Meet Sleepy Shipman | Creator and Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sleepy Shipman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sleepy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I originally started on this path because as I started sharing my work, requests for not only my originals but prints and merchandise began to spring forth with increasing frequency. Creating the supply to match that demand made me realize I thoroughly enjoyed making my work accessible to the people around me. It was less so about the monetary gain for me and more about the fulfillment that came with knowing there was someone out there that resonated with my work so heavily that they wanted it to beautify their space. I wanted to continue to provide that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is spacey and escapist, ethereal and spiritual, far reaching and all encompassing. It covers my emotional state and where I’m at in the present moment and where I’d ideally like to be. It is an outlet and a way to express things I can’t always easily put into words.

I am not professionally or classically trained, I don’t know color theory and I very minimally study anatomy. I just draw and paint what intuitively feels right. I mainly want people to know that although skill is something I’d like to gain over time, I am creating for the release and not for the desire to create something perfect, or even good.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay, this is not a good question to ask me because I am a homebody above all. If my best friend were coming and I wanted to do things up right, I’d just fill my house with a bunch of comfort items and good food to cook, blankets and chill vibes. I’d make a list of movies and shows to watch and have video and board games prepped. This would all be fine because my friends are all on the same type of time I’m on, lol, but if we had to go out?

I’d pick a karaoke spot for sure, I know there’s one in the area with private karaoke rooms, we’d hit that up. I like outdoorsy places and some of my best friends do as well, so we’d have to visit a park or something with some pretty natural scenery. Umpstead is really nice and I love to visit the Arboretum as the seasons change. There’s so many good food spots in the area that I’d have to play it by ear for those and let my friend pick whatever they were in the mood for at the time.

Even if we went out, we’d be back at my place by ten because I really am a homebody over anything else lol. But we would still have a good time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My friends are my main support system in regards to my art and business. Chief among them, my best friends Breonna and Rachel and my partner Myles. They’re always helping in some way whether it’s accompanying me to events and being my hype team, helping me set up for vending opportunities or ensuring that I have the materials necessary to thrive, they are extremely important in my success. Also, my social media manager, Rosie, who I consult with about way more than just socials. They keep me level headed and I like to go to them with my big ideas to get them wrapped into something more reasonable.

My mom is also very vocal in her support of my art and what I do with it. It’s nice having her in my corner and she’s always letting me know she’s proud of what I accomplished so far. She likes a lot of my work and will call me to talk about it, which I love. She also likes to tell other people about my work and wear the merch she owns of it. It’s a good feeling.

There are so many other people and names I could list. Those who share my work on their socials when they see it, put my name in for opportunities they think I’d fit into, and set me up with collectors who appreciate my work like they do.

It’s very hard to run a business, successfully or otherwise, I’m lucky to be able to say I have a support system I can lean on should I need help getting through the rough parts.

Website: sleepygirlco.com

Instagram: sleepygirlcol

Twitter: sleepygirlco

Facebook: sleepygirlcol