An Inspired Chat with Diana Flynn of Manhattan Beach

We recently had the chance to connect with Diana Flynn and have shared our conversation below.

Diana, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
The first thing that popped into my head when I read this is resiliency. I’ve made a lot of pivots in my life-with careers and geographic moves-and I think it’s made me more able to stay calm during change and diversity. I’m able to look at most situations and realize that it will all work out. It doesn’t always seem like it when it’s happening, and it may not go in the direction that I anticipated, but I know that if I trust the process, I am capable of looking at the situation and making a thoughtful decision without letting anxiety take over.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a textural artist working mainly with cotton canvas fabric and acrylic mediums.

Using ripped, frayed and painted fabric strips, I create dimensional surfaces that have a rhythmic quality. While I love using single bold colors in my work, I am equally happy exploring a variety of color palettes and surface patterns and am inspired by the endless possibilities.

Recently, I’ve been exploring the intersection between linear patterns and rugged surfaces. These pieces are created by applying layers of molding paste, pouring mediums, pumice gel and acrylic paint and working, by hand, with each layer to add texture and volume. Thread, discarded from the frayed fabric strips in my studio, are then painted and arranged into linear patterns-reflecting the contrast I see as we (mostly women) try to gain control over our messy and imperfect lives.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My first job out of college was working for Apple Computer in marketing. I worked with people who were very highly educated and I tried to learn as much from them as I could. I payed attention to how they handled themselves in meetings and presentations. I asked a lot of questions and tried to absorb everything I could about ways of communicating clearly and the importance of follow through.

Even though I realized that staying in the corporate world wasn’t for me, I took so much of what I learned from those early years and have used it in everything I’ve done since.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
In a way, the ways in which we suffer, connects us more to other people than the ways in which we have success. The depth of scars we live with when we’ve had to endure diversity seems to live with us in a more profound way.

I don’t know that I’d recommend experiencing a lot of suffering but I’ve learned that it does have a few silver linings. It has made me more empathetic to other peoples reactions, decisions and situations .

You never know about the obstacles that someone has gone through or is currently dealing with so I try to think about that when I’m out and about in the world.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I’d like to think so. I believe that everyone has different sides to them that work together in different ways to manage and propel all of the other aspects of our lives.

I think of myself as an introvert and prefer to be in smaller groups of people I know but meeting new people can help build my business and that’s a priority for me. So when I reach out to potential collectors, gallerists or other artists, I choose to be the version of me that is working towards those goals.

Then when I get home, I change into my sweats and have silly conversations with my dog but the public version of me from an hour before is still part of the “real me”.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I almost always feel out of my depth. I’m very curious and am constantly trying to push myself to do and learn new things. Right now I’m planning and preparing for a solo show-opening in March.

There are lots of moving parts as I try to narrow down the focus of the work, the number and size of the pieces and nail down all the promotional elements that I want to make sure are in place.

With solo shows there are no distractions-my work will be front and center and that is scary. Creating enough pieces for a solo show is not easy. Hanging the show so it best displays the work is not easy. Talking about myself and my work is definitely not easy.

But when it’s all said and done, I’ll have learned a lot and will have that experience to draw on for the next show or project (which most certainly will put me in a place of being out of my depth once again).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dianaflynndesigns.com
• Instagram: @dianaflynndesigns

Image Credits
all me (Diana Flynn)