Art & Life with Michele Brindle

Michele, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have always enjoyed the quirky things in life! The weirder, the better. I find myself happiest when I’m surrounded by an eclectic group of people doing random creative stuff.

From a young age, my mother encouraged me to sing, to play in makeup, to sculpt, to draw, to paint, to sew, to create. Because creativity was a part of my daily life, I never really thought of myself as an artist.

I went to a school for performing arts and learned about stage makeup, costuming, and set design as well as acting. I went on to pursue a degree in Theater Arts. I was working as an actor, but I felt called to help people. Sooo, I went back to school and became a social worker. I started a family with the love of my life and dabbled in the creative from the mom side.

Now that my kiddos are older (two in college and one in High School), I have the opportunity to do more creatively.

I have always liked trying new things and making things. Then I have to tell everyone I know about those things and how to make those things!

I guess I couldn’t decide on one thing. That’s how Mimsy’s Whimsy came to be. I make whatever I feel passionate about on a whim.

I design, make, and sell things I love! I teach others what I have been blessed to learn. I get to be surrounded by amazing creative people!

Am I an artist? Am I a maker? Am I a designer? I don’t know. What I do know is that I have a wonderfully whimsical life and I love it!

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My passions in life are my family, my dogs, horror, steampunk, and Disney. Weird right? I know!

The love of these eclectic things has brought me to a unique place in my life.

I get to help out with school plays and choir performances as well as design and produce haunted attractions.

I make bloody prosthetics and mouse ears! I sing and dance on stage and design and build the sets backstage. I stand in front of a group of people and teach them how to express the world around them in with paint or how to refinish their kitchen chairs or make a dog bed from discarded furniture.

My art is both beautiful and practical.

I think that is how I see myself and my life, both beautiful and practical.

You are never too old to try something new!

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
I think that with all of the negativity in the world today, art in all forms is imperative! So much of what we see hear, feel, experience, in general, is difficult to deal with on a daily basis.

Art is a quintessential tool to express what one can’t express in any other way. You can’t find the words? Paint! You don’t have any paint? Sing! You can’t sing? Squish some clay around. You don’t have any clay? Color, dance, play an instrument, or write a poem. It doesn’t have to “be good.” Its purpose is to feel good. To not only be an expression of the wonderful things in life but to also be a safe place to go through the tough stuff too.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work can be found online at mimsyswhimsy.com. My Etsy shop is Mimsy’s Whimsy Designs. I’m on FB & IG.

My work is locally in SoCal Made at Westfield Mission Valley Mall, SD, and Dragonfly 2515 B St., SD. You can also take classes with me at my workshop in Poway, Carmel Mountain Creative on World Trade Center Drive in SD, local Michael’s or at your venue!