Brette
“Believe in yourself. And believe in yourself again and again. Believe in yourself when you fall down, fail, feel heart broken or low. Consistently get back up and build up self belief again.”
Brette is a visionary who is passionate beyond measure. She has used art as a positive outlet for her mental health journey, utilizing it as a tool to cope, heal, and foster self-love. However, her vision transcends beyond just her brush — she has founded a nonprofit organization, STUK DESIGNS, to give girls of color opportunities and access to programs that they otherwise would not have. She has also started a podcast that celebrates women and their journey to self-love. A true trailblazer and an optimist, she is leading the way for others to embrace art and all it has to offer. Meet Brette. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
B: My name is Brette Sims. I am an artist, born in Berkeley and Raised in Oakland, CA. I depict women with bold & beautiful features. I believe that art is a form of self-love and that art heals depression & anxiety. Under the brand name #artbybrette, I create artistic reflections of inner love, magic, growth, and presence. The deepest growth happens when you learn how to glow; even in the dark. My work exists to remind women of color not to be afraid to shine even when your shine conflicts with societal norms. I depict the moon and flowers in almost every one of my creations, which represent light in darkness and the ability to grow and stay grounded in the present moment through obstacles. Be your authentic self. Remember your inner love, protect your magic, courageously keep growing and always remember that the only moment that really exists, is NOW.
I also founded a Nonprofit called: STUK DESIGNS (pronounced "stuck", standing for: Strong, Talented, United, & Knowledgeable). STUK is a community of women that provide Self Love and Art programs to girls of color living in underserved communities.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
B: I am present, persistent, passionate, purpose filled and positive.
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
B: My Vision.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
B: I am unique as an artist, because of my story. I grew up in Oakland, where I attended a tiny all girls high school & inevitably became a community oriented and socially conscious feminist. I had my first art show there, when I was 17 & sold the entire collection! I continued art at Loyola Marymount University & had to break away from my classical training to develop my own style as an artist. Seems like a great story right?
Well, any seemingly great story comes with struggle. I've dealt with pretty debilitating anxiety most of my life, it began when I was about 15 & returned again many time. It has caused many health issues & setbacks in my life. But at the same time that anxiety appeared in my life, I also found that art uplifted it. Many times I've come so close to just giving up on my purpose. There have been many days when I could not get out of bed, or could not find the fuel to push forward. But art gets me up. Art has always been the antidote. Art has turned my life around, at times when I thought there was no road back to joy.
“Art lights the way down any dark path I've had to walk through in life.”
If you have anxiety or know anyone who struggles with it, then you know it is a lifelong struggle, and to move through it, you must find something you love. Art is my love. In my work, I am drawn to illumination in darkness. The deepest growth happens when you learn how to glow in the dark. In my work, I depict the moon, as a symbol of light surrounded by darkness. I depict flowers, as symbols of growth and presence. Flowers teach us how to STAY in the present moment. I feel like every human being, (just like the moon and flowers) needs a heavy dose of both light and darkness to find beauty and bliss. We then need presence and self love to maintain that bliss. To heal myself from anxiety I had to look deep into my own darkness; family dysfunction, personal triggers and heartbreaks, to sustain a feeling of lightness, because the only way out is through. Most of all I had to learn to love myself through the pain. Art is my form of self love. Through facing my pain in each period of anxiety in my life, I have emerged with more light and have become a stronger artist. I now have a unique style in which I am blessed to teach and uplift others. Let's connect, work together and add love, magic, growth, and presence to your frequency.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
B: Believe in yourself. And believe in yourself again and again. Believe in yourself when you fall down, fail, feel heart broken or low. Consistently get back up and build up self belief again. Do not let outside circumstances shift your inner belief, and thus your ability to manifest the unseen. It's not faith if you're using your eyes. Believe in yourself.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
B: Being a woman to me means embracing the divine feminine, sharing my voice, not dimming my light to fit in and owning myself so completely and confidently that I can uplift and support other women.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
B: Frida Kahlo. I am going to her exhibit at the Deyoung museum in SF this weekend. I love her story, and believe her story shaped her beautiful surreal art. I would tell her she taught me to fully own being a surrealist painter by owning my story.
"They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality." - Frida Khalo.
You can find Brette’s work at the following links:
Nonprofit: STUK Designs
@BretteSims on Instagram
Brette’s Current Art Show
Brette’s website
"STUK Designs (pronounced "stuck"), stands for Strong, Talented, United, and Knowledgeable. STUK Designs is a community of women who promote self love and creativity to underserved girls of color globally, through arts-driven programming and a clothing brand."