Life & Work with Bianca Breed

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Breed.

Bianca, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My first resin pour was in January 2020 – I had wanted to make resin coasters with pressed flowers for the past 6 months at that time. To this day I believe this idea was sent to me from the universe, since I have no recollection of how I even realized resin-floral-coasters were a thing, and it opened a door for me.

By the March 2020 shut down, I lost my three serving/bartending jobs. I spent about two weeks mentally processing and trying to understand what was such a dark and uncertain time. I finally got myself out of bed and sat down to mix some resin again as a creative outlet, my second pour. I created twelve unique coasters with my stash of pressed flowers I had collected over the years. My Instagram was a place where I had shared my art over the years, so I documented the process and posted the pieces for sale a few days later. That’s really what kicked off this hustle – my community, online and in Cleveland, really showed up for me. Those coasters were claimed immediately, and by the end of the month, many people had flocked to my DMs to order custom ones.

I was able to afford more resin and spent April and May pressing more flowers from walks, creating custom pieces, and experimenting with my collection of preserved insects. Folks in Cleveland would drop off fresh and pressed flowers at my door, and offer me access to their gardens. Some people even mailed me pressed flowers and other insects that they had available. By June, I tried my hand at resin floral earrings, and by July, my first jewelry sale consisting of a variety of one-of-a-kind earrings sold out immediately. It amazed me that despite many of us being unemployed, I was still being supported by so many people local and far, and even shipping out of state.

During these initial months of creating resin art, I feel like I really found myself in a way I didn’t expect. I’ve always been an artist involved in drawing/painting/printmaking, etc, and felt my best when creating. But something about learning this medium and making unique pieces with real, tangible, natural materials brought me to an elevated state of creation and peace. I hadn’t quite had this same experience with any other medium before. This was remarkable considering what was happening in the world, and I was, and am, so unbelievably grateful for having this art practice during that time. Being able to create this art is what got me through that year mentally, emotionally, and financially. And I never forget that this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the folks online who supported me from day 1.

Throughout 2020 I did monthly earring sales, and branched out to creating larger home pieces, preserving more involved insects, and ornaments in the winter. I did everything through Instagram until I started a website in 2021. Summer of 2021 Michaels contacted me for their Made By You campaign, which was my first brand deal and first live resin class. By now, this is my full time job – it is true that I have always wanted to create art for a living. And I am still shocked, and so blessed, that it is now a reality.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Over the past near-two years, I have learned so much – from the medium I’m using, to the nuances of running a business by myself. I am not only the artist, but the social media manager, photographer, video and photo editor, researcher, supply purchaser, website designer, jewelry model, customer service dept, order packer, shipping handler, studio maid, accountant…. I wear so many hats! It can definitely feel overwhelming, as it often is. But this is also offset by my love of the art I make that’s behind it all. I’m learning that it’s a balance.

My main struggle, as I’m sure is similar to any artist self-employed and working from home, is making sure I get in my studio and create the work. If I don’t have work made, I don’t make $. It’s on my shoulders to keep my craft going and creativity flowing to make enough pieces to support myself. This is especially hard for me since I have a chronic illness that keeps me feeling incredibly fatigued most days. I had multiple non-consecutive months in 2021 where I physically did not have the energy to make work. And this was, and is, a really tough thing to accept. My consistency and productivity dropped at certain moments and it affects me both as an artist and business owner.

I think it’s important to realize that art making, business running, etc ebbs and flows just like a personal life. Artists, creators, entrepreneurs… we are not machines. Nobody is. It can be easy to fall into hustle-and-grind culture, but I believe that rest and balance is important. This is how I’ve mentally overcome many struggles lately.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create botanical home goods and jewelry made with eco-friendly resin, pressed flowers, and other natural materials. All of my pieces are unique compositions, meaning any single piece is a pairing of flowers that cannot be recreated. This is due to every flower being different, and I prefer creating one-off pieces and never making the same thing twice. I don’t use pigments, dyes, or glitters in my pieces; just clear resin and natural materials so that the flower pairings speak for themselves. I want my work to invoke a sense of awe and appreciation for the world around us, as I feel when I am working with plants. There is so much beauty out there to observe.

One of my favorite things about my work is utilizing insects. All insects present in my work are sustainably sourced, meaning they have not been harmed and experienced a natural death. Many of the ones I have are found on walks and on my porch. Adding insects to my floral compositions gives them a second life.

I also offer custom pieces using wedding, funeral, or other flowers one provides. Many people have dropped off or shipped their flowers to me to make pieces of significance. It is an honor to preserve such meaningful flowers.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Being myself, honestly. My business is me, my art, my name and face, so I believe it’s really important to be authentic. My success is highly dependent on my social media presence, and in my experience, sharing honestly and candidly has connected me to so many new friends, makers, and artists. My following and community have grown organically and by not overthinking social media algorithms or likes, I can freely share my work and be myself. I admire this in other artists too, and I feel being genuine with each other connects us as people. This also extends to my art practice – by creating what I enjoy and what I want to create, not what I think will sell, adds a level of intention to my work that characterizes my pieces and others have responded to.

Contact Info:

• Email: bianca@biancabreed.com
• Website: www.biancabreed.com
• Instagram: @basedbianca
• Other: linktr.ee/biancabreed