Bryna Shields

Background

About Bryna Shields

I pursued a creative career because I am an explorer at heart. My endless curiosity led me to explore many different artistic media, and all of these experiences have resulted in an enriching career. I taught myself surface design, GIF animation, weaving, and 3D sculpture, just to name a few. Each of these endeavors deepened my artistic perspective to create work that is unique and approachable while keeping the client's goals in mind. Recently, I stretched my skills even further by self-publishing the Wild Seeker Tarot: A Deck for Bold Explorers of the Heart. I wore many hats for this project: art direction, illustration, writing, packaging design, production oversight and marketing/PR. For an added challenge, I also taught myself how to use font software so I could create a custom font for the cards. Over the span of two years, this project was the culmination of all the skills I acquired throughout my career. Even the random jobs I had in college informed how I executed this project. It is my proudest accomplishment to date. I love sharing my passion for art with others and designing experiences that help people grow their creative confidence. I’ve led a number of workshops for organizations including Creative Mornings Field Trips, Portland Textile Month, and Skillshare, where I share my favorite art exercises/experiments. It is such a joy to witness the creative minds of my students, and seeing how each person interprets the same prompt differently. It makes my heart explode with delight! Outside of work, I love paddleboarding, learning about trees (they communicate with each other!), and traveling. I hope to visit all the National Parks in the U.S. and have a bucket list of places to paddleboard. Please reach out if you are interested in collaborating on a creative project, licensing art, looking for a creative workshop facilitator or to share a cool project you’re working on.