Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Dearr.
Hi Isabella, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up creating, whether it was painting, sculpting, or even drawing on myself and my bedroom walls. My first large piece was during my freshman year of high school in a seminar class where we were given the task of “bettering the school” with a project. I couldn’t think of anything better than a mural, so after pitching the idea, I was able to lead four of my friends in painting the skyline of Durham, NC, at our school in northern Durham. I had no idea what I was doing, but I loved every second of it.
After that, I completed three other murals at my high school, both solo and with other students.
Once I got to NC State, I started experimenting with customizing sneakers. That’s when things really started to unfold. One of my close friends loved the pair I painted for myself so much that he asked me to paint his and actually taught me the proper process since I had no idea what I was doing. As I kept posting the shoes, more and more of my friends started requesting customs.
Up until college, I had never really considered myself a business-minded individual, although in hindsight, I’ve always had an itch for hustling and staying busy with side jobs whenever I could. Ever since I was 15, I’ve always had a job of some sort. Regardless of my drive to hustle, I always leaned more into my “creative” identity.
My freshman year at NC State, I took an art entrepreneurship class that showed me how to combine two seemingly uncommon worlds: art and business. I became fascinated with understanding how artists of all disciplines were able to sell their work and not only make ends meet but even become successful. I ended up minoring in Art Entrepreneurship, which set me on an entirely different path than I had planned and eventually led me to major in business with a concentration in entrepreneurship.
One day, the NC State Entrepreneurship page did an article on me and highlighted my business at the time, Your Vision Customs (YV Customs). That was the first time people outside of my peers started to take notice of my work. I ended up getting a custom shoe order from 321 Coffee, a beloved NC State alumni led coffee brand. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity and had a blast working on shoes with such a cool and meaningful brand as the inspiration.
I continued to take custom orders throughout college and even led a custom shoe painting workshop while considering opening a storefront in the future. Fast forward to my senior year of college, I got the itch to do a mural again.
Luckily, I had interned at Raleigh Founded, a local coworking space for entrepreneurs, which gave me the chance to share my aspirations with an equally driven community. That’s what led me to my first big mural job. A friend of mine, Parker Mayes, helped me land this first job out of college for a great local nonprofit called Shop Local Raleigh. Again, I was very fortunate to partner with such a great organization.
After I graduated, I started full time at Raleigh Founded as the community coordinator, which eventually led to me becoming the event manager. I’ve now been at Founded for two years and have continued to moonlight as a muralist ever since. In these past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of completing projects for a local food truck, a local daycare, and a piece in honor of Hailey Brooks, while also supporting the local entrepreneurial ecosystem through events and community engagement.
I think being surrounded by entrepreneurs has allowed me to appreciate the process of my journey more than the outcome. There’s a certain culture in the startup world that embodies passion, purpose, and resilience and that is extremely inspiring to me. I love my craft more than anything, but what I’m truly grateful for is that being both an artist and an entrepreneur has allowed me to meet so many incredible people that have impacted me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Hmm, there have definitely been struggles! The first ones that come to mind are more minor, like sacrificing sleep or a social life because I was taking on so much. Like I said, I’ve always had a hustle mentality, which can easily lead to burnout if you’re not careful. As an artist, one of the hardest challenges has been the internal battle between having a deep desire to share my work while also feeling extremely vulnerable doing so. It’s been a journey of learning not to attach my self-worth to how others experience my work, while also balancing the business side of me that wants to make sure every client is happy with the final product. From what I’ve heard, this is a pretty common experience for many creatives who make a living from their work.
One of the biggest struggles of my career happened during a project for a food truck. I had spent weeks prepping the truck for painting and eventually applied two top coats, only for them to peel right off with some painters tape. Weeks of work disappeared in a moment. I ended up having to completely restart the project, with the help of my now partner, who worked alongside me sanding the truck by hand and reapplying etching primer so the paint would actually adhere. It was a hard earned lesson that taught me how important it is to research the proper way to do something, because it will save you both time and your reputation in the long run.
That experience is actually what sparked my idea for an AI tool that helps artists calculate mural materials and estimate timelines for projects. Essentially, it’s a project management tool for artists who don’t like math- which, honestly, is most artists. The tool isn’t fully fleshed out, but I use it for my own jobs and I’m curious to see where it could go in the future.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’d say I specialize in painting, and my style right now leans toward a mix of realism, abstract, and illustrative. I plan to keep experimenting with different styles as I continue to grow creatively. Lately, I’ve been really drawn to vibrant color palettes, and I’ve always been captivated by hands, the female figure, and plants and flowers so I’ve been combining those elements into my personal pieces.
For clients, I’d say my specialty is fine line work. I love doing detailed logos or mascots on shoes and incorporating that same precise line work into my murals. My goal is for people to look at a pair of my custom shoes and say, “Wait, that’s not printed?”
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something people might not know is that I have a passion for writing and for learning. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me. I was actually convinced I’d publish a book back in second grade. Who knows, maybe one day that will eventually happen.
I also love listening to podcasts, audiobooks, or reading whenever I can. I’m especially drawn to philosophy, spirituality, and personal growth, really anything that helps deepen or challenge my perspective.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @dearrbelladesigns
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabella-dearr-95078122b/
