Issue link: https://nest.uberflip.com/i/1115470
pursuits began several years ago during college in Bozeman, Montana, when on a whim I enrolled in an art class." Since that time a myriad of life changing events have confirmed and in fact spurred on her calling as an artist. What inspired you to begin your social media journey? My journey with social media began along side the discovery that I loved practicing art. My love for painting surfaced during a college course that I randomly enrolled in. I posted my final painting for the course to my personal social media account and received positive feedback from friends and gained a few followers. However, as an outdoor athlete and college undergrad, my artist pursuits quickly fell to the wayside. My free time was instead devoted to the mountains—skiing, biking or climbing. Yet in July of 2015, I crashed on my mountain bike in Big Sky, MT, and broke my back, front teeth, and was sentenced to a rigid clamshell back brace for three months. During this difficult and painful time of recovery—both physically and emotionally—I turned to art as my solace. I began painting everyday, and suddenly had a new reason to wake up in the morning. During my recovery, I realized that painting allowed me to experience the same freedom that I found from adventuring in the mountains. I had found my calling. A few months after keeping up a regular art practice and posting my progress, I sold my first painting over social media without even publicizing that it was for sale. I can't explain how amazing that felt- that someone liked my art so much that they wanted to buy it! This gave me the motivation to believe in myself as an artist. After about a year and a half of painting everyday between 2015 and 2016, I began to really develop my brand, Gianna Andrews Art, during 2017. Do you have any books, tours, partnerships or Channels that our readers can tune into? I have been focusing my energy and attention on building a strong foundation for my personal brand, Gianna Andrews Art, where I operate an instagram (@ giannaandrews) and an online store with wearable merchandise, prints, stickers,