Meet Briana Corr Scott | Artist & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Briana Corr Scott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Briana, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I have learned a lot of life lessons from being an entrepreneur who works from a home studio and also a full time parent. I am a full time artist/designer, and also the primary caregiver for my three children. It is a common that the creative person is also the caregiver-I hear this from a lot of other artist-parents. The person with the least stable income often becomes the one that has to be flexible with time to work. It is a difficult thing and also a joyful thing. I am grateful to be be present with my kids; I can pick them up from school and be with them, and it is something I really enjoy. This daily balance of work and home life makes my life feel very rich in experience. Also, the time I have to work in my studio can be short on certain days, which is a challenge. It has made me very efficient; I don’t waste the work time I do have, and I can get a lot done when I am in my work mode. Equally, when I am not working I am truly off and present with my kids or in my alone time. The balance I have now is working for me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an artist and an author; I paint and illustrate as well as tell stories. I could also be called an interdisciplinary artist-but I would describe myself as a visual storyteller. I write and illustrate picture books for children; I design stationery and surface patterns, and I have a newly released line of wallpaper. What is unique about me is that I make art for a lot of different industries; sometimes my illustrations can be found in a fine art setting or as a design for a product- but my style and message remain the same, no matter what the medium or industry.

I have become successful artist and author because of this approach. I believe my ability to be vulnerable and tell personal stories creates an authentic connection with my audience, whether it is a product or a picture book. My art, no matter what it is, begins by walking and painting in nature. I love to work outside, in the woods or by the sea. Nature for me is healing place, and making art is a type of meditation, so this phase of the work is important to me as a human as well as a professional artist. When I am walking and painting outside I don’t question what I am making. I do not think too far down the road, I make art of the sake of making art, and I wonder about what I will use it for later. Making art outside in nature gives me so much joy, and I think this curiosity and happiness comes across in my finished images. .Sometimes I work simultaneously out of two notebooks, one for writing, one for painting—the images and text are inextricably linked and inform one another from the beginning.

When I am back in my studio, I make what I call “source piles.” I put these sketches and words into piles containing other drawings and, paintings made outside, half written poems, found images, colour swatches, and photographs. When I have new project, I sort through these source piles to find the right combination of images to use as a starting point to design a pattern, a product, or an illustration. If I am writing a picture book, I sort through the piles and hang the chosen images on my studio wall. I then rearrange the images until a story starts to appear, almost like creating a storyboard. When I sit down to write, I have an outline to work from based on the images on the wall. I think this way of working from images first is unique, and this is the reason I would call myself a visual storyteller-my brain thinks in images first, and language comes later.
When all options are open it is hard to do anything. This mode of working from images that I make in nature is a way of building a creative box that I can work in. It is a self imposed restriction, but it forces me to find answers to my creative problems in really surprising ways.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. If you visited here I would recommend you visit our beaches, especially along the eastern shore. I grew up in Massachusetts, also on the coast, but there so many people live right on the water. Nova Scotia beaches are raw and rugged, and I love walking alone the coastline. It inspires so much of my art work. After a trip to the beach, I think some relaxing time at one of the thermal spas in the area would do the trick. There is one in Dartmouth I enjoy called “Nature Folk.” For food I would recommend eating a Drift Restaurant in Halifax, or at the Side Hustle Snack Bar in Dartmouth.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shout out to my husband, Troy Scott, who is the biggest champion of my creative career

Website: www.brianacorrscott.com

Instagram: @brianacorrscott.

Linkedin: Briana Corr Scott

Facebook: @artistBrianaCorrScott

Youtube: @brianacorrscottart

Image Credits
Photographer for all photos: Nicole LaPierre