We recently had the chance to connect with Abi Stroud and have shared our conversation below.
Abi, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Oh boy, what a question. Out of the 3, I believe that energy (or more importantly energy storage) is the most important. I have been running a business and working multiply jobs for almost 5 years now and struggle with burn out daily. When I started my journey of creativity, I thought I had to be the first and the fastest in the field to be relevant. I regret pushing myself so hard and not knowing when to take breaks. Due to pushing too hard in the beginning I now deal with mental and physical burn out everyday. Its a hard lesson to learn, but a very important one.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Abi and I am simply a creator. I have my hands in many different jobs such as photographer, costume designer, body painter, etc. The list is quite long, but the job I have pushed hard for and have been incredibly lucky to work, is CandiiLand PhotoSets. For the past 5 years I have been building photo backdrops for conventions spaces, after parties, theaters, and RenFaires across the country. It started as a small project to build spaces that cosplayers could take pictures in. It absolutely exploded in popularity and expanded easily. The idea was to create a safe and free space that cosplayers could use for content creation. If you have never been to a con, it can be extremely troublesome to get a spot for photos that does not end up being a safety hazard in blocking foot traffic. Thus, the CandiiLand sets were born and blossomed into a full career. Even though the business has been successful, I am far from finished. Every new event I learn a different technique and remake the sets to accommodate the creators. Its a brand that changes and grows with the consumers that use it. It feels alive. There is nothing quite like seeing the excitement in attendees when they walk into the CandiiLand space. A feeling as though they have been transported into a new realm via the sets. That is the goal for CandiiLand: to bring joy and adventure into the mundane.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Friendships for me as a young adult and teen tended to be difficult. I always had an easy enough time making the connections and the majority of those friends were incredibly talented in some form of art. Sometimes it was music, other times it was painting, and some friendships were simply creative in all of the fields. What made the relationships difficult was that each time I made a new connection with someone so talented, they were very content never showing their talent to the world. This confused me and irritated me. No matter how much I praised or tried to help them get their talents in the world, it was never something they were comfortable with. This shaped me in a why that I never considered until I was older. I did not want any of my talents to ever be hidden or forgotten. So, I worked hard to try every art form there was available and create as much content as I could. I am very sure that it was not a healthy coping mechanisms, but I am glad of the push that it gave me.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Failure is a success. Without going through the lows, you will never know what the highs are. If you live a life that is only full of success you will never know it and thus never celebrate it. To know failure and and know suffering is some of the most invaluable experience a person can have. When that success finally comes, you will remember the feeling of that rock bottom and acknowledge everything you learned and how much you grew.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, or as least I try to be. Working the public eye does tend to make people mask their feelings and morals. As a female-queer-entrepreneur, I try to be as much as my true self as I can. I want to be able to connect to the people who need the connection. I think masking who you are in public is practical, but ultimately, impersonal.
There is nothing quite like “killing them with kindness”. It took a lot of practice to make perfect, but I have learned that dealing with people, everyone is always ready for a fight. Any excuse to curse you out or throw a punch. Being kind tends to rattle rage and leave individuals stunned. There are still days that i struggle with my own anger, but if you can learn to use kindness in the face of anger, it will change your world.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Nothing, I am very happy with how my life turned out and where it is going. I cannot say I am 100% done with it all, but I am incredibly content with how much I have been able to put out into the world and with what I have been given. I am happy that I get to see my art make people happy every day. I am still healthy and able to create. Will be creating till the day I do drop off this world. Hopefully not in the next 10 years.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candiiland_by_abicandi/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AbiiCandiiLand
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@candiiphoto
