea Regula, our exhibiting artist for January, illuminates the canvas with her unique acrylic fluid paintings, revealing the vibrant journey of creativity and expression. Join us as Andrea shares her compelling story—from intimate showcases to large events like the Pride Festival in Akron.
She walks us through her artistic evolution over the past five years, highlighting the trial-and-error learning process and the impact of online communities during the pandemic. Andrea's narrative is filled with genuine gratitude for her supportive network of friends and family and the fulfillment she finds in her art. Her journey underscores the joy and challenges of balancing passion with a full-time job and inspires anyone to navigate the dynamic world of art.
Promoting art while managing a career presents its own hurdles, and Andrea opens up about her struggles with imposter syndrome and the quest for confidence in her work. Discover the strategies she employs to select the right venues and the importance of strategic pricing on online platforms. Andrea believes in the uniqueness of each piece and shares the invaluable lessons she's learned about teaching others the creative process. Whether you're an artist yourself or simply an enthusiast, this episode provides insights into connecting with and supporting the art community, making it a must-listen for those eager to appreciate and understand the world of contemporary art.
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Hello everyone. I'm so excited to be back with a new episode of Brutally Made, and today I have our January exhibiting artist, andrea Reguila, on with me. So thank you, andrea, for joining me. Oh, thank you for having me. I'm so excited your show is doing so well. It's beautiful. You had a fabulous opening reception. You had so many people attend.
Speaker 2:I know, I know that was really. I have a lot of great friends and family that's been very supportive, so I appreciate them coming out and, you know, hanging out and taking a look and getting to see your place as well, they love it.
Speaker 1:That was so sweet. Yeah, they really, you know, came out to support, so that was wonderful. So I would love for you to share a little bit about your business and the kind of art that you're creating.
Speaker 2:Well, my business is, it's really just very small and I'm still learning. You know what goes where and the best place to promote myself. So when the opportunity to come up, came up with your shop and what you're doing for local artists, that was a great launch, a good launch, um, compared to what I've been doing.
Speaker 2:So, um, I've been doing, you know, small, small little venues um you know, I, I did do a couple big I don't want to say big shows. They're, you know, the like at the pride festival up in akron. Now, that's that. I think that's a big market.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's a big show and I'm learning.
Speaker 2:Those are the markets I really need to focus on and, uh uh, participate more in those markets than than some of the smaller markets. Okay, um, what was your other question?
Speaker 1:I was just like curious. Do you have like a name for the type of art that you're doing, or like, what kind of art are you liking to produce right now? What? What is that whole like genre?
Speaker 2:yeah, it's, it's it's fluid, it's acrylic fluid, um paints, um it. That's. There's so many ways to do it. There's so many different things that you can use on different canvases or just even a canvas alone. You mix your paints with. You know you have your acrylic paints and then you use additives. Like you know, you have your acrylic paints and then you use additives like um flow trawl, which is just an additive on regular when you like paint your house or paint your rooms or whatever. It helps move the paint more and and spread it out. So that's an additive I use.
Speaker 2:There's pouring mediums that are called um, that you buy special for that, and I I've mixed some, I've tried different ones and I find different kinds of paints, like the pictures on the walls that I have over there right now. You see, there's some different ones, there's different looking ones, so you have to use a different pouring medium and different amounts to move the move the paints. And there's different paints. There's, you know, there's your um uh paints in a tube which are a little bit thicker than there's fluid paints, and then there's also um, it's like um, like dust. You know it's like like dust. You know it's like a pigment, pigment paint yes, pigments, and you got to work with that a certain way. So it's just all trial and error.
Speaker 2:There's no specific, you know, recipe that I have for anything in particular and, like I said, different canvases, particular um, and, like I said, different canvases. So, um, I do a lot on, you know, just regular canvas, different sizes, um, but then I've also have the rocks that you see there. That's a different kind of canvas, so my paints are different. For that, um, it's just, I don't, it's just fun and it brings joy out in me and there's, like I said, no specific recipe. But I did, I have to say, during COVID, you know, everybody was down and it was just, it was kind of dark and we had a lot of time on our hands to do nothing. So I went online and I found a few artists that I connected with and kind of watched how they did things and then created my own stuff.
Speaker 1:And that's awesome. So how long have you been an artist?
Speaker 2:Well, it's funny that you say I'm an artist, because it took me a while to even you know, say that I am an artist. My daughter is the one who finally said Mom, you're an artist. You need to say you're an artist because I'm just like oh, I just create this stuff. I'm not. I've never coined myself as an artist. So since I guess since five years now, it's been a good five years and it's evolved. You know, if you could see some of my stuff from the very beginning to where I'm at now, it's just, it's a work in process.
Speaker 1:I kind of want to see some of those pictures, if you have them, because I will be creating a slideshow of the images that I have and what's in the show right now, and if you have some of your earlier work. It's always great to see the progress of where we started and what we, you know, were, like you said, trial and error and attempting to make, and then where we are now and no matter those mediums that you listed that you're working with for the different substrates that they're on, they're still a very nice, consistent style to your work across the board. So you listed all the different, you know, mediums that you were using. There's still that look that carries over into the coasters, to the rocks, to the magnets, to the canvases, to the canvas boards or the papers that you have that are matted. I mean you've got all kinds of variety but they're still, you know, your style, you can see it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's good. I like that. I think all artists have that, though you know you can kind of pick out whose art is. If you had maybe five different artists and you knew who they were and they put them up on the wall and not know like where they were, you could probably go through and pretty much pick out their style.
Speaker 1:Yeah, usually it's hard. So that's a big struggle as an artist is do I have a style? Do you see my work or my hand across the board? Is there something that's carrying through? A lot of artists I know myself have struggled with that, like what is it? What is it? That is my signature and it's hard to define that and it doesn't stay the same. Sometimes. It does change and evolve over time because you're trying different materials and you're trying different things. So paint is your main medium, isn't it?
Speaker 1:yes yeah, yes, exactly exactly. And acrylic you've never done anything like watercolor or oil.
Speaker 2:No, never any watercolors or anything like that. I don't know, maybe down the road that will, you know, all evolve into that, but right now I'm just having fun with this. I'm having fun with this and you know it's it. It takes time to do this. You know it's a whole thought process and you know different inspirations. I'll see different colors in certain different times of the year. I seem to be drawn a lot to like those southwestern colors, those browns and those you know, those aquas and those teals and kind of like that, those colors. I've always been drawn to that. But then I get a little bit more risqué with different colors and then you try that. You know, yeah, sometimes things come out and you're like, wow, I really like this. I would never thought I would have. So that's what's so fun about this, because things will. You can create things that you never thought would work and you're like, wow, I'm really proud of that, I really like that one compared to maybe some of the ones I've used to doing.
Speaker 1:You know yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think you, just as a person you know your personality comes out in that too sometimes.
Speaker 1:It does, yeah, it does. So what's been your biggest challenge as an artist? Because you are an artist, andrea.
Speaker 2:I think my biggest challenge is just, it's just getting people to see it. You know, like you do these little vendor shows and there people aren't always wanting art. When you go to a vendor show, a lot of times they just want the little crafty things and not that those. Those, you know, those are wonderful too. It's just I think it's a different market. So I'm trying to find the right market to put my think it's a different market. So I'm trying to find the right market to put my, because you know it's a lot of work to take these out, set them up and in Ohio we don't live in California, so you never know what the weather is going to be like and you know it's a challenge. So that's my biggest challenge with this right now, and I'm trying to figure out how to promote myself or show my product without packing it up, pitching a tent and sticking it up. But I'm willing to do that. I mean, I'm not saying not, I just need to find the right venues to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, because some of those juried shows are more art driven and so you know the audiences. They're looking for wall art or something for business or something for you know a store that they own and they want you know some unique pieces. So it is hard sometimes to balance. You know what show you should be in. Do I go to a high school craft show or do I go to like a 720 market? So it's hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that's my biggest challenge right there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Really yeah.
Speaker 2:Self-promotion. It's hard. Yeah, it is hard and you know it's not my full-time job and it's almost a full-time job. Oh yeah, I mean, you really want to. You know, if you really want to move with it, it should be a full-time job. And you know, I'm sure it will be in a couple of years when I retire. But you know, right now I'm trying to make both things work. Yeah, I can totally relate. I'm sure you can.
Speaker 1:Yes, I can. Oh my goodness. So have you ever offered your work, or do you offer your work online? Is it for sale like through a social media platform at all, or are you just trying to do this locally?
Speaker 2:me try that again. So I'm just, you know, I'm trying to figure out what's the best venue to place my. I actually never did put my pictures up on Etsy, it was just my small, my small items. So I really but see, I didn't have the confidence to do that at that point. So I'm building a confidence. This has really been a good confidence builder for me. Seriously, I needed that. I really needed that because you know, you know you just as an artist, you're like, oh, I like it. But maybe my friends and family are just saying that to be nice you know, you are suffering from imposter syndrome so badly.
Speaker 1:We all do that, and I had a whole episode on how you do not feel that you are valid in your work and that you feel like I'm a sham, I'm not a real artist, this isn't, you know, being accepted out in the world and nobody's going to want it.
Speaker 1:And what am I doing? And you start questioning everything and, just like you said, I don't want to call myself an artist, or no one's going to buy this, or we all, I mean, I don't know anyone that's an artist that has not or still goes through it, no matter how successful they are. I know people that have like tens of thousands of followers on social media and they're just like, oh, my heart sucks, I'm just like no, we love you, we love the process, we love everyone struggles with this, so don't feel alone. But, yeah, definitely, put your stuff out there and your, you know, figure out how am I going to ship this if this sells, you know, do I, do I offer it with the frame and the glass, or do I just, you know, send them a print, you know, and Price it accordingly and price it to sell and price things that will cover your expenses and be very confident in that the world needs it. It's beautiful work.
Speaker 2:It really is. So I guess that's my other challenge. You know that was a big challenge right there. Yeah, it's just you know it's helped me put that extra level, added level of confidence on top of the joy to make it shine even a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm trying to get you to teach a class on it. I know, I know, I know and.
Speaker 2:I will. I really am not. I'm not, you know, evading coming. I know it's just been. It's been a really tough December, january. So hopefully down the line here we will put something together. I'll have you look at it, see what you think and we'll put it together. It'll be a fun class too.
Speaker 1:It will, and that's one of the biggest questions I get when people are looking at the gallery of all your work how does she do this? What is she using? And I have a very limited amount. I've heard your spiel a couple times and so I'm just relaying that, so I think you'll be surprised how many people will show up to participate, because they're very intrigued. You know, it's just beautiful and I think it looks like it's acceptable to be free with it.
Speaker 1:And I guess a lot of work, that when people see it they feel intimidated that they're not going. You're not. You know replicating something exactly over and over and over again. So people feel connection, like I can express myself in this you know method and you know showing them how to do it. I think that that's why they're so connected with it.
Speaker 2:That's the beauty in it. That's the beauty in it, you know, everybody, like I said, you can use the same color. You could use the same colors as I'm using the same colors. You could pour it, layer it exactly the same, but the way you do it and the way I do it will turn out totally different, and it doesn't. They're both beautiful, you know, um, and that's what's so fun about it, you know, somebody said I know there's a picture up there that sold and everybody's like oh, you can just, can you make me one just like that? I know, uh, no, I can maybe use the same colors and you can look at it, but, um, it's an original for sure.
Speaker 1:yeah for yeah. So if people see the slideshow and they're interested in something, what's the best way that they can contact you?
Speaker 2:Oh, definitely my cell or my email or Facebook. I'm on Facebook unique designs by Andrea Marie and Instagram, so, but you know they can call me on my cell anytime.
Speaker 1:Well, I will put all of that contact information in the show notes. So that will be with everything in this episode. So everyone can you know, at least know a way to give you a call or text you or contact you if they're interested in a piece. And then, if you eventually do set up your Etssy shop again or, you know, place something on a website, I'll update those links so it will be on there. So that would be great that would be great.
Speaker 2:You've been such a wonderful help.
Speaker 1:I can't thank you enough oh, my goodness, I just love how long ago we started talking about this, because it was like summer when I wanted to get the shop You're like exhibiting, and I'm like yeah, yeah, yeah, and so I'm really glad that you followed through and, you know, got to show up because it's beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. I really do. It means a lot to me.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'm happy that you are the exhibiting artist this month and yes, so please follow Andrea on her platforms. Those links will be in the show notes and then on YouTube the slideshow that goes along this podcast will show all the work.
Speaker 2:Awesome, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks, andrea, have a great day, stay warm.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Thanks too.
