TAYLOR, Texas — If you take a field trip about 40 minutes north of Austin, you'll find the small and peaceful community of Taylor, Texas, dotted with large-windowed historical homes and front yards filled with ducks and children.
It's the perfect place to hear yourself think and get away from the hustle and bustle of the growing Austin community. That's exactly why local painter Sari Shryack, 29, decided to move out there with her husband and two boys.
Creating a nice little oasis, Shryack has an art studio in her backyard where she spends hours making beautiful creations.
"I love it out here. I actually have some other artist friends that have moved to Taylor too, so it's slowly becoming a little art community," Shryack said.
Known for her tremendous use of vibrant colors and her natural ability for finding beauty in the seemingly mundane, Shryack has a deep love for Central Texas and finds inspiration daily.
"Even if you didn't sell that piece of art or you didn't make the Mona Lisa, you connected with people and that's the core of what art is," Shryack said.
To gain more visibility for her work, Shryack primarily uses her Instagram account, @not_sorry_art, to make fun videos, showing a behind-the-scenes look at what she puts into every piece.
"It's almost more difficult to avoid social media – and people have perfectly legitimate reasons for not wanting to do it. But I'm a millennial and I grew up during the time of technology, and I was using it to share my breakfast and my kids, so I thought, 'I might as well make a whole different place and share my art," she said.
As for revenue, she jokes that her operation is a "mom-and-pop shop" because her husband helps her with various tasks. Every morning, he checks her website to see what purchases were made overnight.
"The amazing thing about being kind of an entrepreneur is that you can make most of your money during the night while you're sleeping," Shryack said.
The coolest thing about Shryack is that she's not only a painter, she's a wife and mother of two young children. She said she tries to achieve balance, but some weeks are better than others.
She also said she gains inspiration from her kids.
"I just did a painting where I was inspired by one of his Minecraft toys. It was like a honey pattern so it's on the painting now," Shryack said.
Click here to learn more about Shryack's paintings and prints.
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