A Look at Art, Entrepreneurship, and Mental Health with Brenna Brom
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Rochester! We recently chatted with Brenna Brom of It’s a Whimsical Life about her experience as a local artist and entrepreneur!
Photo contributed by Brenna Brom.
Although local artist, Brenna Brom, did not initially pursue art as a career, she explained that art has acted as a grounding exercise and healthy coping skill throughout her life.
“In some ways, my life has been really chaotic and crazy mentally and physically. Art has been a great way for me to tap into that craziness and turn it into something whimsical and beautiful. It helps to tie things in my life together.”
Brenna attended college at Winona State University and took classes pertaining to psychology and therapeutic recreation. “Which I don’t use at all now,” Brenna explained with a laugh.
Though she had enjoyed arts and crafts throughout her childhood and teenage years, Brenna did not start dabbling more seriously in painting and natural stone jewelry until she was in college.
“I started just for the heck of it as a way to keep my brain happy,” Brenna said. “Eventually it naturally evolved and people I knew started asking me to make things for them. So I would take on commissions and be a vendor at art markets from time to time.”
Photo by Brenna Brom.
Brenna went on to work in psychology settings, predominantly psychiatry wards in the Twin Cities, Winona, and Rochester. Although Brenna was motivated to assist others with mental health problems, she soon found these settings to be “a bit too intense.”
Brenna and her husband moved from Winona to Rochester in 2018. Not long after, Brenna decided to step away from her work in psychology.
“At a certain point, working in psychology settings was not good for my own mental health, even though I had a strong desire to help others with theirs,” Brenna explained. “I decided to make a change and slowly began pursuing art more seriously as well as working toward group fitness and personal training certifications. My art has been one of the best things for my mental health and sharing my art, along with my story, has been the best way for me to help others.”
Photo by Corrie Strommen.
Brenna attributes much of her growth as an artist and love for Rochester to finding her place within the network of artists in the community.
“I’ve really grown to love the art and music community here. Initially it was a challenge, asking around at various galleries or other art based businesses about how to meet and work with other artists, but once you tap into that community it is a very open and welcoming environment. We work hard to help each other out and connect one another to a lot of opportunities,” Brenna explained.
These days, Brenna splits her time between being an artist, teaching classes as a fitness instructor at the Rochester Athletic Club, and working at local gallery and art shop, Threshold Arts. Now also the mother to a young child, Brenna admitted that it can be a challenge to find the time and focus to create and manage the business side of being an art entrepreneur.
Photo by Corrie Strommen.
“I think if most artists are honest about it, we’d really rather not deal with the business side at all,” Brenna said. “In my perfect world, I would just create. But there is the whole other aspect of photographing my work, selling it, managing social media, taxes, and applying for business codes, among other things. There’s a lot more to it than painting.”
She continued, “I find that it helps me to leave my home studio and head to a coffee shop a couple of times a week to spend intentional time working on my website, taxes, and inventory. That way I’m in a happy space that helps me feel more motivated and focused on tasks I don’t enjoy as much.”
Alongside the inevitable challenges with the inner workings of an art based business, Brenna also faces more personal challenges.
“Some of my greatest challenges have always been my mental and physical health. It’s been an ongoing battle. Creating art has brought me a lot of joy and has served as a positive coping skill in my mental health. But I also struggle with several physical health issues that cause chronic pain. Sometimes it can be a hurdle pushing through and creating when I’m experiencing a lot of discomfort.”
As her business name, It’s a Whimsical Life, would indicate, Brenna’s acrylic paintings lean strongly into bright colors, shapes and nature based themes like animals, flowers, plants and trees to create whimsical scenes, starting with base layers of color and finished with black details. Her work can be found in person at Threshold Arts, on her website and social media, as well as at local art markets.
Outside of her art and other work, Brenna loves spending time outdoors, hiking, camping, biking, and cross country skiing. She’s passionate about fitness and staying active and loves sharing that passion with her family and friends. She also enjoys traveling and cooking at home.
As a word of advice to aspiring artists, Brenna advised seeking out your local art community and being patient.
“Try not to get discouraged if things move slowly. It can take a long time to find your niche, whether that be in your art, your community, or your customer base. But if you love something and keep working at it, things will eventually come together.”
Thank you for taking the time to read Brenna’s story! If you find value in this content, please consider donating to help Collider continue amplifying the voices of Rochester entrepreneurs. You can also find out more about It’s a Whimsical Life by clicking the link below!
Article by Corrie Strommen, Director of Communications at Collider.
