“I choose to believe that I can do whatever I want – that nothing’s impossible! And I surround myself with people who feel the same way. This whole community, Louisville, has the feeling that anything is possible.”
How did you get started as a painter?
It has always been a part of my life. I started painting when I was about seven years old. I still have my first still life painting: a still life with intent in oils. I have a picture of it and the actual painting. My grandfather and mom always encouraged me to paint. I did my first portrait of my grandfather in 1978. He told me what a portrait was and then said, “Why don’t you do a portrait of me?” He was always teaching [my sister and me] things. He got in front of the sliding glass door and sat really still for a long time. I drew it with a marker on notebook paper, but it was very detailed. I still have that too. I have painted about 50 portraits since then.
What else did your grandfather teach you that’s important to you?
He always said, “If you can picture yourself doing it, you’re halfway there. Once you say it out loud, the universe starts sliding pieces into place to make it a reality.” It’s really simple. He called these positive mental visualizations “quiet beliefs,” or QB for short. You have a little QB and you tuck it away in your mind. Every now and then, you pull it out and dust it off. Even if you’re not making big steps towards making it a reality, the fact that it’s in your head-subconsciously, you are making choices to get closer to your goal. I feel so lucky that my sister and I were raised that way.
Congratulations on starting your own social media business. Would you share about your experiences in the journey to entrepreneurship?
It actually goes along with this story quite well. I was being practical and got a good job as a social media manager in the sporting goods industry. I loved the job and my co-workers, but the office environment, the 9 to 5, and the very structured lunches left my soul dying. I got very lethargic, gained weight, and had headaches. I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. I realized that I had to make a change.
I sat on my front porch one day feeling all sad and watched all these cars go by – Linda’s Cleaning Service, Jim’s Plumbing Service, So-And-So’s Whatever Business – and I thought, “Why can’t I have my own business? All these people are doing it. Why do I think it’s impossible for me? I’m always telling people that anything’s possible. Why am I such a scaredy-cat?” So I allowed myself to take a chance. And I thought, “Well, if I fail, so what?” As soon as I said out loud that I was leaving my job and starting my own thing, all these doors started opening for me.
I only want 10 regular clients total and, after three months, I have seven clients right now. Nothing would make me happier if I could grow to the point of having one or two employees. So far I feel like everything I’ve learned ties together through some strange, cosmic thread. I love the writing and using my brain. That’s a part that you forget to exercise. I feel like part of my brain is definitely waking back up and it’s stimulating the paintings. I’m thrilled that I took a chance. Being a creative person – you need to honor that. Creative people need to honor that and not be afraid and not try to fit into some cookie cutter normalcy.
It wasn’t easy. And it’s scary. It took me three and a half years to finally do it. I’ve been talking about wanting to run my own business since I was sitting around having beers with my girlfriends in college. And it feels like that was just a few weeks ago. I had finally reached a tipping point: Either quit talking about it or go do it. And I realized that my life is passing me by. And I didn’t lose too much more time. Now I can’t really think of anything that I need or want or would rather be doing. I’ve reached a certain point of contentment with who I am, flaws and all. The doubt fades away. It’s still there a little bit, but it’s so much more manageable as you get older.
Would you share one of your QBs with us?
My husband and I recently purchased 25 acres in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. I’m very inspired when I go out there. The rhythm in the country is so completely different than the rhythm in the city. I think that the city sometimes scrambles my thoughts and I’m hyper-stimulated. So when I go outside, wander around, or just stare at the clouds, that’s when so much creativity comes out.
The long-term goal is to move out to the country because I can do my job from anywhere. I am able to drive to Louisville once a week to meet with my clients and then head back to spend the rest of my time in the country.
And spend all of the rest of the time doing what you love. And where I love. I’m on a mission to be happy.
The neat thing about a QB is that you don’t really have to go after it. One day you discover that you’re just there. I feel like things are falling into place. My little QB is coming to life. It’s a great feeling. Now I’m coming up with all sorts of new QBs. I have a library full of them in my head.
-Grace Simrall
Bio:
Painter
Title:
Founder of Bluegrass Social Media.
Age:
42
Location:
Irish Hill
Contact:
@anessaarehart
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