People have many reasons for why they do the jobs that they do. Certainly, some may have more options than others. Yet, time and again studies, personal accounts and memoirs attest to the fact that people who devote themselves to doing what they love—even when it involves great sacrifice—experience the greatest satisfaction from what they do and while they are doing it. And often, they eventually achieve high levels of success.

In this episode, Gail talks with multi-media artist Dawn Sweitzer, of Dawn Sweitzer Studio in High Point, North Carolina. Dawn started her arts career in the mid-90s with a product design firm called Notre Monde. She currently designs for a number of top brands, including Banana Republic, Art House Furniture, Crate and Barrel, Anthropologie, and others. Her work includes painting, textiles and other forms of decorative art.

Dawn said one of her key attributes in working for major brands is that she is good at understanding and maintaining the aesthetic of the company. She also works with interior designers and their clients, both residential and commercial.

Gail and Dawn talked a lot about the creative process and how one keeps going year after year. Dawn said she is discovering and experimenting with new techniques all the time. That helps to keep her creative process fresh. Having her studio space, which has separate areas for different types of arts, helps to inspire her. She is surrounded by creative projects and possibilities.

Dawn acknowledged that she did not always have such a high level of confidence in her work. She was concerned about how others might judge it. In time, though, she learned to let go of that doubt and to be content with what she can produce. “If it brings me joy, then that’s enough,” she said. That has given her the confidence to try new things. “When you feel solid in what you’re doing and you share that with a fearlessness, I think that’s contagious.”

Gail asked Dawn what advice she had for listeners who perhaps are experiencing some doubt about their work. She said,

Believe in yourself. Trust your instincts.

Put yourself out there. Work really hard on your vision.

Start somewhere. Do something.

As a final thought, Dawn added, “Stay true to your vision, because your time will come.”

For more of Dawn’s story, listen to the entire podcast.

If you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, view the full shownotes here: https://thepearlcollective.com/s11e4-shownotes

Mentioned in This Podcast

For more information about Dawn and her work, go to her website at www.dawnsweitzerstudio.com.

Gail mentioned the book The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. You can find out more about it at theobstacleistheway.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_ObjBp9Yio&pp=ygUQcGVhcmwgY29sbGVjdGl2ZQ%3D%3D

Episode Transcript

Note: Transcript is created automatically and may contain errors.

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Hello Dawn, welcome to Creative Genius podcast. We are so excited to have you on today. Hi Gail, thanks for having me. Well, it's a pleasure having you and I understand this is you are a virgin on podcast, which is awesome. I think it is great to have somebody who's brand new to it, but you're such a natural. I think it's going to be a lot of fun today. We had the pleasure of visiting your studio at High Point in North Carolina at the most recent market.

And we really appreciated your generous hospitality and seeing your space and your whole process. How did you find your path to becoming a multimedia creative? Cause I think that's kind of what you are. You know, I, as far back as I can remember, I was always a creative person or appreciated the creative process. And, after I had traveled a while and I came back to the States, I'd lived out of the country for about

five years I came back to the states and that's when I. You know was trying to figure out what what it was that I wanted to do and I started a company.