Meet Sharell Whipple | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sharell Whipple and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sharell, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Taking risks in my business is a essential but these risks are backed by data, a need to be more efficient, or desire to learn a new skill. Gaining more expertise and knowledge, having a better product offering, or superior service allows you to charge more. If you are running a business and not a hobby, this is a great mindset to have.

One example of when I took a risk is when I needed to be more efficient. The issue: my hand wood burned and painted ornaments were always selling out and I could not keep up with demand, so I felt comfortable investing thousands of dollars into a laser engraving machine that allowed me to work smarter, not harder. Now I have a set up that lets me offer even more products that can be more easily customized. Sure, large monetary purchases are scary and I had to learn a whole new system of creating my art digitally, but it was well worth the gamble.

I often remind myself of the phrase, “nothing changes if nothing changes.” If I stay in my comfort zone and don’t get outside of my bubble of what I already know, things will stay the same. In order to grow, you need to push boundaries and try new things. Not all of your ideas will be a success but you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. You can choose to learn from the mistakes and move past them, to grow from them, use them as a tool to do better next time, or you can give up. I try to not get discouraged by a “failure” but treat it as a speed bump, analyze WHY it didn’t work, and use the knowledge gained to do better next time. Even if the worst that can happen does happen, it can be overcome if you are willing to put in the work.

Likewise, taking risks in life can be exciting and lead to blessings that you didn’t even expect. For instance, in 2014 I moved to a new state, volunteered at a local organization where I knew no one, and ending up meeting someone who would become a best friend. On the business side of things, when I took a chance on investing in my first booth at an art market, I ended up meeting someone who would become a wholesale buyer of my work. So much good can stem from one simple decision to expand your mind and stretch your boundaries.

I think risk is a necessity in business and those that are very successful are not afraid to take a chance on themselves. Taking risks has allowed me to serve more people and expand my product range. This helps me avoid burnout, as there is always a new exciting art form I am delving into.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art journey started over 10 years ago when I was working as a pet sitter and dog walker for many families in my hometown. One year, for holiday gifts for some clients, I painted portraits of their dogs. I got great feedback and they told me how much my artwork meant to them. Fur babies do not live long enough, and it warms my heart to hear over a decade later that my pieces of art are still hung up and loved.

This is when I discovered that I not only enjoyed creating the art, but it touched people’s lives. I then began to offer custom pet portraits online for people I had never met. This expanded into painting more than just pets-I would paint mountain scenes of where a couple got engaged, I would create floral wedding signage with the bride’s color scheme, I would paint ornaments with scenes of where couples vacationed and where families took summer trips, tons of animal artwork with a whimsical touch, and more.

I love creating 3D art, whether that is topographic models of mountain ranges, my animal and nature paintings embedded in layers of glossy resin that have interesting backgrounds with depth, or even 3D printed elements added to ornaments. I am proud of my mixed media pieces and how I combine materials to have a fresh take on a particular product. I am excited to delve in to the world of designing whimsical animal and nature jewelry!

I started and still sell on Etsy, have my own website, and also sell wholesale to shops via Faire. It may be easy to start up, but it is not easy to succeed over a long stretch of time. I wear countless different hats in order to keep my business going. There is always something to work on, but I love what I do and would rather put effort into my own business than work for someone else.

I overcome a challenge by seeking advice from someone who has done it already. I try to learn from others, and apply it to my own business before it even becomes a problem. These people are fellow creatives, people I have met in real life, on social media, or people who I follow online. There are a lot of resources from people willing to share their journey, such as blogs, online forums, Youtube creators, and even local networking groups.

There are a multitude of lessons I have learned along the way. One is that it is worth it to step outside your comfort zone and try new forms of art or new ways of marketing your art. Also, setting goals with deadlines and numbers can help you reverse engineer how you spend your time and prioritize the daily tasks you do. Additionally, I have learned to create more evergreen products for a particular customer in mind, with a goal to serve them for 5-7 years, rather than just making random art that I like and hoping someone else will too.

I love creating vibrant art for nature lovers and sparking more compassion for our planet. A portion of each sale is donated to wildlife conservation, habitat protection, or scientific research. My wish is that my art inspires others to get outside and enjoy nature, even if it starts as a simple walk close to home. Once you explore the wilderness, you appreciate it more and form a connection to these wild places and animals. You can find so much peace in nature and I hope my art is able to remind people how lucky we are to live in this beautiful world, how important it is to stay connected to mother nature, and how we must strive to keep the wild, wild.

I aim to live in the present, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and put a smile on other’s faces whenever possible. If you want a piece of artwork that inspires you to plan your next adventure or commemorates your favorite animal, all while contributing to wildlife conservation, a piece of my artwork may be just the thing for you!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I lived in Southern Denver pre-covid, I loved biking along the South Platte River, hiking, mountain biking, going to the art walk nights on Santa Fe, trying new restaurants, and exploring National and State parks. Once covid hit, I we were on lockdown until we moved away to California.

Now that I am currently in southern California, I would take a bestie on a bike ride along the beach, zip lining, berry picking, to lots of thrift stores, to the botanic gardens, and horseback riding in the mountains! CA offers so many types of beautiful landscapes and amazing food, so we would eat plenty of tacos, smoothies, pastries, and Italian food, probably picnic style with an epic view of a lake, forest, or ocean!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Many members of my family have played a role in my success. They have gotten me through self-doubt, burn-out, logistical hurdles, and so much more!

My husband, Casey, is always nudging me to level up my creations, to try new mediums that require learning and effort to start, but will stand out from the crowd. I appreciate all his extra help during my busy seasons; I couldn’t do it without him, we are a true team in life.

My brother has used his background in engineering to selflessly guide me through how to scale my business, how to physically layout and organize my workshop to maximize space and efficiency, and how to use certain tools and materials. I am so grateful to him and his wife for all their support.

My sister is always there to give me feedback on a design, help with photoshoots, recommend how to make my packaging more eco-friendly, or imagine new product ideas together. She’s a dreamer like me and I appreciate her enthusiasm for thinking big.

My parents have always supported me, encouraged me, and told me how proud they are. Even when I decided to not use my Animal Biology degree in the more traditional way, they just wanted me to be happy. I get my entrepreneurial spirit from my Dad and can’t thank them enough for their love.

Website: https://www.artbysharell.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbysharell

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtbySharell/

Other: Etsy: https://artbysharell.etsy.com