Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristel Brinshot.
Hi Kristel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
“Indigneous Latinx building the future of creativepreneurship at Hey Sis World & changing creative culture 𝘸ith Big World NRG”
Today I can confidently identify as a multi-layered Artist, Creative Director, Founder and creative coach but it didn’t always flow that way for me.
After seven years of building an international experimental animation community (Ghosting TV) and a successful directorial career ( The Great Nordic Sword Fights) straight out of college, I was on my way to build a third business in the tech space. But instead of attending a launch, I ended up in the hospital.
It’s been a 4 year journey for me that started in 2018 when I was hospitalized for burnout. After running nonstop for so many years, my body and my brain had finally thrown in the f*cking towel and I was suddenly forced to re-evaluate my body’s entire relationship to work and life. My life depended on it. The day I got home from the hospital, I felt so lost I literally googled “how to relax” – and I found a book – Everywhere You Go There You Are. So I decided f*ck it, every morning before I took my medication I woke up and read the book for 5 minutes.No excuses. Then slowly as my recovery took place 5 min went from 15 to 30 to 1 hour. I trained my brain to love that feeling of openness that comes with meditation and that’s where I began to uncover the deeper reason for my burnout. My crippling anxiety and imposter syndrome was not simply a result of overworking – I now know my art brings me joy – it was a result of constant attempts to survive spaces that were not built for woc. So it begged the question – who else is out there dealing just like me? That is how Hey Sis World was born.
Hey Sis World, founded by me and my sister Priscilla Brinshot, began as a tiny dinner party hosted behind a kitchen in Los Angeles among girlfriends in the creative industry who needed a space to talk openly and honestly about the things we’ve so often been silenced about in the workplace.
Today Hey Sis World exists as an international digital platform and we have launched the first-ever hybrid creative coaching program for BIPOC artists and creativepreneurs struggling with imposter syndrome and burnout.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey as a WOC in the creative industry, like my art, has been experimental, weird, unorthodox and eye-opening because let’s be honest there is no blueprint for success for us when it comes to building a business in the arts. I did not come from capital, I did not go to business school, and for 90% of my career, I have been the first /only womxn or POC on a team. The not so cute reality of being the “first” or “the only“ is it’s a whole lot of guessing and failing. That’s really scary and isolating especially when you don’t see anyone that looks like you at the top. But on the flip? It’s a prime breeding ground for innovation. I truly believe BIPOC artists are the center of innovation.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Sis! I have years of major moments like animating for lil Yachty, Adult Swim, styling for magazines, selling my art in galleries, founding an international 3D animation studio, launching a VR game, to art directing for NIKE, and building community at Hey Sis World. But that is not what I’m most proud of! It’s having the courage to be my entire self in every space I step into. That’s what we call Big World NRG.
TODAY I don’t believe in toxic hustle culture. Instead, I make time for what makes me happy while honoring my culture instead of watering it down and making enough $$ + energy to support my ideas and my community. My creative life makes me so damn fired UP about helping other creative entrepreneurs ditch the starving artist mentality and embrace healthy creative living.
Every artist has a vision for the future – and this one is mine – that every BIPOC + immigrant creative entrepreneur & artist can fill ANY space they choose to walk into with BIG unapologetic NRG. Not here to make seats at the table, here to make a whole new one.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I have a book of all the advice I would give my younger self coming soon. My biggest piece of advice as an indigenous Latinx woc/ child of immigrants/ creative force is this:
- Give yourself grace for being you every day – because it’s a privilege to be creative and survive doing it in today’s world.
- don’t be afraid to make a sharp 180, go against everyone you know and choose to believe your intuition + your body + your ancestors – it’s YOUR life.
- Remember the biggest flex is not the likes or the cars or the ‘things’ – it’s knowing you are turning your hardships into success. THAT is the real sauce.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bigworldnrg.life
- Instagram: @heysis.world @bigworldnrg
- Other: www.heysis.world and @bigworldnrg on Instagram
Image Credits:
1Big World NRG™ 2Photographer Emily Bolles Creative Directed/ Edited by Kristel Brinshot 3Nike Women 4-5Hey Sis World Art Directed by Priscilla Brinshot 6-7Photographer Emily Bolles Creative Directed/ Edited by Kristel Brinshot
