Meet Liz Brent | Teaching Artist & Creative Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Liz Brent and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Between my mom, dad, and five siblings, I actually come from a family full of creative people, whether they all admit it or not lol.

My dad and oldest brother are artists and create under BrentArt with me, so creativity was just the norm in my household.

However, I did not have an art program in school until my freshman year of high school. I remember arts and crafts with my classroom teachers when I was really young, and I remember a lady coming in during seventh grade to teach art for maybe 2 weeks, but there was never a formal art education for me until I was 14.

I didn’t think much of it then, but looking back I see how significant that was. For the longest time I actually thought I didn’t have a “talent.” I wanted to be a singer, but was terrible at it, wanted to take dance, but my parents couldn’t afford it, and I was also very shy and quiet, so I wasn’t popular either.

On the other hand, I was always a really good student and on A-honor roll, but I wanted to be good at something besides academics lol.

So once I finally started taking art classes, I fell in love with it, and the better I got, I realized, that was what had been missing all along, and finally felt like I had found “my thing.”

However, I never considered it as an actual career choice. At a young age I decided that I was going to be a lawyer, and held on to that.

It wasn’t until my senior year of high school during college interviews that my mind changed a bit. The interviewer saw my high school transcripts, noticed that I was in AP Art but applying under pre-law, and said, “You should apply for the art program, you could get a scholarship.”

So I did that, didn’t get a scholarship for my art, but that one conversation and decision changed everything. I was accepted into the art education program, and during my sophomore year started selling custom art as a way to make extra money.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started creating custom art in college, and was selling just friends and referrals. Next, I opened an Etsy shop and started selling to other states. This became my side hustle. Even after college, I continued making custom art while teaching part time.

By the time I got my full time teaching job, I was still selling custom art, but also started hosting paint parties and creating my own work. Then finally, in 2020, after teaching for 6 years, and dealing with such a high level of work-related stress, I resigned from my full time teaching position to pursue my dream of working for myself through art.

The journey has definitely not been easy, and it has been a whole lot of trial and error. However, I now have more time to create things I love.

My art is usually more about technique than concept. My work isn’t about the meaning behind it, but more so how it made me feel when I created it. Making art is definitely therapeutic for me.

I like to create high contrast work and push it as much as I possibly can. As an art student in college, I loved art history, and became really inspired by the idea of chiaroscuro, the contrasting of light and shadow.

I create representational work, focusing a lot my attention on textures, creases, highlights and shadows.

I’m always challenging myself to go one step further hoping to create something better than my last, just to see how real I can get it to look.

As a licensed art teacher, I was taught to be ready to teach basically every medium there is, so you’ll see a little bit of everything in my portfolio.

From charcoal and graphite to oil and acrylic painting, I have experience with lot of different materials. As for preference, I predominately work in acrylics because I just became less patient in my art-making as I learned how to paint faster.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about me, is that I am always seeking to adapt.

My dad is a veteran and always used to say, “you have to be able to improvise, adapt, and overcome.” This is how I approach life. If something isn’t working, I try to figure out how to make it work, how to make it better, or do something different.

Through following my dreams, I learned that taking chances is what life is all about, and sometimes you just gotta see what happens.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

A few hidden gems I like for food in Chicago are Manzo’s Burgers and I-57 Rib House on the south side. On the northwest side, I really like Hangry’s and Soul & Smoke BBQ. For wings, I recommend Shark’s on the south side and west side.

As for the more tourist-like stuff, the best way to see downtown is on an architecture boat cruise or Segway history tour on the lakefront. Also, there are a lot of cool bus and trolley tours of a lot of neighborhoods throughout the city that are not downtown. Those tours share the history of the neighborhoods and give you a perspective you don’t get to see all the time.

There’s also a bunch of board game bars and cafes that are more chill and a lot of fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success is all thanks to God, my Creator, for putting me here with a purpose and guiding me along the way. I’m so thankful for the family God has blessed me with, as they’ve always been my number 1 support system since the day I was born. My family has always encouraged and supported me over the years, and believed in me even when I doubted myself.

I thank God for blessing me with Joe, the most amazing man I could’ve ever asked for in a fiancé. The man who helps me through it all, who challenges me when I can do better, and who reassures me when I doubt myself.

I also thank God for the friends who’ve been my cheerleaders and supporters through some really tough times.

I also thank God for my Black woman therapist who has been such a blessing, and pushed me to follow my dreams when she asked me, ‘What if it all works out?’

And I also thank God for the mentors who has placed in my life to help me succeed. This is not a one woman show and I am in no way self-made. I thank God for my support system every day.

Website: lizbrentart.com

Instagram: instagram.com/lizbrentart

Facebook: facebook.com/lizbrentart

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOtGKRoQnMD_R1BDOW-fCgg

Other: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lizbrentart https://www.tiktok.com/@lizbrentart? https://www.pinterest.com/lizbrentart/_saved/