Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Givens.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Vanessa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always felt the need to express myself externally since I was a child. With some people, the urge to create sadly fizzles as we grow older, but for myself it only enhanced. After years of shielding the world from my work, I cut the act.
It wasn’t until 2017 that I finally embraced the idea of branding and what that even looks like. I was still shy with sharing my physical art, so I began creating mixes through SoundCloud to help gain momentum. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but at least I was doing something! I’ve never been one to stick to one craft, so having another outlet was extremely helpful. To my surprise, people were actually really rocking with what I was putting out! My plan was working.
In 2018, I moved to San Francisco and started working in the largest art store in the heart of the city. As you can imagine this was the perfect recipe for creation. I had been messing around with mixed-media, fabric work, painting, and sculpting for awhile. But, when my store manager gifted me with my beloved paint markers, that truly changed the game. My work started to become more fluid and my identity as an artist was beginning to be clear to myself.
Ever since then, I have continued to believe in not only my work but the process! I have gone through many phases and will continue to do so, but one thing that hasn’t changed is my mission to connect.
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?
It has definitely not been an easy street getting to where I am today. A cocktail mixed with mental illness, self-doubt, financial stumps, and pressure can make creating truly impossible. Sometimes I fantasize about how big my platform would of been by now if I quit worrying about the small stuff in high school. But this is also a root of my problems – focusing on how I will be perceived instead of the material itself.
In the digital age, it’s nearly impossible to reach a large following without having some sort of social media. When you’re a team of one like myself, you can’t run away from the nitty-gritty parts of this industry. Due to my issues with general anxiety, this doesn’t make it any easier to even WANT to create. It then becomes a chore.
I’ve had to seriously break out of that thought pattern because otherwise, it would destroy me.
Please tell us about Chateau Dreams.
Chateau Dreams is known for producing multi-media abstract creations. Visually I like to work with watercolor, acrylic paints, collages, digital art, embroidery, and some sculpting. Once upon a time, I tried to produce my own sounds but I’ve put a pause on that for now. In order to still feed that beast, I curate mixes and playlists on the side. (It would be truly amazing to develop some sort of live online radio in the future.). Most of the music I like to post are ambient sounds, synth-pop, chill wave, indie, hip&hop, trap, and rap. I love to embrace all genres.
My use of color is usually the very first thing people are pleased with. I’m a firm believer in color therapy, color theory is one of my favorite things to ramble about. When I’m creating just for the fun of it, I typically tend to create work that makes me feel at ease, things that are visually pleasing. There’s still some chaos, but two things that make sense are the colors and the flow of my curves. When I’m creating with intention or a story, that’s when things can get a little more literal and maybe not so sweet. Every so often, I like to make political commentary with my collage work as well.
So far, the original artwork I have sold has been on small /medium-sized canvas. What I’m truly excited for is expanding like never before. Finally making my watercolor available for purchase, translating my work onto textiles, moving to 5 ft. & beyond surfaces, list goes on.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My refusal to never truly give up on myself is what makes it all worth it. Having the skill is important but if you have no drive or no belief in yourself, you will go nowhere. In my personal life, it’s very easy to want to throw in the towel and move on to the next with no recovery time. But when it comes to my life’s mission, there has been no negotiating that. I MUST create.
I think optimism has also been essential to my personal success. I am not naive to the grime of reality, therefore I shall not wallow in my sorrows and fears. I give myself space, but I rarely give up!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChateauDreamss
- Phone: 323-490-2337
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chateaudreams_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChateauDreams/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/chateaudreams_
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/user/1255127143
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