Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna Reynolds.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been a creative, I was in music and art all through high school, art in college (I would even sneak into the music rooms to play piano in between classes), etc. I was a teacher for 20 years, the last 12 of which I was the art teacher. I actually learned more about art and creativity from teaching my students. They were so curious and fearless when it came to creating.
While being a teacher and a mother of 2 boys, I started my mobile paint party business, Pink Cactus Studio. I would host paint parties in the evenings and on the weekends. We even went virtual during covid times. I absolutely loved being able to teach and share the power of art and creating with so many more people! It was different working with adults than with children. Adults have put up these creative walls over the years, and it is so rewarding when those same adults leave a paint party giddy with pride over their work. Nothing beats knowing that I helped them rekindle their love for creating!
After 20 years teaching, I decided that I needed to follow my dream (that I’ve had since 3rd grade) of being a real-life artist. I kept telling myself a quote from Moana, “There is more beyond the reef.” My hubby is my biggest supporter and advocate and gave me the confidence to just do it, reassuring me that I wouldn’t put our family into financial ruin if I followed my dreams. He believes in me more than I do sometimes.
I am 2 years into my art business and I am couldn’t be happier with my decision. Do I feel like a real-life artist yet? Not sure. Maybe, because the struggle is real, but I’m still learning and have a long way to go before I’m a ‘self-sustaining’ artist. I’m spending a lot of my time building the mobile paint party side of the business while still learning the business of being an artist. It’s tough, but so worth it.
I knew that if I didn’t go for my dreams, I would forever have this hole inside, this need, and would regret it forever. I think that’s the biggest lesson I’m learning. We only have this one life, and I think it would hurt too much to waste it not going after what we truly want. One of my students said, “No risk, no reward” and I keep that reminder next to my desk so I can see it when everything feels too big and uncertain. If I don’t do this, if I don’t follow this dream, I’ll never know what I am capable of.
I use all of this in my art. I put my thoughts, my fears, my dreams, my joy, my sadness, my hopes, my losses – everything into my pieces. They are my diary made visible for the world. I want people to see my work and feel those things in themselves and to know that their dreams and desires matter. That their joy matters.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not! Deciding to leave teaching was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made. It felt very selfish. The students needed me, my family needed the income, etc. It took me two years to finally decide to put myself first and pull the trigger.
I actually think I’m able to be a better mom for my boys now. Being a teacher is so draining. You spend all day putting the needs of 300+ other children first, when you come home it’s hard to have anything left over for your own family. Let alone try and foster your creativity!
We still have a ton of struggles. It’s hard to be a ‘starving artist’ with a family to take care of, but we’re making it work and have learned a lot about budgeting along the way!
It’s also really hard building a business from the ground up, alone. I have no idea what I’m doing and feel like I am winging it every day! I try and learn as much as I can, but there’s still so much more I don’t know about the business of art. I know I’ll get there, it just takes time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’d say I’m mostly known for my large scale and use of color. I think my bold artwork really sets me apart from all the other artists out there. I’m not afraid to get messy, use fluorescent colors, or even glitter in my work. I do this because I have so many thoughts and feelings going on inside me that it just has to come out this way. It comes out in color and expressive marks. I have a really hard time putting my thoughts and feelings into words, so I use painting large colorful canvases to process all that’s going on in my internal world. I also use color to combat the heaviness of the world around me. Adding color to my pieces and my walls, adds joy and light into my world.
I’m most proud of the pieces that came together so effortless and easy. When I am one with the art. They seem to come together so easily, but that’s not really the case. They were effortless because of all the effort and work that I had done with other pieces. When a piece gets difficult, I get really discouraged and have to set it aside for a long while. BUT once I come back to it, even a year later, I’m able to turn it into something I couldn’t have even imagined before. The easy ones come from all the work, struggles, and trials that were difficult and I had to work through.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I’m not really sure where this industry is headed. With the growing use of AI, it seems that the ‘creative’ is less necessary. But, I really think it’s the opposite. People are so inundated with the work that AI produces, they will value authenticity more. They will value that human experience, that human connection more.
I think as technology continues to infiltrate our every moment, people will still be seeking opportunities to connect with others and create with their hands more. The paint parties are a great way for people to have that human connection and embrace the desire to create and make something beautiful with their hands, accomplish a sense of pride in themselves, get back to that simpler, childlike state of play and curiosity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pinkcactusstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkcactusstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkcactusstudiotx/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pinkcactusstudio
Image Credits
Jennie Peak
Sarah Burgess
