When Art Holds You: Creating Through Joy, Grief & Life’s Big Pivots with Artist Shana Blakley
Fri Feb 06 2026
Art has a way of staying with you: through joy, through grief, through the moments that change everything. Sometimes it’s not about what you make, but what making gives back to you. - -Brandi
In this deeply honest and inspiring episode of Colour Me Happy, Brandi sits down with artist Shana Blakley to talk about the real life behind a creative career. The pivots, the pauses, the grief, the joy, and the moments that quietly (or loudly) change everything.
We talk about how trauma can unexpectedly become a gift, a lens that strips away the noise and shows you what truly matters. How so many women find their creative calling not despite hard moments, but because of them. And how art can be the one constant that holds you steady when life doesn’t.
Shana shares the behind-the-scenes journey of building a sustainable art practice with her new new Heirloom Collages.
This episode is for artists, creatives, and anyone who needs permission to trust their instincts, honour their story, and remember that art can walk beside you through every season of life.
1. Let life inform your art — not silence it.
Big moments, including trauma and loss, don’t disqualify you from creating. Often, they clarify what matters most and bring depth, meaning, and honesty into your work.
2. Sustainability comes from truth, not burnout.
You don’t have to say yes to everything to be successful. A sustainable art practice grows when you listen closely to what feels aligned, even if that means pivoting away from what once worked.
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Art has a way of staying with you: through joy, through grief, through the moments that change everything. Sometimes it’s not about what you make, but what making gives back to you. - -Brandi In this deeply honest and inspiring episode of Colour Me Happy, Brandi sits down with artist Shana Blakley to talk about the real life behind a creative career. The pivots, the pauses, the grief, the joy, and the moments that quietly (or loudly) change everything. We talk about how trauma can unexpectedly become a gift, a lens that strips away the noise and shows you what truly matters. How so many women find their creative calling not despite hard moments, but because of them. And how art can be the one constant that holds you steady when life doesn’t. Shana shares the behind-the-scenes journey of building a sustainable art practice with her new new Heirloom Collages. This episode is for artists, creatives, and anyone who needs permission to trust their instincts, honour their story, and remember that art can walk beside you through every season of life. 1. Let life inform your art — not silence it. Big moments, including trauma and loss, don’t disqualify you from creating. Often, they clarify what matters most and bring depth, meaning, and honesty into your work. 2. Sustainability comes from truth, not burnout. You don’t have to say yes to everything to be successful. A sustainable art practice grows when you listen closely to what feels aligned, even if that means pivoting away from what once worked.