Brit Parla on Creativity, Finding Flow and Evolving

“Why not, you know? I would rather fail and at least say that I tried, and I put my best forward than to have not tried it all and to live the rest of my life. Wondering what if.” - Brit Parla

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Brit Parla is a Chicago-based visual artist. Her main artistic mediums include, but aren't limited to, abstract fluid painting, drawing, and graphic design. Her goal is to continually create original and innovative works of art that evoke a sense of wonder and interconnections in others. Brit's artistic style influences are the science of color theory, Mother Nature, street art, abstract impressionism, as well as the art of the 1960s counterculture movement. You can find Brit showcasing her work at various venues and art exhibitions around Chicago.

Connect with Brit Parla:

Website

Etsy

Facebook Page

Instagram

Show Notes

[00:04:06] Where The Interest In Art Begin?

Starting with journalism and writing. Eventually dropped writing for digital art and deciding to go school for graphic design. 

[00:05:29] How Acrylic Pouring Entered the Picture

[00:06:27] Saying Yes To Things That Interest You

“It's wild how like it does work like that. I am don't know like it wasn't what I had planned on doing, but it just has worked a lot. I just needed something different. And I think just that willingness to expand and to explore Impacted me positively as an artist, and as an overall person, I feel like there's been a lot of like personal growth within the last two years because of it as well.”

[00:07:34] Does Creating Give You A Sense Of Ownership? 

“I find myself putting myself out there and reaching out to and trying to start conversations with other artists just because we have this simple thread that might not have anything to do with each other in common. I liked that. It's really fun. Like I meet a lot of interesting people, and I meet people that I look up to like on a regular basis, and it just blows my mind that I'm here right now.”

[00:08:38] Community Building 

“I owe a lot of where I'm at right now to the people that are around me and just like the artistic community that exists where I'm at right now. When I was younger, I used to be more like threatened by people who were really successful and who I thought were doing something really positive. And now like I don't view people like that as a threat. I'm not sure what changed, but I enjoy cheering people on and like building a community and creating this.”

[00:09:53] Why Push Your Way To The Top When You Can Bring Others With You? 

[00:12:39] Learning From Others Within The Same Space

[00:13:31] Supporting Local Artists

“Oh, because when you're supporting local art, you're supporting someone's dream essentially. Do you know what I mean? It's not like a giant corporation. It's one person up late at night working on stuff to try to, you know, beautify the world a little bit.

I think that's really important. And someone like me personally, like I'm trying to break away from working a day job, and I would love to try to make a full-time career out of this, and every single purchase or a pat on the back or word of encouragement I think helps me get one step closer to that.

You know, it's not all about the financial aspect of it either. It's just independence. Yeah. I guess the word independence. “

[00:15:40] You Have To Try And To Put Yourself Out There

“I don't want to be another one of those people like another one of those stories. I want my kids to be like pulling my grandkids up to my gallery and strollers one day.

Do you know what I mean? I don't want to be that person. Amazing things happen when you start like putting yourself out there. And that was a really big struggle. And I still struggle with it sometimes.”

[00:16:55] How Do You Get Past The Fear?

“Sometimes I'll run things past like family members, you know, before officially jumping into something, whether it's like a project or like I did it the other day with stickers I want to print.

It can be mundane. Encouragement from the people around me really helps. And when I don't feel like reaching out, just like reaching within myself, it's helpful just to think what's the worst that can happen? The worst that can happen is that you know. Nothing will happen.”

[00:17:53] Dealing With Artist's Block

“First of all, I don't give up because you know, there's some, I don't know if it's momentum or what, but something is happening right now, and I need to keep pushing through. So if I'm saying I've been painting for a couple of hours, and I'm feeling stuck or don't want to keep going, but I have to because I have a commission due or something like that.

They're just silly things that I'll do. Sometimes it's as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or like keep a hula hoop in my studio, which I don't know. That's just like something fun for me to just, it's like it's physical movement. It takes me out of like my Headspace for a second, and it's just like freeing in that sense.”

[00:19:26] Cleaning Your Space

[00:20:32] Leaving Projects Unfinished

“Sometimes that comes from a space of like me working on something for a long time and not liking it. Like, oh, I just put so much time and energy into it, and I don't like the way that it is right now. So sometimes the best thing for me to do is to step away from a project. And that has been a thing that has been learned. If I hadn't learned that, I would have worked on things for like hours on end tirelessly. And wouldn't have stopped and would have burnt myself out.

So sometimes the best thing to do is to just kind of step away from things like gathering myself, you know? And then once I freshen up my perspective a little bit and go back into it. You see it with a new set of eyes, like with fresh eyes. You know, sometimes you need to step away for a minute.”

[00:22:18] Knowing When To Quit and Repurposing The Rejects

“It's also funny because sometimes people will come over and look through that then and like to take things home out of it because they like it.

And sometimes I struggle with that because it's like not up to my standard, but at the same time, it's like if that does something for someone, then they should have it, you know? It's interesting. It's all about perspective.”

[00:23:55] How Do People View Your Art? 

[00:25:32] Having A Fixed View

“I can learn how to alter it the way that I need to. But coming into it, that loss of control was huge and truly beneficial for me. It taught me a lot as an artist about how to let go and how to leave things up to chance in a good way.“

[00:26:51] Understanding What You Can Control

[00:27:45] Getting Into Flow

“And there are other times where like I am completely in the flow state where I'm not in my head. I'll look up at the clock and it's like six hours later, like, how have I been painting for six hours? That's wild. “

[00:29:20] Going Part-Time Employment

[00:32:08] Having A Creative Space

[00:33:41] The Space for Creating Is Also The Space for Relaxing 

[00:35:01] How To Turn On The Focus

“ So the lighting is first. I love creating during the day, though, when I don't have to worry about lights. Natural sunlight is my favorite, and then, music is also really important. 

However, there are days where If I'm like going through something or really trying to like process something, it's rare, but I just won't turn on music, and I'll just work. And those are oftentimes the most interesting creative like periods for me. And then that won't last forever. Maybe it'll just be like an hour of creating that way, and then I'll turn on music. But sometimes I just need to like zero in on what I'm doing and focus.”

[00:37:43] Tash Sultana and Creating

[00:39:30] Listening To An Album From Start To Finish

[00:40:26] Giving The Story Behind The Art 

[00:41:33] Expanding Beyond Painting

[00:42:51] Making Use Of The Rejects And Waste

“That was something that had really bothered me about this painting style when I had started was that it did seem like there was a lot of ways, and I am really grateful that I have learned how to navigate that better.

To the point where I would say 90% of the paint that is intended to go on the canvas truly does or is used in another way. If the paint doesn't get used for jewelry, I save it. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, but I have like a collection of like the drip off paint.”

[00:44:32] Passion Is Contagious and Social Media

[00:46:11] Restoring The Coffee Table

[00:48:39] One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

“It makes you think more creatively instead of just like walking into a craft store and grabbing canvases. Like I like walking through like a thrift store and being like, what can I turn into a piece of art? Like what can I paint on? And I found some interesting little things over the years, and those were some of my favorite pieces because they're so unique in comparison to say anything else.”

[00:49:11] Dream Goal For Functional Art?

[00:50:19] Mural Paintings 

[00:52:05] Physical Routines Or Overall Wellness

[00:54:28] Plants and Nature

“Oh, obviously, you can see how many freaking plants there are in this, I try to have a plant within. I read a study, and it was like you're supposed to have it within like every 10 feet. We have like every 10 inches.”

[00:57:24] Getting Stuck Working For Too Long 

[00:59:19] Creativity and Introspection

[01:01:30] Working Solo And Going To A Bar

[01:04:55] The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

[01:06:13] Morning Pages

[01:06:57] Artist Dates

[01:08:08] Other Books Recommendations

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Listen to a previous podcast on Fight Club if you want more!

[01:10:56] What went well in 2019?

“It's been a year of growth, and I'm having a hard time articulating it right now, but. I'm really proud of where I am now in comparison to where I was when the year started. I feel like I'm a lot more organized, and I'm already trying to plan shows for 2020. And that feels really good.”

I feel like I was kind of like a fish out of water, where's the show that I can do? Like I wasn't like doing like the true research for it, but this year I like sat down and made a whole list like applied. It feels good.”

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Full Transcript Episode 82 - Brit Parla: Creativity, Finding Flow and Evolving

[00:03:13] Erich Wenzel: Welcome back to another episode of Feeding Curiosity, and on today's episode, we're joined by Brit Parla. 

[00:03:18] Brit Parla: Hi. 

[00:03:19] Erich Wenzel: Hey. This has been a long time coming, like we've been going back and forth and we're like, I don't know, six months or since June. It's been awhile and this is, I don't know, it's been kind of fun. Like I know for me, probably like a year ago, I saw your artwork and you had you on Instagram and stuff.

[00:03:33] I'm like, I really just got to reach out and just get you on the show because there's a lot of people who say they're artists or want to be artists, but don't follow through. I guess that's, most people in general don't follow through. So I don't know. I just thought I was cool and you were actually doing stuff and doing a lot more stuff in the last three to four months.

[00:03:56] Brit Parla: A lot of interesting things have happened in the last few months. 

[00:03:59] Erich Wenzel:  Yeah, so before we get there, let's roll it way back then. Like where did this all start? Like were you always the art kid? 

[00:04:06] Where The Interest In Art Begin?

[00:04:06] Brit Parla: I always was interested in art in some form, whether it was like drawing or photography. That's kind of where it started.

[00:04:14] I always found myself gravitating towards creativity. It really started for me when I was younger. Creative writing was huge for me. I started taking like journalism classes in high school, which obviously isn't very creative, but there still is like something creative that goes into it.. As a sophomore or freshman in high school, I thought that that was my passion.

[00:04:36] Then I wanted to figure out what types of classes I could take in order to better benefit that. And so then I was intrigued. I was introduced to photography classes, which I had already knew that I wanted to take as well as graphic design. and things kind of went crazy from there. I fell in love with graphic design and making things out of nothing, and eventually I kind of dropped, not dropped writing, but dropped that idea of writing.

[00:05:05] Evolved into art, digital arts specifically, as well as some physical forms. That's what I went to college for. I went to college for graphic design. I did one semester as a film major, but that didn't work and that wasn't me. And then, yeah, eventually. You know, I w I, it's tough being behind a computer all day doing graphic design.

[00:05:29] How Acrylic Pouring Entered the Picture

[00:05:29] I wanted to kind of get in touch with my more like physical art roots. I was drawing a lot. And one night, one of my best friends and I were talking while we were drawing and we were talking about this. Type of painting essentially, and she really wanted to try it. And the type of painting was like acrylic pouring.

[00:05:49] So we were like watching a video on it and like we're studying these artists and eventually like. Things just kinda went from there. And we were both doing it for a minute and both like learning together about the process and people started responding really well to it, and I got a lot of positive encouragement.

[00:06:07] So I just kind of went with it and now we're like two and a half years down the line. 

[00:06:12] Erich Wenzel:  Wow! Just slowly just building it up like, Hey, this seems like a fun thing to do. 

[00:06:17] Brit Parla: And it was unexpected and not my original intention with art, but it's opened a lot of doors for me in a really positive way. So it's been good.

[00:06:26] Erich Wenzel: That's interesting. 

[00:06:27] Saying Yes To Things That Interest You

[00:06:27] So it's only like a two and a half year project really, which to see this is, this is what always drives me crazy about this stuff. Like people our age, you know, in their early twenties or college age. There seems to be this perception that you have to have everything kind of figured out or know where you're headed, or at least be like, all right, I'll do this for, I don't know, a couple of years, and then I'll go onto the next thing.

[00:06:49] The more I do all this stuff, it's like the less, it's like, Oh no. It's just like, Hey, you just kind of say yes to something that seems interesting to you and you just keep saying yes to it. Over, you know, months, and then it turns into years, but then all of a sudden it just keeps growing into something and you're just like, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm just

[00:07:06] Brit Parla: doing something right. Yeah. It's wild how like it does work like that. I dunno. I, like I said, like it wasn't what I had planned on doing, but it just has worked a lot in has I just needed something different. And I think just that willingness to expand into explore. Impacted me positively as an artist and as an overall person, I feel like there's been a lot of like personal growth within the last two years because of it as well.

[00:07:34] I dunno. 

[00:07:34] Does Creating Give You A Sense Of Ownership? 

[00:07:34] Erich Wenzel: I do resonate with that. I guess one of the questions would be like for you is creating like, especially because it's physical, like paintings and stuff like that. Does that give you a sense of ownership because it's, you're responsible for everything you do, right? Like not even before you now choosing to sell something is completely different.

[00:07:52] Well, not completely different, but it's, it helps. Be like ownership, take ownership of something. Cause I think we feel like we're small. 

[00:07:58] Brit Parla: Absolutely. No, it's great. I feel like it does give me like kind of an edge. Like I have something interesting to talk about and I can physically like show people what I'm working on and it helps me feel more connected to other people.

[00:08:10] I find myself putting myself out there and reaching out to and trying to start conversations with other artists just because we have this simple thread that like might not have anything to do with each other in common. I really liked that. It's really fun. Like I meet a lot of interesting people and I meet people that I look up to like on a regular basis and it just blows my mind that I'm here right now.

[00:08:33] Erich Wenzel:  Ditto on that one 

[00:08:38] Community Building 

[00:08:38] Erich Wenzel: Looking back how did I get here? I think too, the fun thing is the community aspect of it, right? When you choose to do something, you inadvertently embed yourself in a community. I think art is one of those good things where we. It does have a very good grassroots first name or to music, right?

[00:08:55] We have this really sense of interconnection where people. It can be a little in groupie, but also to where it's like someone else sees someone and it's like we're all starting from our own starting points, and you can build each other up and be like, Hey, this person is doing great things too.

[00:09:10] I don't know if you found that or, it seems like you have to somebody who, because I've seen some of the shows you've gone to and locally. 

[00:09:17] Brit Parla: I owe a lot of where I'm at right now to the people that are around me and just like the artistic community that exists where I'm at right now. I dunno. I just, I.

[00:09:29] When I was younger, I used maybe, I don't know, but when I was younger I used to be more like threatened by people who were really successful and who I thought were doing something really positive. And now like I don't view people like that as a threat. I'm not sure what changed, but I just, I enjoy like cheering people on and like building a community and creating this.

[00:09:53] Why Push Your Way To The Top When You Can Bring Others With You? 

[00:09:53] Sense of, you know, like support with other people that are kind of on the same page as me. It's it just why, why push your way to the top when you could bring other people there with you? 

[00:10:06] Erich Wenzel: I think that's like, maybe that's a newer paradigm is coming up, but I think that's like, part of it is like, just because you are like, there's, I guess.

[00:10:15] What am I thinking of? It's there's a zero sum game. That's the, the idea of it. It's like an economic term. Basically. It's like if your competitor steal, they're stealing possible people from you, but in reality there's more than enough room around for other people and it's like. That's what I think is really fun for me doing this podcast.

[00:10:32] Because like even though I'm doing the podcast, I get to highlight and show what other people are doing in their own lives and also show a deeper side of them that people who already resonate with that person can get a little bit deeper insight because they only have like a little nugget of like that or a little slice of who that person is to them.

[00:10:49] Yeah. They get there, you know, the end product usually. So it's just, I think for me it's like highlighting other people is really just the goal. Just being like, Hey, everyone else was following something. 

[00:10:59] Brit Parla: I get, I really big example of that is like, I participate in a lot of like group art shows and whatnot.

[00:11:06] And you know, sometimes there are people there who have worked that like is pretty similar to yours or you guys are on the same, you know, path. Or there's people who are like completely different than what you bring to the table. And I, the contrast is really positive in my opinion. And also like you might bring something to the table that someone else doesn't.

[00:11:32] And rather than, you know, seeing that as a bad thing, you can see it as something really positive, whereas it's not, it's not a competition. It's, you know. You just want the best for everyone at the end of the day. Yeah. You just, you want people to succeed because you want to succeed. You know? 

[00:11:50] Erich Wenzel: That's cool. I mean, I think about the same way with podcasts myself.

[00:11:53] I think about, I know I listened to them, but I also think about trying to look to people that I look up to within this space and be like, okay, well how, how can I learn to like, ask better questions? Or, you know, stuff like that. Where are you looking at. I think it would be cooler to look, look at someone else and be like, even though we're maybe equals right.

[00:12:11] Instead of looking at as competition, you're going to be like, so how do you get to your end product? Like what is your process behind it? You know? I think that's cause you kind of like, finally. These are finally tune, instead of attacking each other because it's like, Oh, we do the same thing.

[00:12:24] Like back up off my territory.

[00:12:26] Brit Parla: Oh my gosh, I would never do that. 

[00:12:28] Erich Wenzel: I wouldn't but I mean it's like the two sides of the same coin. Where some people would be like, attacking. Like, Oh, I'm better than them, like doing my thing, but like, who cares?

[00:12:39] Learning From Others Within The Same Space 

[00:12:39]Brit Parla:, how can you learn from that? You know? Like how can you learn from what they're doing?

[00:12:43] Or, you know, I just, it doesn't have to be competition. Yeah. Plain and simple. It doesn't have to be competition. Be each other's tears cause we need it. You know, like, I don't know. We need to put each other on the map. Yeah. essentially, I mean, I think we're in a, 

[00:12:59] Erich Wenzel:] I don't know if you can talk about this, but like communities like within, cause we're in Chicago and so you're here with this like grassroots side of things and you know, basically craft where you're building something with either small teams or in individual most of the time probably.

[00:13:13] And, and you have. This really, I wouldn't call it a niche, but it's like specific, like you could probably find something similar at some like online vendors somewhere, but you know you're coming to someone like you for a different reason. Right. I don't know if you could impact that or anything like that.

[00:13:30] Brit Parla: Like what? 

[00:13:31] Supporting Local Artists

[00:13:31] Erich Wenzel: What would be the reason someone would go for like a smaller. Like local artists or something like that. 

[00:13:38] Brit Parla: Oh, because when you're supporting local art, you're supporting someone's dream essentially. You know what I mean? It's not like a giant corporation. It's one person up late at night working on stuff to try to, you know, beautify the world a little bit.

[00:13:52] I think that's really important. And. I dunno, someone like me personally, like I'm trying to break away from working a day job and I would love to try to make a full time career out of this and every single like purchase or a pat on the back or word of encouragement I think helps me get one step closer to that.

[00:14:13] You know, it's not all about the financial aspect of it either. It's just like. Independence. Yeah. I guess the word independence. 

[00:14:23] Erich Wenzel: Because I don't know. It just, to me it's like when you think about these things, it's like knowing there's 1,000,001 reasons why not to do it. Right. 

[00:14:30] Brit Parla: Oh my gosh. 

[00:14:31] Erich Wenzel: For all of the logical reasons, but when you stop and think about it, it's like, what is the purpose of doing?

[00:14:39] Like pursuing anything that just like you'll, like we were talking before, it's like you choose to do this. Even on your free time. Right. I think that's, that shows a certain distinction at why, where it comes from within you to want to do this. 

[00:14:54] Brit Parla: Yeah. I mean.

[00:14:58] Why not you know? I would rather fail and at least say that I tried and I put my best forward than to have not tried it all and to live the rest of my life. Wondering what if.  

[00:15:12] Erich Wenzel: Jeff Bezos said the same thing for starting Amazon. By the way, 

[00:15:16] Brit Parla: Please don't compare me to Amazon because I'm not! I walk by foot to the post office with my packages for people. I don't have elves that drive around the city delivering for me. 

[00:15:33] Erich Wenzel: ] Not to put you on the spot! That's the true thing about this though. It's true. 

[00:15:40] You Have To Try And Putting Yourself Out There 

[00:15:40] Brit Parla:  You have to try. 

[00:15:41] Erich Wenzel:  You have to ask yourself, what would I regret not doing this for the rest of my life?If you're a grandparent one day and you're told, you know, your grandkids, something like, Oh yeah, I had this opportunity. I chose not to take it, and I regret that. 

[00:15:57] Brit Parla:  I don't want to be another one of those people. Like another one of those stories like I want to be, I want my kids to be like pulling my grandkids up to my gallery and strollers one day.

[00:16:08] You know what I mean? I don't want to be that person. Amazing things happen when you start like putting yourself out there. And that was a really big struggle. And I still struggle with it sometimes. 

[00:16:20] Erich Wenzel: I feel like everybody who's like borderline on the artists spectrum of things where they, because they don't do it for personal gain or like to prop their ego up in any way.

[00:16:33] They feel disingenuous by reaching out because I feel the same way. 

[00:16:36] Brit Parla: And you know, not everyone is gonna respond positively to it and that's not for you to worry. 

[00:16:44] Erich Wenzel:  You can't control what other people think.

[00:16:47] Brit Parla:  As long as you can put fear and put all those thoughts on the back burner even for a second, just to do it. Then crazy things start happening. 

[00:16:55] How Do You Get Past The Fear

[00:16:55] Erich Wenzel: So how do you get past the fear and the doubt and all that stuff, like the, any of the roadblocks that get in the way?

[00:17:01] Brit Parla: Sometimes I'll run things past like family members, you know, before officially jumping into something, whether it's like a project or like I did it the other day with stickers I want to print.

[00:17:12] Like it can be mundane. Encouragement from the people around me really help. And when I don't feel like reaching out, just like reaching within myself, it's helpful to just thinking what's the worst that can happen? The worst that can happen is that, you know. Nothing will happen.

[00:17:31] Essentially, you know what I mean? Like, it's not like there's going to be an adverse reaction that's like terrible or life threatening, you know? There's no harm in trying. 

[00:17:45] Erich Wenzel: It's just life right there. Right. And like sometimes you just gotta take your shot and then see where it lands.

[00:17:49] Brit Parla: You miss, you miss like oh well.

[00:17:53] Dealing With Artist's Block

[00:17:53] Erich Wenzel: Any specific like routines within your art. Like take it yourself maybe. So let's see. Paint the picture. If you're like the middle of a project and you kind of have like writer's block, but for artists, I don't know what is that? 

[00:18:06] Brit Parla: No artist block. That's what I think. I'm sure it exists.

[00:18:10] Erich Wenzel: but I don't think about it. I'm like, that has to be a thing because it probably is a thing. 

[00:18:14] Brit Parla: It's real. I was actually, ironically just speaking to somebody about this yesterday, they kind of reached out because they're struggling a little bit with artist block and it made me really like. Dig in and like to think about things like what are the things that I do?

[00:18:28] First of all, I don't give up because you know, there's some, I dunno if it's momentum or what, but there's something happening right now and I need to keep pushing through. So if I'm like say I've been painting for a couple hours and I'm like feeling stuck or don't want to keep going, but I have to because I have a commission due or something like that.

[00:18:48] They're just silly things that I'll do. Like sometimes it's as simple as a walk around the neighborhood or like keep a hula hoop in my. The studio, which I don't know. That's just like something fun for me to just, it's like it's physical movement. It takes me out of like my Headspace for a second, and it's just like freeing in that sense.

[00:19:08] Honestly. Sometimes you're pretty stationary, like while you're painting and really honing in on small details. So doing something like physical that feels like big, you know, it helps. So that's a good one in times where I feel like I can't create like. At all, like I just like to wake up and I'm like, no, I can't do this.

[00:19:26] Cleaning Your Space

[00:19:26] Sometimes I'll do things that just pertain to creativity, whether it's like, It gives me that sense of fulfillment and that sense of productivity. While I may not be putting a paint brush to canvas, so a really big one for me is like cleaning my studio. As hard as that sounds, I just feel like freshening it up and like shifting the energy in there can kind of help me.

[00:19:50] Be more productive and it forces me into that space. So that's, I found that to be really helpful. I'm just rearranging things. I'll move things around, I dunno. Yeah. 

[00:19:59] Erich Wenzel: This is a really common thing for people who have workshops, not just like artists, but like workshops for like machine shops or things like that.

[00:20:06] They usually say leave your workshop, how you saw it in the morning. So meaning it's clean when you get there and it's clean in the morning because it's like your brain, like your, you come in every day with a clean slate to create something new. 

[00:20:21] Brit Parla: It fosters that sense of like, I want to create after I see that I have a clean space weather instead of it being a complete mess and not wanting to like move things around, you know?

[00:20:32] Leaving Projects Unfinished

[00:20:32] Erich Wenzel: That's super cool. I like that a lot. It's really similar to a lot of these tinkery type people and things like that. 

[00:20:38] For projects like do you ever leave them? Like half finished, 

[00:20:43] Brit Parla: like unfinished 

[00:20:44] Erich Wenzel:like look at them. Like, I don't know where else to take this. Like I'll just put it off to the side and come back to it.

[00:20:50] Brit Parla: Sometimes that comes from a space of like me working on something for a long time and not liking it. Like, Oh, I just put so much time and energy into it and I don't like the way that it is right now. So sometimes the best thing for me to do is to step away from a project. And that has been. Like a thing that has been learned, because if I hadn't learned that, like there, I would have worked on things for like hours on end tirelessly and like wouldn't have stopped and, you know, like would have burnt myself out.

[00:21:18] So sometimes the best thing to do is to just kind of step away from things like gather myself, you know? And then once I freshen up my perspective a little bit and kind of go back into it. You kind of see it with a new set of eyes, like with fresh eyes. You know, sometimes you just need to step away for a minute.

[00:21:37] Erich Wenzel: It sounds really similar to writing for me. I'll write and things like that where I'll be. Like really into it and I'll get it done or something. And I'm like, I don't know if it's right here, but it doesn't feel done. And so just kind of let it sit for as long as it needs to sit, and then eventually it'll just be a stroke of inspiration. I'll come back and be like, Oh, it's time to finish this. 

[00:21:56] Brit Parla: Long story short, I will. I absolutely will leave things unfinished if I have to, but I won't leave them unfinished. Forever, like I will go back and finish it. 

[00:22:05] Erich Wenzel: We never actually like completely just  never ever like had something where, I mean obviously you've thrown things away cause you messed up, but it's like you've gotten something almost done and you're just like, Nope, this is just needs to be done.

[00:22:18] Knowing When To Quit and Repurposing The Rejects

[00:22:18] Brit Parla: Sometimes there are moments where you just need to know when to quit, when it's just not going to happen. I also have this like been in my studio that is filled with paintings that just didn't quite work out the way that I wanted them to. And sometimes like I'll just reach in there and I'll just straight up paint over them.

[00:22:33] But other times, like honestly, within the past couple of months I've started. Painting things over, but not necessarily like altering it entirely like a new painting, but like adding to it, embellish it in a sense and that makes me feel good because it makes me feel, it doesn't make me feel wasteful.

[00:22:52] And you're making something beautiful out of something that you might not have liked before, which is a good feeling.

[00:22:58] Erich Wenzel: I think that's really cool because it's, it's basically taking your in quotation marks, your failures, right? And turning them into extra practice. That's a really cool way of doing it because a lot of times people look at that. Like someone would look at that, bam and be like, Oh my God, there's a bin of all of my mistakes and hold that over themselves.

[00:23:17] It's like nails in a coffin. But instead you've been able to reframe it in a way so that you can go back to it and be like, okay, maybe this didn't work out. How exactly what, why don't you? But there's room to grow. To do something, it doesn't matter what it is so that you can make it learn from it, but at the very least, 

[00:23:35] Brit Parla:  It's also funny because sometimes people will come over and look through that then and like to take things home out of it because they like it.

[00:23:42] And sometimes I struggle with that because it's like not up to my standard, but at the same time, it's like if that does something for someone, then they should have it, you know? Yeah. It's interesting. It's all about perspective.

[00:23:55] How Do People View Your Art? 

[00:23:55] Erich Wenzel:  Since you go with social media, you could have a direct connection to the people who enjoy your art. Do people send you messages that are different than even the idea that you had about pieces or like their own interpretation or things ? 

[00:24:08] Brit Parla: Oh my gosh. One of my favorite things. It doesn't happen as much on social media as it does when I'm presenting my work in some sort of like exhibition sense, whether it be a craft fair or an art show. I absolutely love hearing because it is abstract, you know, abstract art is up for interpretation entirely, and I love that about it. So it's just really interesting to hear how, like I'll find little pictures in the paintings and like someone else will see something entirely different.

[00:24:34] Or I'll have like biologists come up to me and be like, Oh, this looks like cell work I was working on. Like, yeah, it's really cool to hear what people. You know, we'll crack it up to like, whether it's something they've seen in nature or biology. Like I said it's cool. Yeah, it's cool. And like, sometimes I will have a painting.

[00:24:54] Like standing up, like say horizontally, for example, and I'm like, that's the way it's intended to be. Looked at, blah, blah, blah. I'll give it to somebody. Someone will buy it from me. They'll send me a picture of it when it's in their house and it's oriented completely differently.

[00:25:08] Like not, that's not a bad thing, but it's just like interesting that that is how they chose to present it. And honestly, sometimes that is the way that it should have been done, but I just didn't see it that way, you know? 

[00:25:19] Erich Wenzel: That's super interesting! it's, it's like, it reminds me of a book isn't a book until it has a reader. With art it does unless it has a viewer, then it's not anything.

[00:25:31]Brit Parla: It's just how I perceive it. 

[00:25:32] Having A Fixed View

[00:25:32] Erich Wenzel: That's so cool. I think that's really interesting. I would never have thought of that, but cause you know, we always think of like the. I guess we get bogged down on like what is like, it's supposed to mean a lot of times, like in not just art in general, but like a lot of times you just get an idea or definition or something and say, this is what it is. We are too fixed. 

[00:25:51] Brit Parla: Absolutely. It's actually funny you bring that up. That's why I feel like this style of painting was huge for me in general. Like I said before, what I had gone to college for was graphic design. Graphic design is like. All details. You are literally zoomed in on pixels, you know what I mean?

[00:26:07] It's wild and it can be really draining and there's a lot that goes into it and ultimately it's control. You have complete control over what you're working on. When you're graphic design for when you're doing something with graphic design, with the style of painting. Some of it is.

[00:26:22] Is you can alter it, but a lot of it is just kind of left up to chance and like granted, while I like to learn more about it and experiment more with it. I can learn how to alter it the way that I need to. But coming into it, that loss of control was huge and truly like beneficial for me. It taught me a lot as an artist about how to let go and how to just like kind of.

[00:26:45] Leave things up to chance in a good way. In a good way. Yeah. It was ironic that you brought that up.

[00:26:51] Understanding What You Can Control

[00:26:51] Erich Wenzel: I mean, that's a really, that's actually a psychological framework people use for performance. Understanding what you can control and all we can control is our thoughts, words and actions, you know, and how you respond to a situation, but you can't control anything else.

[00:27:04] It's how you show up, not like how someone perceives you. As you know, what you're doing is, is training yourself to control what you can actually affect it in the simplest terms. So it's really interesting that you're able to talk about it in that way because, yeah, because a lot of people, that's where anxiety comes from, but love for a lot of people as we get. Stuck and thinking about things we can't control.

[00:27:29] It's a normal thing for all of us. Whether or not you can actually kind of keep it in check. One of the things that I would really like to talk about is like we were talking about a lot of these things with art making or creating something. It comes down to like a sense of presence, right?

[00:27:45] Getting Into Flow

[00:27:45] Like you're in like flow when you're doing it. So, does that happen to you often? Yes. Almost daily, probably.

[00:27:52] Brit Parla: It's weird. I sometimes don't even notice it just because it's kind of, it's second nature at this point, but it has weirdly become kind of a meditative thing for me. I find myself like tapping into my flow state a lot when I am painting.

[00:28:09] I'll have something on my mind and I'll start painting. And sometimes it's not completely unconscious, like I am consciously like thinking through whatever it is that's like telling me at that time. And I found that to be really positive. Like I'll look at a piece and be like, Ooh, I remember what I was going through at the time of making that, you know?

[00:28:27] And it's not always bad. And there are other times where like I am completely in the flow state where I'm not in my head. I'll look up at the clock and it's like six hours later, like, how have I been painting for six hours? That's wild. 

[00:28:41] Erich Wenzel:  I haven't drank anything,

[00:28:43] Brit Parla:  I'm a little dehydrated right but I was really productive. 

[00:28:47] Erich Wenzel: Wow. I got something done. That's crazy. That's so much fun. I feel like I  don't really notice it a lot of the times when it happens, but for myself, it's like something will happen and I would just be like, Oh, I should probably have gotten to sleep by now. If I look at the clock and I'm like, I should really have gone to sleep.

[00:29:08] I know I work in the morning. Right? It's like, I don't know. It's a weird balance because we both have our own full time jobs. You gotta make a living somehow, and then all of a sudden, every, all your other hours of free time. 

[00:29:20] Going Part-Time Employment

[00:29:20] Brit Parla: By the way, I just went to part time at my job, and that's a really big accomplishment for me.

[00:29:27] Erich Wenzel: Unpack that because that's cool!

[00:29:29] Brit Parla: So yeah, I, I've been at the same job for a couple a while now, and I just felt like it was starting to get in the way. It was just getting in the way. It wasn't, I found myself being there and just wishing I was at home painting. I kind of got creative and found a way to work remotely a couple of times, like a couple of days a week.

[00:29:52] And so now I have a lot more free time. I only have to be out of the house at this job at like, you know, three days a week usually. And then I have the other days of the week to focus on. Art, which puts a lot of pressure on me because like I do, you know, there wasn't a financial change. Granted, yes, I do have the opportunity to work remote now, so there is a source of income coming from there, but it also pushes me to.

[00:30:19] To pursue my art further and to try to profit from it, which is like, it's scary, but it's, it feels good. 

[00:30:24] Erich Wenzel:  I feel like you have to do that to some degree. You kind of have to pull the cause, like if you have the safety net all the time, then you're not going to take it seriously enough to push it into the next evolution whatever that turns into being.

[00:30:37] Brit Parla: But it wasn't working well enough and I knew that there was a higher potential for the situation and I'm really glad that I finally did pull the plug because now I do feel myself being a lot more productive. And. In terms of art and, yeah. 

[00:30:50] Erich Wenzel: That's so cool. So do you pretend like, okay, if art recruiting art was my job, like do you do that to yourself?I did that to myself with the podcast. 

[00:30:59] Brit Parla:  It just is. I don't know how to explain it. It just is part of my life now. And there's like certain time that's dedicated to it. Yeah. And yeah, I don't really think of it as a job because it's, 

[00:31:10] Erich Wenzel: I'm saying job in quotes. Yeah. But for me at least personally, cause like I do the same thing.

[00:31:15] Like on my off days, I'm like, okay, this is like my podcast day. I'm like, Oh, even though it's like my off day, like I'm going to pretend as if this was, 

[00:31:22] Brit Parla: I don't have off days. 

[00:31:25] Erich Wenzel: That's what I'm saying. 

[00:31:25] What are vacation days? This is my vacation now. I've done more of my vacation days and I've done.

[00:31:33] Brit Parla:  Exactly. I dunno. I say that I'm working part time now, but maybe I'm putting in more work. Overall, than I was before.

[00:31:43] Erich Wenzel: Actual productive hours. 

[00:31:45] Brit Parla: In terms of absolute time because I'm creating far more now. In a good way. 

[00:31:52] Erich Wenzel: That's awesome.So to kind of back out a little bit of just the creative outlets you've invited me here to your home, which I don't normally get to do.

[00:32:00] I don't get to do podcasts and people's places. This is half of the fun is being able to explore and 

[00:32:05] Brit Parla:  Out in the wild

[00:32:08] Having A Creative Space

[00:32:08] Erich Wenzel: take the microphone out to places and be like, okay, let's just talk about what you do. Like this place is a creative paradise, not gonna lie. You could easily come into here and be like, all right, I'm just going to go create something. I love that. Do people feel that way?

[00:32:21] Brit Parla:  And we do invite people over to create. So it's good to hear that and it really does. So I don't know if you want to explain any of this stuff in the room. You walk into the front room of the apartment and it's like our living room, but it's also my boyfriend's home studio.

[00:32:40] We have, I'm looking at a very old, like 1970s Organ, as well as a new keyboard. Speakers and a bunch of musical equipment that I don't understand. There's not much white space on our walls because we are avid. I just love supporting other artists and being able to hang apart in our house and then the back of the apartment, which should be a dining room is my art studio but it's not, our sun room is a dining room. I don't know. We may go to work. 

[00:33:23] Erich Wenzel: No one said a room is supposed to be something. 

[00:33:24] Brit Parla: Yeah, exactly. 

[00:33:26] Erich Wenzel: ] I think it's really cool to be able to create your own space. Yeah. I feel like for a lot of us, creating an environment in which you live in is also like a mapping of how your brain works. So like you have different rooms for different things to do that, or at least that's how I envision it. 

[00:33:41] The Space for Creating Is Also The Space for Relaxing

[00:33:41] Brit Parla: [00:33:41] No, absolutely. And sometimes that is interesting, especially for. His name is Trevor. That's my boyfriend. Oh, I said that so weird. But it can be a little weird for him because the room that function as his studio also functions as a space of relaxation.

[00:33:59] And we have talked about that at times and we have like a cover for our TV. Like we will literally like cover our television. So that like, you know, there just aren't any like distractions. So it's interesting having these spaces in our home that have multiple functions. 

[00:34:15] Erich Wenzel: I couldn't agree more with that cause like I literally have like one computer that's like my like basically fuck off computer.

[00:34:23] Like I can play video games on that computer and do everything and then like the laptop that we're recording on and stuff that usually lives with the rest of my recording equipment. Like it doesn't leave that little corner and it's like two different hold head headspaces when I walk from one computer to the next and it's like actually a couple dozen steps.

[00:34:41] Yeah. It's so weird. Like the simplest thing that can step you in and out of focus. 

[00:34:46] Brit Parla: I feel like part of it can be like a kind of ritualistic too. Like there are certain things that he'll do to prep his space and me as well in my space to be like, okay, you know, turn off. That whatever the other function is and turn on, you know, the sense of creativity.

[00:35:01] How To Turn On The Focus

[00:35:01] Erich Wenzel:  Is there anything like you do like music wise or something that will generate the like sense of. Like, okay, now it's time to work 

[00:35:11] Brit Parla: For me personally in terms of like what I listened to, 

[00:35:14] Erich Wenzel: specific music, some sort of ritual that you do like, you know you have to turn on. 

[00:35:20] Brit Parla: No. Oh my gosh. It's so funny that you bring up lighting because lighting is huge for both of us in this home.

[00:35:25] I don't know if you can cut. There's no lights, there's no overhead lights though. Like that's never . So setting like the lighting is so ideal that we have these like light strips up here. That's one. And we have one in our studio as well that you can control the brightness on it. So yeah, setting the lighting is essential, especially in my studio because depending on what I'm working on, I might need bright light or something that's easier on the eyes.

[00:35:53] So the lighting is first. I love creating during the day though, when I don't have to worry about lights, like natural sunlight is my favorite, and then, yeah, music is also really important. However, there are days where I. If I'm really like going through something or really trying to like process something, it's rare, but I just won't turn on music and I'll just work.

[00:36:13] And those are oftentimes the most interesting creative like periods for me. And then, you know, that won't last forever. Maybe it'll just be like an hour of creating that way and then I'll turn on music. But yeah, sometimes I just need to like zero in on what I'm doing and focus.

[00:36:33] Erich Wenzel: If I'm listening to something like a podcast, if I'm focusing on something else, I'd have to turn off the other person's words because they get in the way of my own thoughts. And then sometimes I'll go to music. Usually, usually middle biotic, like no, like. Lyrics or anything.

[00:36:48] A lot of lights, interest, like Tinder, those Spotify playlist. It's a lot of like low-fi.

[00:36:53] Brit Parla: Like listening to something while elsewhere. Usually you the kind of instrumental makes more sense.

[00:36:59] Erich Wenzel:  It usually blocks out like the other outside distractions that usually would interrupt me, but what will happen if I'm really into it?

[00:37:06] I have to turn off everything cause even that feels like it's taking away something 

[00:37:11] Brit Parla: interesting. Sometimes I feel like it's almost the opposite for me. It's like if I'm. Maybe not. I don't know. 

[00:37:17] Erich Wenzel:  It depends on the day. 

[00:37:18] Brit Parla:  It depends on the day in the mood, but regardless, I really love listening to music while I create, and I feel like the type of music that I'm listening to can impact the way that I'm working.

[00:37:28] I, yeah, I don't know. Sometimes I'll need to like listening to something that feels very like emotional and it's kind of like heavy, or sometimes I'll just be like. Bopping around, listening to hip hop, like you know, it just, it's very emotional. Yeah, it is. And I feel like I'm the type of person that it impacts pretty hard.

[00:37:43] Tash Sultana and Creating

[00:37:43] Erich Wenzel:  So I have actually really fun story you're gonna resonate with when it comes to music and creating. So I was listening to my friend Jordan Criss, and is a big fan of Tulsa Tash Sultana and you are too.

[00:37:56] Brit Parla: Yes. 

[00:37:56] Erich Wenzel: So he had told me, we had a podcast and he's like, dude, you gotta listen to her. I just saw her live. She's fantastic. Just listen to the song and I think it was Blackbird. 

[00:38:05] Brit Parla: That song is so crazy It's on a like a twelve string guitar don't quote me on that. Something like that. And it's wild 

[00:38:12] Erich Wenzel: He's like the recorded version doesn't do it justice cause she plays it differently every time she does it live and every one has its own little thing. He sent me that song and I started listening to that entire album flow state, just like on repeat.

[00:38:23] Brit Parla: Ironic! That's one of my favorite albums to listen too when I create!

[00:38:27] Erich Wenzel: That's why I was doing it cause I was like, Ooh, flow state. I'm reading about this stuff like scientifically and like, okay cool. Like if this is called flow state, let's like, let me just deep dive.

[00:38:38] Brit Parla: I see what you did there. It was smart. 

[00:38:41] Erich Wenzel: [00:38:41] And so I put it on and I was just listening to the song and I was like, Oh my God, this put me in like a whole different Headspace. Ironically, we had like my friends were over. And then I waited a couple of beers and everyone had left, and then I was like, Oh my God, I just put on that album again. And I was just kinda like that, the appropriate level of just like not caring enough, but also in a creative mind that something just came out and I don't know where it came from and I was just like, Whoa!

[00:39:09] Brit Parla: I love that music can evoke that in you. 

[00:39:11] Erich Wenzel:  It was so weird. I'm like, I've never actually had that. Weird, like channeling, kind of like feeling just something just comes through you because of listening to something and just kind of being in the right headspace. But it was really interesting and it's, it's live on the website.

[00:39:24] I can't remember the name of that blog right now, but I'll have to tell you because you can read it because it's like a poem. It's weird. 

[00:39:30] Listening To An Album From Start To Finish 

[00:39:30] Brit Parla: I would love to read it, especially knowing what had fueled it. Yeah. It's funny that you like. I dunno. I think I will listen to like a playlist sometimes, but I, I absolutely love listening to a record all the way through because it's intended to be listened to that way and it takes you on a journey.

[00:39:51] And sometimes I'll like to find us. It's weird when it happens, but it happens a lot. Like I'll start a painting at the beginning of a record and like. By the end of the record, I'm somehow done with the painting. I know weird and it's not intentional, but it happens a lot and it's a really cool feeling. 

[00:40:09] Erich Wenzel: It's like taking a journey 

[00:40:11] Brit Parla: It is! It took me on a journey and I finished my painting at that time.

[00:40:14] Erich Wenzel: That's so cool. I've never heard of that before. That's awesome. This is so neat. Just made this thing while I listened to this thing. Yup. 

[00:40:24] Brit Parla: You know, sometimes when I'm done with one painting, like I'll move on 

[00:40:26] Giving The Story Behind The Art

[00:40:26] Erich Wenzel: That should be a selling point, just like you should put that. Like you should just like writing little stories like I painted this. 

[00:40:33] Brit Parla:  I always wonder if people would be interested in knowing something like that.

[00:40:34] Erich Wenzel: That would be so cool. I love the story. Like if you, if you give me the nuance of something, like why is this this thing exist.  be like a supplement. Even like, why did someone decide to go create this supplement? Like once I find like that person's story, like who's the CEO and why did he decide to do this thing.

[00:40:52] When you usually unpack the story, usually it has a deeper meaning behind it. It's like, Oh yeah, I want to do this because like my health was deteriorating and I saw my family members health deteriorating. Like even for your art, like when you can, when you can add a little layer to it where you say, Oh, I was listening to this album, or I was feeling such in such a way. While I created this thing, then someone else can add more to it by going and listening to that album.

[00:41:19]Brit Parla: That's really interesting. You know, some it's, it's hard to gauge what type of information people want or not, or like what's oversharing or not, but I really liked that idea. I do. 

[00:41:30] Erich Wenzel: I think it's cool too. I enjoy depth. 

[00:41:33] Expanding Beyond Painting

[00:41:33] Brit Parla: Yeah, me too. Okay. Kind of like piggybacking off of that. I'm not trying to like pitch my stuff, but building off of that I started off like just doing art on canvas and have like, you know, expand it to other things like jewelry and coasters and whatnot. The jewelry though, some of it is just like painted on the spot.

[00:41:54] Like I'll have an idea in mind and I'll do it, but with this like a painting style, like on the canvases. Sometimes there's like runoff paint, like paint will drip off of the canvas in like onto the table surface. I have plastic down and if you let the paint dry, you can peel it up. So sometimes like that paint that drips off will like turn out really beautifully and then I can like shape it to the jewelry and make like a ringer and necklace out of it.

[00:42:17] So sometimes people will be like looking at a painting and then like looking at jewelry and I'll be like, actually, like this ring came as a result of this canvas. 

[00:42:25] Erich Wenzel: There you go. Perfect more story!

[00:42:28] Brit Parla:  Exactly. And tell people like love that and really do respond well to that. So I think it's cool 

[00:42:32] Erich Wenzel: That's cool cause again. You're, you're not being wasteful again.

[00:42:37] You're taking what could be considered accidental and wasteful. Right. And using it for other things, right. Like it's just another outlet to express and, you know, make use of something regardless of whether or not, you know. 

[00:42:51] Making Use Of The Rejects And Waste

[00:42:51] Brit Parla: That was something that had really bothered me about this painting style when I had started was that it did seem like there was a lot of ways, and I am really grateful that I have learned how to navigate that better.

[00:43:02] To the point where I would say like 90% of the paint that is intended to go on the canvas truly does or is used in another way. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah, so. If the paint doesn't get used for jewelry, I save it. I don't know, but I'm going to do with it yet or what, but I have like a collection of like the drip off paint.

[00:43:25] I don't know if maybe I'll just like to find a way to like glue it to like a canvas, like a giant like weird piece.  

[00:43:32] Erich Wenzel: Maybe you can make sculptures or something.

[00:43:36] Brit Parla: There's this artists that I really like who does a very similar style of painting and she has kids and she went in her daughter's room one day and found like a giant ball, like the size of a softball or maybe larger of her paint and drippings that her daughter was stealing from her and like making your own thing.

[00:43:54] And I just thought that was so adorable. It was also inspiring cause I was like, yeah, I really should be saving this paint and like doing something with it. But also how cute  

[00:44:06] Erich Wenzel: but also, that's adorable. It's hilarious. That's so crazy. I guess it really shows true that that one is man's trash is another person's treasure.

[00:44:17] Like just because you think it's garbage doesn't mean it isn't. exactly. Or it doesn't mean it is rather, I guess.

[00:44:26] Why did I say, isn't there tongue tied in a long day? You know? 

[00:44:31] Brit Parla: Seriously. 

[00:44:32] Passion Is Contagious and Social Media

[00:44:32] Erich Wenzel: But yeah it's really cool to see the evolution of what you've been doing. Like for me, for the longest time it's been like an outsider looking in.

[00:44:40] There's a singular lens of Instagram and hard to really gauge like. Cause you see so many people and it's easy to be cynical, right? Like it's really hard to gauge. Like does someone just really, they say I'm going to just care. Or are they just being overly enthusiastic and selling themselves, which is, I don't know.

[00:44:57] Maybe that's just a symptom of our times where people will just edge on this age of cynicism more than anything, rather than thinking someone's authentic. 

[00:45:07] Brit Parla: [00:45:07] Yeah, that's real. But I try, I pride myself on not being one of those people, and the people that I surround myself with aren't either.

[00:45:18] Erich Wenzel: I guess it goes to show that I reached out and thought at least something, there was something more in depth to talk about it and just like, Oh yeah, I just do this art for fun. Shrug. 

[00:45:26] Brit Parla: Yeah. I know passion is contagious and pick up on that, you know? And like I love like having social media as a tool. I do try to use it as a tool. It's connected me with a lot of really interesting people and it has helped me make a lot of sales and things like that. You know? It's just a cool way to showcase my work, but at the same time, like, yeah, you know, you do get caught up with like the people who maybe aren't using it for the right reasons, buti just tried to put all that aside.

[00:46:00] Exactly. Put your head down. Keep talking. If someone's skeptical about like. Near my work. Like I just hope that they'll figure it out eventually and if they don't, maybe they weren't supposed to. 

[00:46:11] Restoring The Coffee Table

[00:46:11] Erich Wenzel: So going back to like social media too, is one of the cool stories that you had was the table you picked up from the alley and you like slowly been showing your a process to turn this into your own little table.

[00:46:22] And I saw it when we were like, you showed him, like unpack that story. I think it's really cool. 

[00:46:28] Brit Parla: So living in Chicago around like the beginning or at the end of each month. A lot of people will move and so things that they can't take with them, they'll just leave in the alleys and like the things that you think that other people will want.

[00:46:43] It's common courtesy to just leave it outside of the dumpster next to it. So honestly, like around that time of the month. If I'm like looking for something in particular, like I'll just take walks down alleys if I can find things or some 

[00:46:56] Erich Wenzel: common theme of reusing people, things they don't want. 

[00:47:00] Brit Parla: I like recycling. I think it's interesting in that sense, like upcycling I guess is the better way to put it. So anyways, I was riding my bike home one day and saw this table and I really liked it. So I went and put my bike away and then walked back over, brought it home, and it was like truly not in the best shape. You could tell that someone was using it as like an outdoor table, so it was like a little bit warped and there was dirt on it, like, like actual like dirt that you could tell like came out of like a planter. So anyways, I stripped all of the paint off of it with like a sander sanding inside of a home. The men learned that one the hard way. But yeah, it was just like kind of a challenging process. But essentially like I stripped off all of the paint, took some parts of the table apart and like tightened up other areas that needed to be like.

[00:47:50] Fixed up and essentially just turned the table into my own piece of art and it was really fun. It was a long process. Yeah. And we have a storage unit downstairs and there are three other tables down there ready for me to work out. I want to keep this going. I hope that maybe I can do this quicker than the last one because that did take me awhile. 

[00:48:11] Erich Wenzel:  It's always the first one that takes the longest. 

[00:48:13] Brit Parla:  Yeah, that's true. A lot of it was just like processing it and like wandering like. What should I do now? Like I don't know anything about furniture, but I've gotten like tips from people who do, who people are giving me tips as to what to finish, like the tabletop with and stuff like that. So I'm grateful for that. Definitely. Yeah. 

[00:48:32] Erich Wenzel: For me it's like a lot of times it looks like you're doing nothing productive, but it's sort of, it's just thinking and scratching your head, figure this out. 

[00:48:39] One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

[00:48:39] Brit Parla: Yeah and sometimes I'll just like walk into like, I don't know, like you said, like one man's trash is another's treasure.

[00:48:46] It makes you think more creatively instead of just like walking into a craft store and grabbing canvases. Like I like walking through like a thrift store and being like, what can I turn into a piece of art? Like what can I paint on? And I found some interesting little things over the years and those were some of my favorite pieces because they're so unique in comparison to say anything else.

[00:49:04] I also love functional art, you know, like something that you can actually use instead of just like. Hanging on a wall. Not that I don't like that. 

[00:49:11] Dream Goal For Functional Art?

[00:49:11] Erich Wenzel: So if you had like reaching far future, like what would be like if the pinnacle of functional art for you? 

[00:49:17] Brit Parla:  Ooh, the pinnacle. I would love to do 

[00:49:20] Erich Wenzel: like the thing you'd like to be like, yes, that's why I've made it?

[00:49:23] Brit Parla: I would really like to have my art on like countertops, like a, it can be done on countertops and floors. I have the tools to do it now. I just don't have anyone brave enough to let me then countertops. But Hey, if you want to lend me, then let me know. But yeah, but not really. No, but really I would really like to do that one day. I think it'd be really cool. 

[00:49:45] Erich Wenzel: Super cool. But actually one day, like instead of like. Someone gets a marble countertop, they get like a finished countertop that you did. Maybe you don't even have like you just buy the counter top from you. 

[00:49:55] Brit Parla: You know, I could do more neutral colors to make it look like it's Marvel or whatever, but I want someone to want like something kind of crazy, you know?

[00:50:03] Erich Wenzel: like you could easily maybe get away with it like a bar, like a home bar 

[00:50:06] Brit Parla: or something like that. I would love to do. A bar top somewhere and even like, I can paint other things too, like I would love to do like the sides just, Ooh, that would be cool 

[00:50:17] Erich Wenzel:  Just giving you more and more ideas to explore.

[00:50:19] Mural Paintings 

[00:50:19] Brit Parla: I also really like, I want, I dipped my toes in the pond of like painting murals this year too.

[00:50:30] And I, there is just one, but I kind of want to keep expanding on that. I have like some. Blank walls in my studio that I kind of want to make into a project. Start like maybe having a rotating mural, just like when I get bored of it, kind of put it, you know, make a new one to start building up a portfolio.

[00:50:50] But it's tricky to find your style that way because it's so much different than working on like a 12 by 12 space as opposed to like a wall. Like things translate differently. You have to go about it differently. 

[00:51:03] So it's just interesting, like I'm still trying to find my style with that, but. If I'm to the point . No once I'm to the point where I'm doing that regularly. That's how I know I've made it. 

[00:51:13] Erich Wenzel: It's weird, like you're saying, style right style is not something you find until you do something long enough to see the pattern that you have for yourself. 

[00:51:23] It's like for me, this podcast, and people would ask me, so what do you talk about? I'm like. Hmm. Where do I start? it's a little bit of everything, and then it just kind of turns into a story. I'm assuming that's what we talk to you about your art. It just turns into a story.

[00:51:41] Brit Parla: It's like, where can I eat. There's been so much leading up to this. 

[00:51:45] Erich Wenzel: It's like, so let me take you back, but do you have some time cause you're going to be here or chapter on this training together right now. The CTA. The creatives paradise and nightmare at the same time.

[00:52:05] Physical Routines Or Overall Wellness

[00:52:05] Funny. So from there we can go, you know, instead of laughing for Mike's, if not a very good thing. We talked about some unusual habits like your, your hula hooping. Do you have like any other like physical routines? Cause like it seems like you have a really well rounded routine and sense of like trying to be recycling and where's their artwork and things like that. I'm curious if you have any other overall wellness. Because like around here there's like you said, the light too. Which I notice is it's not blue light. There’s not  really not many places have that.

[00:52:42] Brit Parla: That's essential. But wellness is just as imperative to, I would say the lifestyle in this house is creativity is, you know. When there are days that we're both home creating, we will try to have moments where we'll, you know, do some yoga and meditate together. I like doing that cause then it just sets the entire mood of the whole house and you know, the right mindset.

[00:53:07] I'll do that by myself as well. Like if I feel like I'm having a hard time getting into the creative frame of mind. I'll meditate or do yoga. I think those two together because I do feel like they kind of go related. They go hand in hand. 

[00:53:25] Erich Wenzel: I kind of would say that like meditation is like introspective, whereas yoga is more of like calming. 

[00:53:31] Brit Parla: But I do feel like it can bring you to that split, that place of introspection as well. Yeah. Those are two really important things. I also like, I know these are like smaller kind of weird, but just like anything that impacts the senses is something that I tried to like cover before I will dive into something productive or something productive or creative.

[00:53:52] So like obviously like I said, setting the lights is important, like sense of smell is really important too, like using like incense and essential oils as well. Candles too. Like, I dunno. Like I'll make it look romantic for myself in my studio.

[00:54:12] Erich Wenzel: I'm going to feel some type of way.

[00:54:14] Brit Parla: oh, what else? Yeah. 

[00:54:24] Erich Wenzel: I don't know how many people actually go like that many layers. It'd be like I gotta get this just right.

[00:54:28] Plants and Nature

[00:54:30] Brit Parla: Oh obviously you can see how many freaking plants there are in this, I try to have a plant within like . I read a study, it was like you're supposed to have it within like every 10 feet. We have like every 10 inches. I think

[00:54:47] Erich Wenzel: Even in my own vision was one, two, three was like four or five without turning around all the same one. Also in and reused coffee cans.

[00:54:59] They should be using you for eco friendly. This is how you do, you know, the green, like PR, so he's buying the new fancy things. It's about just looking around and be like, Hey, how do I reuse this a different way 

[00:55:13] Brit Parla: to make the most out of it.

[00:55:14] Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Plants are important. You spend a lot of time inside as an artist. So like you are trying to find ways to bring the outside in.

[00:55:24] Erich Wenzel: That's really true. I mean for me too, it was like when I would work out, cause like I, I work at a lab and there's machines going off. It's all gray and it's like everything sounds like machine sounds like figures like compressed air going off and everything is like all monotone or monochrome, kind of like metals and concrete, stuff like that.

[00:55:42] Very industrial. And. When I would, I mean, especially in the summertime, I would make sure to run at a local nature preserve. Yeah. So I'm like out in nature and like it's not sidewalk or asphalt. It's actually like dirt ground. It's a spring Valley nature center. 

[00:55:57] Brit Parla: I love it there.

[00:55:58] Erich Wenzel: I would just do laps around there. That's really just, you know, as close to nature and like hiking as we can get in the suburbs without going somewhere.

[00:56:06] That's much farther away. 

[00:56:07] Being Close to Nature in Chicago 

[00:56:07] Brit Parla: No, it's so true. Like as a creative in Chicago. I live in uptown. It's not necessarily like the hub of creativity. However, the only reason that I won't move to one of the more creative neighborhoods in Chicago is because of my proximity to the Lake. I have to have nature within arm's reach.

[00:56:28] You know what I mean? 

[00:56:29] Erich Wenzel: There's this something about water or is it just all of it? Just the parks and stuff like that. 

[00:56:32] Brit Parla: There's a huge park by the Lake that I live, by the Lake. It's the same Lake and the whole city part of the Lake that I live by has one of the biggest green spaces in Chicago. I Absolutely love that park. 

[00:56:46] Erich Wenzel: Which park is that for people?

[00:56:48] Brit Parla: It's called Montrose beach and it's gorgeous. If you've never been. There's like parts of it that are preserved by the great lakes society. There's like a bird sanctuary, a butterfly sanctuary. You can just get lost over there for hours and they have a dog park.

[00:57:03] It's like a five minute bike ride for me to get over there when I'm stuck in the summer. I'm in the winter mindset right now. So I didn't really think about this, but like in the summer when I'm stuck, I would just like to take a break and go to the Lake and like watch dogs play or just like to walk around and that's just major for me. I love living over there. 

[00:57:24] Getting Stuck Working For Too Long 

[00:57:24] Erich Wenzel: [00:57:24] That's awesome. Just being able to mental reset with nature and getting out and seeing something else moving. Cause I think it's really important, especially as a creative. Where your kind of at the edge a lot of times where it's like you're channeling emotions and you're stuck, you know, sort of like, depending on where, where you're at in a different project, you can kind of drag you down.

[00:57:46] Brit Parla: [00:57:46] I tell a weird story, this is kind of embarrassing, but you know what? We're on, like this frame of whatever. So I was working in the studio for like. 12 or 13 hours straight one day, which is like longer than I'll usually push myself for. And I like didn't even, I took a break to eat, but I like the ones in my studio.

[00:58:09] Like while I was working on stuff and like, it was like one of those days I was just it and I had like three days in a row where I would just like. What was really going through something like really had to like working on these paintings and I didn't like get enough sleep or something. One of the nights, cause I was up really late and I went to bed after only having had like four or five hours the night before, which is terrible for you.

[00:58:35] I don't do that ever. And. I woke up in the middle of the night having a night terror, which never happens to me, but I think just like pushing myself like artistically and then like not sleeping enough, like really did something to my brain and my body was like, Whoa. It was wild. So like I scared the crap out of my boyfriend because I woke up in the middle of the night just screaming and was like, is everything okay?

[00:59:02] And I was like, what are you talking about? I had no idea it was happening. Yeah. There was no dream. It was literally just like me screaming. So weird. I don't know. I don't know why it happened, but like it happened 

[00:59:14] Erich Wenzel:  and you're just stressed out and like pushing yourself. 

[00:59:16] Brit Parla:  Yeah, exactly. I don't even know if I was stressed.

[00:59:19] Creativity and Introspection

[00:59:19] I think it was just like. I dunno. Like I said, a lot of introspection happens when I'm creative and I think I just unlocked something. It was probably for the better, I think it was for the better. 

[00:59:30] Erich Wenzel: As weird as it sounds, it's, it's through pain that we learned about ourselves because when I was doing my senior design project, I would like.

[00:59:39] These ridiculous days of like, you know, when crest time hits and the project needs to get done like that for like that final week. I remember working on stuff.  I worked my normal eight hours and I remember my longest day, I worked from eight 30 or eight all the way until 9:00 PM and it was like, this project is going to work and be as good as it can be. Before for the presentation I'll die before it's not done right. 

[01:00:07] And so I just put in these ridiculous hours and I remember like leaving at nine and be like, I just need to go chill. Which is a terrible idea to like when I'm already stressed out. So I like went and chilled grabbed one beer and that just put me in this really weird negative Headspace, just like some weird negative introspection.

[01:00:24] And I want to go into sleep that day, which is some weird little ghost hanging around me. And I was like, woke up in the morning. I'm like. Okay. Gotta be careful about how stressed I am when it comes to like, you know, working through stuff and then turning to like alcohol or just even while it was just like one, not even anything crazy beer, just like some craft beer and it's just like, well, hello, here's some demons come and knock on the door.

[01:00:45] And it's not like I'm diagnosed with depression or anything like that, but it was still like, okay. Going to have to not, not do that, not do that. Like pay attention to how you feel because even if you want to distress sometimes doing something like that, it's not, 

[01:00:58] Brit Parla: So it just feels like a like a no brainer, like a good thing to do, but it's not always the best thing for you. 

[01:01:06] Erich Wenzel: Society has trained us to think this is what you should do.

[01:01:09] Brit Parla: The sitcoms. The dad gets off work, he has a really shitty day and goes to the bar. Yeah. It's all good long day. 

[01:01:16] Erich Wenzel: But like, it's a weird thing that I was like, I did that by myself. Like I just visited my friend at work. So there's the difference, right? So it's like you go with your friends, you have a different Headspace about what you're doing, you know, cause it's about social connection and spending time with people.

[01:01:30] Working Solo And Going To A Bar

[01:01:30] Brit Parla: Ironically I was working in a coffee shop all day, like doing some stuff in the coffee shop closed at seven and I was like, crap, like I want to keep working on stuff. And I was like, but there's no more coffee shops that are open. I was like, I'm just going to go get a beer and like keep working on stuff.

[01:01:47] And I did. And essentially like I ordered food and the, the spot that I was sitting at like didn't have enough room for it. So the bartender was like, you can come sit by the bar. So I did. And I was just like by myself minding my business, like I don't mind hanging out by myself. I like going out and doing things that you maybe shouldn't do by yourself, like getting a beer, I don't know.

[01:02:07] But anyways, this really great, like. Older gentleman was sitting next to me and he just like immediately started talking and like sometimes I'm not necessarily in the mood for that, but it wound up being like a very positive conversation. And we'll be, were like talking about things like art and music and meditation and all of these things, and it was just like exactly what I needed but didn't know that I need.

[01:02:30] And it just like came from, I dunno, just me, like thinking I was going to be spending time by myself all day, you know? I just somehow open myself up to that and don't wind up being really rewarding. 

[01:02:40] Erich Wenzel: I resonate with that. That's so true. Like you never know who you're going to run into. Quick little conversation, even if we never get to talk to that person again.

[01:02:49] That's really neat. Yeah, I wouldn't. Yeah. I mean bars had this weird little connotation where it's like you should be going with other people. 

[01:02:55] Brit Parla: Yeah, I agree. I think it depends on the bar too. Yeah. You know, 

[01:02:59] Erich Wenzel: I think it was a smaller leg, a little hole in the wall craft brew, microbrewery. So probably a little bit more.

[01:03:04] Okay. Cause it's there for the experience and you're going to talk to the bartender about the beers or something. Like average sports bar or something like that. Like I do have like this weird affinity now was like going to little coffee shops and like kind of like the, the local little public places.

[01:03:20] Like, cause I don't know, there's something about the atmosphere and the environments that just lend itself to being a little bit more productive. 

[01:03:27] Brit Parla: And like also like most people are there by themselves too. So you don't feel as weird about. 

[01:03:31] Erich Wenzel: It feels like honestly, the adult version of going to like study hall never said that out loud before.

[01:03:39] That's like really what 

[01:03:40] Brit Parla:  it's a room productivity and like silence and it's nice, like nobody's going to be 

[01:03:44] Erich Wenzel:  loud and obnoxious or 

[01:03:45] Brit Parla: whatever it shouldn't be. 

[01:03:48] Erich Wenzel: I'm like caveat there. Maybe somewhere else you share the stories. Yeah, it's weird. It's a weird little paradigm to find. Especially, I don't know if it's like this.

[01:03:59] People who create their own things. It's like you need to kind of get out of your own house sometimes you're all, it'd be so productive sometimes I just need to see something different than the same four walls.

[01:04:10] Brit Parla:  And like, I think I have gotten really good at like using this space to be productive, but sometimes I just want to change the scenery or like I just want a cup of coffee that I can't make at home.

[01:04:19] You know what I mean? Like I don't have an espresso maker. 

[01:04:23] Erich Wenzel: For me with the change in temperature. It's been like, go to the gym, go to work, come home, don't really do much else. Except maybe go get food somewhere. But that's kind of usually to go. And so I'm like, man, I'm not really doing anything.

[01:04:39] But like in the summertime when I was going all over the place to all these different things, and I'm like, yeah. What a different change of scenery. So like doing this today, I'm like, okay, cool. So many different new places and talking to things or just exploring a little bit. It's just a really nice little jumpstart.

[01:04:53] Like it's obviously not something you do all the time, but 

[01:04:55] The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

[01:04:55] Brit Parla: [01:04:55] no, absolutely. There was actually this book that someone had gifted to me a couple of years ago that I swear by, I have yet to complete it, but it's something that I always go back to because it's like a workbook essentially, but it's called the artist's way, and basically it.

[01:05:09] I cannot remember the author's name right now, but it's really great. Yeah, it's a yellow and red book. I don't know what's called the artist's way. And it's all about fostering creativity even if you don't think that you are a creative. So there's all these like success stories about like lawyers turn musicians and things like that and it gives you all of these different things to like work through to find your creative process.

[01:05:34] And there are like the guidelines of the book are like these things that they say are non. Like you can't, there's no compromise. You have to do them. And honestly, like I've worked all of them, there were some of them that I had done without knowing that it was like part of this process and that there are some that I will forever do now because of this book.

[01:05:51] And like the two main things that they talk about are. Journaling in this like style that's called morning pages and then like self date, like taking yourself out on dates, essentially artists dates is what they call it. And so I don't know if you've ever talked about, not in the show or if you're familiar with it, but like the morning pages, things.

[01:06:10] Erich Wenzel: I don't think we've talked about specific, I've talked about it offline, but yeah, 

[01:06:13] Morning Pages

[01:06:13] Brit Parla: it's amazing. And I think everybody should do it regardless of who you are, what you do. But it's like anytime we were sitting down to do something and you. Feel like blocked when you're supposed to sit down, write three pages about just whatever comes to mind.

[01:06:28] It could literally be you writing saying, I don't know what to write about. It could be you complaining about the weather, just like whatever you have to do to get to the three pages and essentially it's unpacking everything that's blocking you from. Where you need to be and it's just, it's really done a lot for me and it's really helped me work through some stuff and there's like success stories that they talk about in the book about like people writing entire books that way. Like they would like to sit down to do this and just start like writing a novel. Like it's wild. 

[01:06:57] Artist Dates

[01:06:57] But anyways, that's a big one. But the reason why I started talking about it was because of the artist dates. It encourages you to one day a week. To go to take yourself out on a date, essentially, to do something that you wouldn't normally do, whether it's like going to a museum or like going to like a store that you've always wanted to go to, you're taking yourself out to eat, but it's essentially just like getting used to spending time by yourself.

[01:07:17] Because like a lot of the creative process, like if it's not something like music or you know, other things that revolve around like community to work, it's you by yourself. You have to just get used to it and get comfortable to spending that time. So. It really, I've always been someone who's been calm.

[01:07:35] I was an only child for a long time, and I feel like I am pretty comfortable with spending time by myself and doing things that people wouldn't normally do by myself. But this just kind of took it a step further and made me be more fearless with it. And it's just, I don't know, put me into some really interesting scenarios and.

[01:07:52] I've gone and done things that people probably didn't want to do with me before, or you know, you just don't have to wait on anyone. You, you set out to do what you're going to do and then you go do it and it's awesome. And yeah, I really recommend that book. It's really taught me a lot. So one day I will finish it, but for what it's worth, I've already taken, 

[01:08:08] Other Books Recommendations

[01:08:08] Erich Wenzel: Hey, you got a lot more than most people do with books. You applied something you read. A lot of times people just read something and don't do anything with it. Any other books. This is a perfect time to continue to talk about it.

[01:08:20] Brit Parla: Yeah, that's a huge one for me. I, like I said, I have never. I haven't finished it yet, but it's something that I always, always go back to if I'm not reading something along the lines of that, that is like, nah, I don't want to use the word like self-help, but like, you know, like something that.

[01:08:38] Teaches you to change your perspective or to change your frame of mind? Like, I love a good book like that. I really like reading like the good memoir or, or I love like fiction. Honestly. Sometimes I just, you know, you get so caught up in your day to day life and it's nice to just take yourself out of that and like put yourself in like another world.

[01:08:56] A book that I read last year that are, or no, it was early. It was at the beginning of this year that I really enjoyed was called, Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk and just, he's such an interesting . He's just a weird writer. So just like seeing someone take such an abstract approach to writing in and of itself was so inspiring.

[01:09:16] Erich Wenzel: He's asked for those for context. He's also wrote Fight Club. 

[01:09:19] Brit Parla: Yeah. Oh, duh. 

[01:09:20] Erich Wenzel:  Yeah. So for those who, who don't know who that is, yeah. We last name is strange. Just for context, cause most people know what Fight Club

[01:09:29] Brit Parla:  He has the most interesting style of writing, and that was like just inspiring for me.

[01:09:34]Erich Wenzel: I enjoy his stories because he takes something that's usually like dark or weird. And puts such a weird twist on it. And he means, and it means the opposite by making it dark. 

[01:09:45] Brit Parla: Exactly. No, absolutely. It's just weird. And I like it and I'm so intrigued by this writing style, I just can't get enough. So that's a big one.

[01:09:55] Brit Parla:  But I also like reading. I'll explain that in a second. I also really like reading a book that was written. Like a memoir. I just liked hearing about like people's creative processes or just processes in general and why they do what they do and how they got to be where they are. Yeah, exactly.

[01:10:11] Exactly. The lights changed because Trevor's home, which we have it set so that once you're picked up in the wifi, the lights will turn on or off. Oh, that's interesting. But it's regardless of if someone is home or not. So this is like his home setting. I don't know if we haven't really fully figured out yet, but anyways.

[01:10:32] Yeah, I love a good memoir. I love just like getting an insight into. Why someone is the way that they are. I think it takes a lot of guts to write a book about yourself and your life, and I think it's really interesting 

[01:10:44] Erich Wenzel: because you want to do a lot more deep work or by yourself. 

[01:10:47] Brit Parla: It's not like necessarily you don't compare yourself to the other person, but you can't help to notice some of the parallels sometimes.

[01:10:56] What went well in 2019?

[01:10:56] Erich Wenzel: For a closing question, cause we've actually just over an hour, time flies when you're having fun. I didn't even realize as I was going, like anything else either. Let's see. The Oh, the one I told you about for the 2019 you know, like what went well, what would you say?

[01:11:14] Like surprised yourself with, and then like what do you keep, I mean, I feel like that has been in this entire conversation to some degree or another, but yeah, if there's anything that stands out to you 

[01:11:22] Brit Parla:  about 2019 

[01:11:23] Erich Wenzel: just look a little reflection on the year 

[01:11:25] Brit Parla: A common theme since I've really started being serious about my art within the past, like two years, but this year especially was just putting myself out there and like fearlessly and not being afraid of the outcome.

[01:11:44] Just like not being afraid of like asking for things. And I know that we had talked about this earlier, but just. For example, there was an art show that I really like wanted to be a part of and was really intrigued by, I thought the artists that hosted it is really interesting. I look up to him a lot. I just reached out and was like, Hey, if you are ever looking for more artists, like I would love to be a part of it.

[01:12:07] And like a couple shows had gone by before, you know, and I was like, okay, you know, like I tried, it's fine. But then like. I wound up getting put on the roster of artists and it was like a huge, and I was just kind of like surrounded by a bunch of artists that I looked up to. I was a little bit out of my comfort zone, but it just felt good knowing that like I got there because I tried to get there, you know?

[01:12:28] And it's just been like kind of a year of like little situations like that where it might not be. I might be a little bit in over my head, but I still give it my best shot. Anyways, someone reached out to me about painting my first wall this year, and I had never painted a mural before, but I went and painted like I want to, I don't even know how big the wall is, but a whole whole part of a hallway in an elementary school, and I didn't really know what I was doing.

[01:12:55] You know, I drew out some sketches. They gave me the supplies, which like weren't the best supplies, but I had supplies and. You know, I just did it and I'm pretty proud of how it turned out and I feel like that was like really kind of reflective of the way that the year has gone. Just like maybe not having all of the tools that I need, but making the most out of it and like doing my best and just advancing.

[01:13:20] I don't know. It's been a year of growth and I'm kind of having a hard time articulating it right now, but. I'm really proud of where I am now in comparison to where I was when the year started. I feel like I'm a lot more organized and I'm already trying to plan shows for 2020 and that feels really good.

[01:13:38] I like, I don't know, I feel like I was just kind of like a fish out of water, like where's the show that I can do? Like I wasn't like doing like the true research for it, but this year I like sat down and made a whole list, like applied. It feels good.

[01:13:53] Erich Wenzel: That's awesome.  I don't think you can end this podcast in any better way as a round one because we are going to be here for all,

[01:14:02] I guess, any other things like where, where can people find you or connect with you all that kind of stuff. 

[01:14:08] Brit Parla: Or you can find me on social media or at my website, my name on. Social media is, well my name, first of all is Brit Parla, but my tag on on Instagram is Britparlart. So essentially just add R T onto Parla and then my website is Britparlart.com 

[01:14:28] Yeah, I hope some people will reach out and yeah, I would like to talk with anyone that has any questions about what I do. That I haven't answered. 

[01:14:35] Erich Wenzel:  I mean, there's lots of unpack here, but he's mostly, we would just direct people to check out your stuff and you can send me anything you want me to put up on the website, webpage and things like that.

[01:14:45] Cool. Sweet.

Erich WenzelBrit Parla, Art, Abstract Fluid Painting, Mindset, Artist's Block, upcycling, Getting Past Fear, Getting Into Flow, Tash Sultana, Podcast, Chicago Artists, Passion, Local Art, What Went Well, Chuck Palahniuk, Morning Pages, Artist Dates, The Artist's Way, Creativity and Introspection, Understanding What You Can Control, Flow, Flow State, The story behind the artComment