We’re looking forward to introducing you to Trena Brannon. Check out our conversation below.
Trena, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Pitching to my dream client. I’ve done the groundwork – spent time researching the company, created a mood board, and drawn several thumbnail sketches of the artwork to pitch. I completed these steps months ago, but I have yet to complete the final artwork and pitch it. I think my need to get more information and complete the artwork is a stall tactic because I feel I’m not ready for “a no” from them.
Last week, I had the opportunity to talk with an extended family member at a family function. We spent an hour discussing design and creativity. I met her in 2023, and we had a lovely conversation about many different subjects, but not design and creativity – it didn’t come up at the time. As we chatted this time, I found out that she had a successful career as an interior designer. She shared her challenges and joys, and asked me what I wanted to do with my art next. I felt comfortable sharing my idea and dream client with her. She asked me a few questions and then offered me some valuable advice. We bounced ideas back and forth, and by the end of the hour, she offered to use her network to help me get my artwork in front of the right contact of my dream client. The encouragement she gave me gave me the drive to move forward. Within 48 hours, I wrote my pitch letter with confidence and have blocked out time on my calendar to work on the final artwork.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an engineer by education, a project manager by experience, and an artist by joy.
I live in Southeast Michigan with my husband and have various identities, including illustrator, surface designer, and freelance artist. I advocate kindness, inclusion, and positivity.
I find inspiration everywhere and develop my artwork using a combination of mixed media and digital tools. My illustrations and designs show up in The Brannon Factory® greeting cards, children’s books, through licensing, and in teaching (Skillshare).
I am currently illustrating two children’s books for two different authors—one fiction and the other nonfiction. I am having so much fun on both projects!
One of my favorite things to do is talk about possibilities!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother. From my early memories of hearing her voice, she instilled confidence in me and taught me the importance of education. She told me I could be anything I wanted to be in life. She grew up in a time when there were limitations for women and people of color, and was setting me up to have every opportunity possible. Early in life, she gave me responsibilities and taught me self-respect and respect for others. When I was very young, she told me I was adopted, and she and my father were so happy they got to pick me. She also taught me the importance of paying bills on time, understanding credit, and, if I were to get married, to ensure my name was on any property we purchased. She was my biggest advocate and cheerleader.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
After securing my first professional job as an engineering associate at a Telecom company, I realized I didn’t really enjoy it. My fellow engineers would get excited about finding the critical path for the design they were working on and going to the lab to test it out. I did not. I did not find joy in writing code and getting frustrated when I put the semicolon in the wrong place. Initially, I thought that I would follow along the engineering track and become a Distinguished Member of Staff. After a couple of years, it became too clear that it was not my path. After a while, I saw a pattern in the feedback from my supervisor(s). My performance was excellent in terms of communication, teamwork, building meaningful professional relationships, and collaboration skills, but needs improvement in technical skills. I felt that I was not smart enough for my position, when in reality, I realized that being an engineer was not a good fit for me. I found that those years I spent designing and working in the lab were not wasted. Those years provided me with a solid foundation in logic and an understanding of the challenges engineers face in their day-to-day work. I found the right path for me and held several positions where I excelled in the Telecom industry. Today, I own my own business, set my own goals, create my own schedule, and establish professional relationships that benefit my business. What I thought was a failure was actually a trigger to send me in a different direction, one that was the right fit for me.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes. I don’t have the desire, energy, or good enough memory to try to be more than one person. Besides, I like myself. I do take the time to check my behaviors and strive to improve myself. I’m fortunate that I have people in my life who help with that check, and I appreciate them!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Yes!! I am living my best career life right now! I get to work on projects I’m passionate about. I get to choose the people I get to work with. I get to use both sides of my brain.
There was another time… when I left the Telecommunications industry, I went to work in higher education. It was a major university with integrity and a strong sense of school spirit. They have fantastic programs with the community and offer staff professional development opportunities in various areas of interest. One of the values listed in the Standards is “fun.” It was wonderful to be part of a team that enjoyed what they did. I was excited to go to work every day. It was a great experience! The reason I left was to pursue my own business full-time, which was calling me – very loudly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://trenabrannonart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trenabrannon/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trenabrannon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrannonFactory
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@trenabrannon
Image Credits
photographer: Trena’s headshot and drawing in her studio drawing – Nita Sims (https://www.instagram.com/nspirationalimages/)
