Today we’d like to introduce you to Sienna Browne.
Sienna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been creating ever since I can remember. As a kid, I didn’t completely fit in because of the way I thought. My mom raised my brother and I to think outside the box and to spend our time doing the things we love. I followed social rules, but I didn’t always understand them. I decorated everything — I drew on myself, my room was painted five different colors, and I was reprimanded several different times growing up for decorating my school and camp uniforms. I grew up loving nature, especially the ocean. I did Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards every summer from the age of ten, and am now a Junior Lifeguard Instructor for the very same program. I’m going into my fourth year in the Drawing and Painting BFA program at California State University, Long Beach. College has been the biggest blessing and has allowed me to excel in ways I had never thought possible. I am eternally grateful for the privilege of having an education. I enjoy several forms of art – painting, building, reading, dancing, photography, sculpture, playing the saxophone and writing. I think that being creative means appreciating art in all its funky hats!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel incredibly blessed for my life, however there have been struggles. My focus as an artist stems from my struggles with addiction, food being the most prominent. For over a decade, I fell victim to my own inner bully who gained its voice from societal conditioning. From age eleven onward, I had disordered eating tendencies which progressed into bulimia, binge eating, body dysmorphia, and Night Eating Disorder. Being a beach lifeguard in Orange County, California has definitely enhanced my challenges with body image and food, but is also a stressful job that requires a lot of responsibility. I have seen some pretty gnarly medical emergencies and have saved hundreds of people’s lives from ocean hazards. My father died my junior year of high school of a heart attack due to clogged arteries and obesity. This has made me an even greater advocate for health (in all its forms) and well-being.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
As an artist, my craft is physical. I dabble in several different art forms, but my favorites are drawing and painting. I love the visual arts because they speak universally, intrinsically, and they surpass the construct of time. I think that visual art is the most impactful mode of communication because it provides people with a message regardless of their age, language, or level of intellect. Because of this, artists have an incredibly important role in shaping our current world and informing the future.
From what I’ve heard, I am known for my use of materials, ability to evoke a specific emotion and my use of color. I pour my soul into my paintings, and really truly LOVE to create. I use my paintings as my language and hope to speak to people on levels that go beyond how they think they should see things or the truths they have created for themselves.
Proud isn’t a word I typically use for myself because I believe everything I have been given and created is a gift. I am most excited about my most recent body of work which I created this last spring. I broke through a lot of internal barriers and have been told that these paintings have helped people heal (so far). I am also incredibly stoked on my blog where I talk about my personal experiences and share what I have learned in life so far. It’s been super empowering for me to openly talk about uncomfortable topics and has opened the door for other people to be able to discuss them with me as well.
I think what sets me apart from other artists is my ultimate goal. I don’t NEED to end up in galleries, I don’t NEED to be famous and make millions of dollars for my paintings. I want to use my creative gifts to help people expand their truths, chase what brings them joy, and make life Heaven on Earth. Through my art, I want to help start conversations so that people choose to work through their hurts, challenge their limiting beliefs, and release their fear. I use my creative talent as a mode of communication to help other people and view it just as much as a responsibility as it is a gift.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The quality I feel has contributed most to my success so far is vulnerability. My work encompasses my journey as I surrender my ego and learn to help myself. I think vulnerability is extremely impactful because it shows people you’re a real person with struggles. In order to help people, you first need to help yourself. From what I’ve seen so far, my vulnerability has helped other people see that they too can be vulnerable, and it’s okay to not always be okay.
My vulnerability has helped me personally because I’ve realized I’m not in control. I can be brave, confident, and take risks that I wouldn’t have taken if I was scared of what other people thought. In addition, being vulnerable had taught me that it is GOOD to ask for help and ask questions. This has opened up countless opportunities that would have otherwise not happened because I would have been too afraid to put myself out there and make things happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.siennabrowneart.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siennabrowne/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siennabrowneart/
Image Credit:
Sierra Page
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