Today we’d like to introduce you to Shayna Strahm.
Hi Shayna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As an artist I’ve been drawing since I was 2 years old. It was my mom’s attempt at keeping me occupied and she would always tell me how naturally gifted I was. It was a place of self worth for a long time. It was where I sought value in a small town in Kansas that placed so much importance on sports. I would often dominate league art shows and was known for my artistic talent. And while I held the technical skills to create naturalistic, impressive bodies of work – I was missing the very purpose of creating.
As I entered college I began to question the small town values that had formed my entire world view for 18 years of my life. As I progressed into my fine arts degree I began to express myself through my art while leaning on the technical skills I had developed across many mediums. At the time I didn’t know what my art even meant to me but it became an outlet to process my experiences as I became more aligned with who I am today.
Near the end of my college career, I had a local photographer reach out to shoot with me. I had been told I could model before but took it with a grain of salt because of how critical I was or my appearance. I had grown up shy, awkward, and somewhat reserved and often leaned on how I presented myself to connect with others. (It actually came across as pretty polarizing in hindsight). My love of fashion began as early as middle school and I would often wear jeans and wake up to do my hair and makeup before school. It was the first time of many times I felt like i didn’t belong.
After I graduated college, I decided to move to Kansas City and continued to build my modeling portfolio. Not long after, I signed with my first mother agency who further helped me develop my skills across runway and commercial.
My time early on in Kansas City was rough. Life was hitting me from every angle and I found myself burnt out between struggling to pay my bills, being in the ER one day, doing a collaborative shoot the next, totaling my car, having my bank close out on me the day after… the list goes on. I had to take a step back to reevaluate. I found myself crying to close friends and my boyfriend about how lost and unfulfilled I felt.
It was shortly after that I decided it was time to return to my art. I joined another modeling agency where I could focus on getting paid for my experience while I was in Kansas City and started taking steps towards furthering my art career. Since then, I’ve had several shows, have my own art studio and am on track to building a brand that empowers women by embracing the masculine qualities that they are often shamed for. I’m proud to say I’m in a much better spot and continue to grow as an individual while still pursuing modeling and art as creative outlets.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Yes and no. I still face challenges in both areas.
With modeling I’ve felt it’s been easy to find opportunities in such a small market. On the few occasions I’ve tried to reach into other cities and markets I’ve faced rejection. I still struggle with feeling like an imposter and being hyper critical of myself. Modeling is not for the weak. While it can build your confidence immensely it can also tear it apart. Fortunately most of my experiences have been more positive than not and I attribute that the amazing community in Kansas City.
As far as art my biggest enemy has truly been myself. Art takes time, building a brand and online presence takes time and a LOT of work. But I believe in myself and my work ethic and generally I try not to put too much pressure on a specific timeline for when I need to reach “success”. I have all the tools, I just need to follow through.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In relation to my art my goal is to encourage women who have struggled with building friendships and romantic connections and who feel alone in their ambitions. As someone from such as small town, for a long time I felt alone in my interests. Through many years of internal work and reflection I’ve come to realize that the masculine traits I embody can be my strengths instead of something that pushes people away.
My mediums I use for my work currently are painting and printmaking. However I’ve never been one to limit myself and will continue to make mixed media work. Recently I’ve been working on integrating both my art world and modeling as a way to further solidify my “BEWARE” branding. In the future I plan to incorporate single drop, high quality clothing items inspired by my work and my message.
What sets me apart from other artists is I don’t believe in traditional means of displaying my art. I’ve incorporated my art into branding events, nightlife, and other unconventional venues. I see my journey as an artist reflecting more of a music artist/fashion designer pipeline rather than sitting in a gallery with white walls for months on end.
I’m most proud of my ability to be vulnerable through my work and how it’s helped some women close to me embrace themselves and feel less alone.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was definitely more shy and reserved than I am now. I dealt with undiagnosed ADHD for years because I didn’t present hyperactive qualities and I was very high functioning. I developed anxiety from a young age as a result, which kept a lot of my ADHD tendencies in check but also contributed to a low sense of self worth. This translated into my personal relationships and I struggled to build close friendships outside of a couple close cousins I grew up with. I found a lot of worth in my artistic talent but also in the way I presented myself. I was always dressing up for school- I loved fashion and anything creative. It helped me feel more confident especially on days where I had particularly low self esteem or felt overwhelmed. I was incredibly ambitious, a perfectionist, and an over overachiever through and through. I spent most of my time striving for straight A’s and involving myself in as many extracurriculars as possible, equating my worth to what I could accomplish.
Something many people don’t expect from me is that since I grew up in the country I also spent a lot of time around animals and even showed cattle and miniature horses for 4-h.
As much as I struggled to connect with my peers, I never would consider myself unlikeable. I always made an effort to be kind but more often than not I was a people pleaser, just hoping someone would like me for the things I did. I am so grateful I’ve been able to do the internal work to learn to love myself, and it’s truly changed my relationships with other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://slstrahm00.wixsite.com/shayna-art?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwLkH8NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp2wCrtCE1L-BDR4Hudm2OHVfY-yOWF7-S02Nh3N8YooiejwQaOkP0rqXDqz2_aem_s7oNPlOAoPbPqD5k9bJo5g
- Instagram: @shaynastrahm @bewareofthe.dog
