Meet Canessa Thomas | Artist & Business Owner

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

Hi Canessa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risks are necessary in life and business. Life is filled with uncertainties. You must be able to weigh the options and be willing to make decisions without having a guarantee of a specific outcome. I take calculated risks. I look at the best and worst-case scenarios. If I can accept the worst-case scenario and the reward is well worth that risk, it’s a go for me. My life and business has been filled with my taking risks. I have won some and lost some. I regret none.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an autodidact artist and storyteller who specializes in digital mixed media, and collage artwork. I am inspired by life, love, colors, music, and my ancestors. What sets me apart from others is that a lot of my work is abstract but I, also, do figurative and portrait artwork. I don’t pin myself to any particular style of art. My artwork is like my style of dress. It’s eclectic, intuitive, and is an expression of how I feel. And I feel a lot of things. When creating, things come together as I go based on where I feel led and what colors, lines, shapes and textures feel right. I don’t really sketch. It’s a mood…sometimes an existence. But, it’s always a story or two.

My art business, PhloArt Art Gallery, began manifesting while I was on leave from work and was creating art as a way of dealing with burnout, health issues, and the need to leave corporate America. I began selling pieces of my work and it felt amazing. Not only that, but I was much happier creating and selling my art than I had been at any company. I decided that my art was my business. I would invest in myself. The truth is that I would create art whether I sold anything or not. It’s one of my safe places. But, I was selling and interest in my work was increasing.

The most important lesson that I’ve learned along the way is flow and ebb. There will be highs and lows. Enjoy the flow of sales when orders/commissions are coming in consistently, but be aware that there will also be an ebb and they will be slow. Be dedicated in the ebb. You won’t always have high sales or – in the beginning, any sales at all. I think that’s an important thing to acknowledge and understand in business, especially early on. Don’t give up during the ebb. That’s the nature of things. Take that time to assess and reassess, learn and grow, make opportunities and/or search for new ones. These things keep me consistent during the process.

Being consistent and intentional with my business practices, my business interactions, and my connections has been key to my business growth. Consistency matters. I am consistent with my social media posts. I’m consistently manifesting PhloArt as I envision it. And I am consistently creating art in some way or form.

I am a creator. I’m happiest when I am creating and co-creating. And, honestly, I don’t think I pursued it. It pursued me. I simply surrendered.

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?
We would definitely visit the High Museum of Art and walk through Krog Street Tunnel. The street murals and vintage clothing shops of Little Five Points would also be on the itinerary along with Ponce City Market. And everyone knows that there’s no visiting Atlanta without grabbing some Slutty Vegan.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My sons and my sister have been extremely supportive of my pursuing a career and business in art. When they couldn’t see my vision, they still trusted that I had a solid one.

Website: www.phloart.com

Instagram: @phlo.bella