Can a hobby turned into a business venture serve as a therapeutic escape? Join me, Joanna Patrice Haggerty, at the 2023 Holiday Pop-Up Market at the Asheville Mall as I engage with Phyllis Brooks, the creative genius behind Dreamations by Phyllis. This episode revolves around Phyllis's artistic journey from an idyllic hobby to a successful business venture, born out of her passion for painting picturesque landscapes. Inspired by the iconic Bob Ross, Phyllis takes us through the origin of her charming business name, 'Dreamations,' and how her art has become a much-needed stress reliever amidst her full-time job responsibilities.
As the conversation evolves, Phyllis reveals her future aspiration of opening a storefront to sell her art post-retirement while narrating her artistic process and her experiences of balancing her full-time job with her flourishing business. Be prepared to be awestruck as Phyllis describes how she has ingeniously transformed her stress-relieving hobby into a flourishing business and her plans future. You will also learn where to find her enchanting artwork online. So, tune in and immerse yourself in Phyllis's inspiring journey from painting landscapes to painting her entrepreneurial dreams.
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JPH:
Hello, this is Joanna Patrice Haggerty and I am on location at the 2023 Holiday Pop-Up Market at the Asheville Mall. This is sponsored by WWBC and BizRadious. We have 50 local women-owned entrepreneurs here selling their goods and getting their name out there for folks. Joining me now is Phyllis Brooks of Dreamations by Phyllis. Thanks for being here.
Phyllis :
Thank you for having me. It's great to be here.
JPH:
It's so wonderful and for anyone who shows up you can find her. She's the one with the adorable beauty mark of gingerbread.
Phyllis :
Yes.
JPH:
So tell us a little bit about Dreamations by Phyllis and what it is and what you offer.
Phyllis :
Well, I started painting as a young child. Then I had a family of my own with children and a husband, so I gave it up. But then during the pandemic, when I was looking for things to do because you couldn't really go anywhere, I started painting again. It just started as a hobby and a friend of mine told me that I should start selling these paintings Because I was giving them up to friends and relatives. So I started going to markets with her and then Dreamations just kind of came to my head one day. I love that. That became my business name and I do mostly landscape paintings, scenery, places I've been to, and I was inspired by Bob Ross. He's my hero.
JPH:
He's such a hero to everyone, isn't he?
Phyllis :
So I love Bob Ross. I watch a lot of his videos and he inspires me a lot.
JPH:
So that's kind of how it all came about. I love that and I imagine too that name that sort of popped in. It sounds like it really relates to the type of scenery you create. Things you physically have seen, but even creating from that imagination inside how exciting, and so I imagine you've done a lot of the pop-up markets and the physical markets to help get your name out there.
Phyllis :
I also have an Etsy site and on Instagram and Facebook as well. Oh, I love that.
JPH:
That's so helpful. So before we started the show, you told me that the business is a little bit of a stress reliever for you. Yes, let's talk about that, because, honestly, that doesn't feel the same for everyone. So I love wanting to capitalize, especially during this time of year. On.
Phyllis :
How can we have business feel good? Well, sometimes when I'm stressed out about you know, life in general, as I do, and you know, and I have a full-time job as well, oh wow. So when I get home in the evenings, and primarily on weekends, I just put out the paintbrush and some canvas and it forgets. It helps me forget what I was stressed about. So it's a really good stress reliever.
JPH:
That's so powerful and it is amazing when you can take something that's a stress reliever and turn it into a business because it feels good right, yes, definitely that symbiotic relationship back and forth.
Phyllis :
Yes.
JPH:
Wow. Well I'm curious what are some of the main goals that you have for your business moving forward?
Phyllis :
Well, I am nearing. Excuse me, my career is, if you will, is the big ears are behind me.
JPH:
Are we saying it's winding down? Is that what we're saying?
Phyllis :
Yeah, so I'd like to have a little storefront somewhere once I'm able to retire. I'll probably be working until the day of my funeral, but when I am ready to retire I would like to have a little storefront and just, you know, just sell my paintings to people in the area I love.
JPH:
that Do you? You said what are the social channels you have? How can people find you online?
Phyllis :
They can find me on Etsy and Dreamations by Phyllis that's amazing and also on Instagram and Facebook at Dreamations by Phyllis I love that.
JPH:
Well, I want to talk a little bit more about the materials you use. Are you an oil painter, like Bob Ross was?
Phyllis :
No, I do acrylics Okay, acrylics, and I've recently gotten into watercolors, but I'm not quite as good at watercolors.
JPH:
Watercolors are hard, aren't they? I've been dabbling a little. I've done more acrylics myself, but watercolors are a new challenge at times, right?
Phyllis :
Yeah, yeah I love that and I do some deco-podge and I've just recently started that.
JPH:
So acrylics and deco-podge are probably my biggest things I love that how exciting, and I imagine, if Bob Ross is an inspiration for you, you believe that everybody has the freedom to paint and be creative and pull that art out and use it as a stress reliever, whether it turns into a business or not.
Phyllis :
Yeah, I mean the art that I do. Everybody can do something.
JPH:
I love that, you know, that's how I feel.
Phyllis :
You know, I've heard people say I can't paint anything. But if you just sit down and just let your mind do the work, you can.
JPH:
I love that. What a beautiful message, phyllis, and thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for sharing your art with the world and thank you for having me Absolutely. And thank you all for listening, and please be sure to check out bizradious for more great conversations around small and mid-sized businesses, leaders and innovators.