Shelby Dillon Studio is a lifestyle brand of art and luxury home goods with a colorful twist on classic designs. The brand celebrates the thrill of adventure, an appetite for travel and an appreciation for luxury. The artist and designer works from home and her studio in North Carolina after traveling the world.
She wound up overseas because of her husband’s job, which usually made her a term they use called the “trailing spouse.” After the first excitement of exploring and resettling wore off, Shelby was faced with a lot of extra time. Singapore is one of the most start-up friendly economies in the world, so she decided to take the plunge and start painting full-time as an artist.
So far Shelby has lived in Singapore, Brazil and just recently moved back to North Carolina. While living in Singapore and Brazil, they were always in high-rise condos, because space and real estate are at such a premium in those locations. She always made sure to carve out a space for herself, and often painted smaller to reflect the close quarters that she had to paint in.
One of the most important things for staying disciplined was making sure she had a space that was always “hers”. Whether it was just a small desk, having that space always allowed her to leave projects out and come back to later. Her “office” was usually the guest bedroom, so although the space was tight, she could still close the door and not worry about what was going on in the rest of the house. In order to really make it work, she carved out specific business and painting time and tried to keep household tasks separate. She explains, “I also recommend getting “dressed” for work. If you treat it like a job where you have to go to an office and meet clients, it helps put you in the mindset that it is important. Although occasionally working in my PJs is super fun, I found it tougher to be as productive if I didn’t have that separation between work and life.”
Singapore and Southeast Asia were so amazing because of the travel that could be done. Singapore was a short 1-2 hour flight from places like Bali, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Shelby was able to take all kinds of weekend trips to see so many really incredible things. There was everything from mega cities with 10 million people to gorgeous beaches, jungles, UNESCO heritage sites like Angkor Wat, and more. It served as great inspiration for her artwork.
Brazil is an incredibly gorgeous country with some incredible people. “They have such a passion for life, and it shows in their design, their art, and their music. We loved the vibrancy of the culture, and the backdrop of the lush jungles that drop right into some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,” explains Shelby. Brazilians have such infectious confidence. It taught her to embrace life and truly love what you do.
Being an artist and having the opportunity to be around such different cultures was just amazing for Shelby’s art. You see different perspectives on the world, and it opens your eyes to so many new ideas. You learn creative problem solving as you are trying to navigate a new culture, and you learn to open yourself and try things you never thought you would try before. When you see so many different cultures, and the way that they do things ingeniously– even small things, like carry groceries – it opens your eyes to the possibilities that are out there.
Shelby loves working from home because it allows her so much flexibility. She can make her own work hours, which is really important now with a 4-year-old. This lets her be home at the end of the school day and really be a part of her daughter’s life. Also, as a start-up it helps keep costs and overhead low while they are working on growing their market share. Shelby is currently working on expanding her business to a lifestyle brand with the addition of jewelry, clutches and other accessories. Visit her website at www.shelbydillonstudio.com.
