Eventually, her career and art style took a crucial turn after she traveled through some of the poorest countries in the world. Now, her Bollis serve as the medium of her message of love, peace, and positivity. 

The central message of her artworks has three key concepts: eyes, lies, and surprise. 

According to the Polish artist, this means that we should open our eyes, don’t believe lies, and be ready for surprises as things are not always what they seem. 

“I want people to look around. We seem to have lost sight of what’s important in life. Having a big house, nice car, clothes, jewelry. Consumerism generally, it’s an addiction. A habit that’s hard to break. An obsession with possession. You get one life. I want to say that it’s about each other, noticing more than just the immediate environment–it’s about love and support. When you die, it won’t matter what possessions you had during your lifetime, it’s the impact you have on the lives of other people who will keep living on within them,” she explained. 

An Interest in Eyes 

People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. This is one reason why Bolli Blas has a long interest in the eyes and why it eventually became emphasized in her artworks. 

“The eyes are the medium through which we experience everything that is visually beautiful. The pupils in the eyes can either dilate or contract to the size of a pinhead. When dilated, they seem to be absorbing every little detail of the world around them. Like black holes, attracting everything within their orbit with an irresistible gravitational pull. Also, the use of black enhances the brightness of the other colors. I like to use vibrant colors in my work and the wide-eyed Bollis hopefully enhance the other detail and colors in the picture,” she said. 

Where She Got Her Love for Painting 

Although having established her art style after quitting her corporate job and traveling around the world, Bolli Blas has always loved painting ever since she was young. 

“My parents taught me how to hold a brush and encouraged me to create. My Dad was really good at making things and always involved me in his projects. Every time I painted something new, he used to frame it and display it right in the living room,” she recalled. 

The Polish artist added that she has also tried other art forms of expressing herself in the past, including singing and writing. Unfortunately, she didn’t perform too well at either. This then solidified her position as a painter. 

“I love the colors and the ritual of painting which is very therapeutic for me. I can spend hours painting and it gives me the feeling of being in the present, a feeling of happiness,” Bolli Blas said.

Learn more about Bolli Blas through her Instagram account. 

The post Artist Bolli Blas Talks About The Central Message Behind Her Bollis’ Eye appeared first on CEO Medium.

As an artist, her work includes acting, stunts, musicals, and voice-overs all across the globe. As a dancer, her talents put her front and center with artists like Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lou Bega, and New Kids On The Block on their world tours and award shows.

At the age of 17, Jul moved to Amsterdam and studied at The Theater School, now known as The Academy of Theatre and Dance, then went on to dance in Germany and Europe as a musical theatre performer and a dancer for several European artists. 

A decade ago her expansive talent led her to Los Angeles to continue exploring her craft. She’s continued to tour the world as a performer while also lending her talents as an actor on TV shows and films. 

Not one to be outdone, her latest role is also behind the camera as a writer and producer for multiple projects; several of which are currently being developed. 

Her female-driven Western short film BURY ME NOT is currently circling multiple film festivals. It had its World Premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival and screened this year at LA Shorts, Newport Beach Film Festival, HollyShorts, and Nightmares Film Festival. 

Jul aspires to inspire with her voice as a writer and filmmaker by creating from the heart while empowering women by telling their side of the story, however complex and layered those stories may be. She is drawn to dark and edgy stories that explore empathy and compassion. Together with one of her writing partners she wrote a dark psychological thriller – CHRYSALIS this year that she is currently crowdfunding.

Tell us about who you are and what you do.

Hi, My name is Jul Kohler and I’m a former professional dancer turned actress and filmmaker. More specifically I love creating, writing, and producing my content: TV shows, short films, and movies. Naturally, I’m drawn to dark and edgy stories. I like to dig deeper to find out what lies beneath the surface, exploring the darkness within us. I was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, and moved to the states to fulfill my dream as an entertainer in 2007. I am trilingual in German, Dutch, and English. I also love animals and have two big dogs. A German Shepherd named Rusty and a Husky Shepherd mix named Stella. 

Tell us how you created this brand and what was the sole idea behind it.

My inspiration came from actresses like Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman. I grew up with their movies and was surrounded by strong women, like my mom and 5 Aunt’s, that grew up in the post-war era of World War Two. In my childhood, I never saw those tough women that I grew up on the screen in contemporary shows or movies. And I always wanted to know how did they become so tough but yet are so loving? I wanted to watch movies and shows about them, Of course, it has now changed in the industry, but I believe we can still dig deeper and even tell stories about what women went through women during World War Two.

What I’m currently working on:

–  A limited World War Two series that is based on a true story, and is currently being passed around in Hollywood. 

– An occult tale of supernatural horror: A Limited series about witches in Germany

– A dark action series, about a female Grim Reaper.

– A psychological Thriller that my writing partner Karola Raimond and I are currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo:

www.indiegogo.com/projects/chrysalis–13/x/25389865#

What is your giveaway idea through this interview?

 Create your content! Whatever it is just do it. Yes, you can! Stop overthinking. Whatever it is make a schedule and promise yourself to get at least one thing done a day. One page, one email, etc. And celebrate your successes even if they’re small.

Explain the challenges you went through while you were working on brand creation. What are the challenges you go through on an everyday basis?

The tenacity to keep going, to keep believing in myself, and to trust my gut and my passion. Also even when I think: Well this is a bunch of shit I wrote, nothing is ever perfect and through reaching out for help, you might find that others like it or give amazing notes that help you to move forward. For the people that like to overwork themselves like me: Listen to your body when it needs rest. When you’re overworked nothing good will come of it. It’s okay to rest! Sometimes a break is all you need to find where you are stuck, and I meditate daily. That’s when I download stories and ideas that come to me.

How do you manage your finances through the services you offer. Any fundings etc received?

I did successfully crowdfund my female-driven Western Thriller BURY ME NOT and am currently crowdfunding my psychological Thriller CHRYSALIS. Otherwise, I’ve been very lucky this year with many Voice Over jobs, and I booked a pilot for 4 weeks. 

Tell us your future vision about the brand. How far do you want to take it? What is your dream about taking it to the next level?

My dream is to find a home for my shows and movies, together with a team that is just as passionate as me, and share them with the world to inspire others. I want to learn how to become a showrunner for my shows. I would love to find a female mentor that can guide me and share her wisdom. 

What message would you like to give to anybody who has a plan of creating something of their own and making a living through it?

-GO FOR IT!!! Just do it. I think we often overthink things and want perfection. Well, perfection doesn’t exist! 

-Ask for help. You’ll be surprised at how many people want to help you. But if you don’t ask you’ll never know. 

-Take it one step a day. Don’t overwhelm yourself. One page a day, one task a day, you’ll be surprised what can happen within a month. 

For more information visit: www.julkohler.com

The post Inspiring Backstory of International Filmmaker, Actress, & Storyteller Jul Kohler appeared first on CEO Medium.

What is your entrepreneur story? How did you come about building your business?

My family and I are from Hawaii. It’s where I met my husband, got married, had our children, and it’s what gave me my life. The aloha spirit is what guides me and my family, even now after moving off-island. My art career was born from this aloha spirit and started after a hospitalization. 2 years ago I spent a week in the ICU due to complications from Lyme disease and started painting as a form of therapy. I was in chronic daily pain and spent most of my day in bed. The more I painted, the better I felt, and the more I was able to get out of bed. I sold my first piece a month later, and from there never stopped. I posted my work online, shared my story, my heart, and shared my connection with Hawaii through my art. All of my work is based on our Hawaii home, and it’s my greatest hope that my art is not just beautiful but an inspiration.

In terms of building my business, I feel like my story is somewhat unique. I never intended for this to be a business, and instead viewed it as rehab. I was a stay at home mom with no professional art background, so a career wasn’t something I was looking for, but instead was something that found me.

Social media was how my business grew, however, it was all organic. I simply shared my work and people responded. I talked to my clients, I answered questions, I posted videos of the process and it simply grew. The more work I did, the better I felt, and the more my Instagram grew.

I sell all my work online and grew from 0 to 100,000 followers in the first 16 months, and now 2 years later am at almost 175,000.

The next step in my business though is opening a gallery and studio. My family decided last month to take this business forward and open a gallery and studio in our small town. My husband is a 100% disabled Army veteran, and we hope that this family-run business can be something we run together for years to come.

What is your business model and how were you able to grow so fast?

My business model is simple, treat everyone like they matter, and share love + aloha in everything I do. I truly believe that my art is a metaphor for life and that I’m sharing my life as much as I am my art. When people support me they are doing so for the whole picture, not just a piece of art. I think this same philosophy is also what allowed me to grow so quickly. People resonated with me because I am them. I am the stay at home mom. I am a person fighting chronic illness. I’m a parent of 5 young children. A lot of people saw aspects of themselves in what I”m doing, and I think they connected with that. You will never grow in any business if what you are doing isn’t real, and I hope that everything I do, and everything you see from me is real. And if that translates into growth, that’s great — but that was never the purpose of this.

Can you give me an overview of who you are, what is your educational or overall background? What are some of your achievements?

My background is in the culinary world and not the art world. I went to college at the University of Arkansas and graduated with honors with a degree in Hospitality Restaurant management. I, however, worked as a baker and pastry chef during and after college, and my first love was in pastry. I worked in various bakeries doing everything from classic French pastries to cakes, bread, and cupcakes. I have always been creative, but before I got sick I had never painted before.

Outside of this my passion and life were dedicated to my family. I’m a mom to 5 children, ages 13, 11, 5, 5, and 3, and we are a military family. My husband spent 22 years in the active duty army, deploying 5 times, so my life was in support of our family. When Ron retired from the Army we moved out of Hawaii and our new life began.

What have you learned through your experiences as an entrepreneur that can be used by aspiring business individuals?

I think the most important thing to take from business and life is to lead with love. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in, what you are doing, what you are selling, or who you are — -if you aren’t leading with love then you won’t be successful. There is more to life than making a profit, and living and leading with love and integrity is the very best thing you can strive for. I truly believe that if you show love, you will be given it in return — and that is what I have seen from my clients throughout the last 2 years.

What makes your business so unique and successful?

I think what makes me unique and successful is that so many people see themselves in me. Like I mentioned earlier I’m a mom, wife, I live with a chronic illness, chronic pain, and am balancing life just like everyone else. I believe I am real. I think this resonates with people and it inspires them. They think If she can do it with Lyme Disease and 5 kids then I can try it too. I hear from people every single day to tell me that I have inspired them to start painting, or to take up a hobby — and that to be is more valuable than anything. Knowing that I am making a positive impact on someone else’s life is more valuable than any sale.

What have you learned through your journey as an entrepreneur?

One word, time. That you get exactly what you put into it, and without time, you won’t get anything. When I started this as a hobby I put very little time into it. And as it grew into a full-time job, time was what I invested most of. Time away from my kids, my husband, my family. It meant weekends packing and shipping items. Weeknights went from hanging out with my husband, to late-night studio work to get my commissions done. I’ve learned that above all else time is our most precious commodity, and you have to find a balance between what you are willing to give and sacrifice to make your business work.

What skills and attributes make you as successful as you are?

Love and aloha. I sign the back of every piece of mine with “Love+Aloha” because that is truly the heart of what I do, and truly what I think makes me successful. This is a journey for me, and one that is playing out through ocean art. Outside of that, it’s sheer work and determination, and unwillingness to let my body win. I live in a massive amount of chronic pain, and giving my body and brain something to focus on keeps the pain manageable. The brain is a very powerful tool, and I truly believe that working is what has allowed me to keep that in check. There is a fine balance between work and overwork, and it’s something that I have learned the hard way to balance. Ultimately art saved me. Connecting Hawaii and art was the best thing that ever happened to me, and both of those things gave me my life back.

Why is online business, marketing, etc important?

In terms of business, social media and an online presence is the only way to go. my business wouldn’t have been possible without my social media presence. I was fortunate to grow organically, and to now 100% of my sales have come from Instagram. This online growth is what has made it possible for me to reach for the dream of opening an art gallery and studio.

Currently, we are just starting the process of building out an old historic building in Athens AL, where I will be able to work and display my art locally. Outside of this, I’ll also be able to teach classes in person, host exhibitions and other artists, and be a beacon in our local community.

Because this is a small family run business I’m doing a Kickstarter to support this endeavor. It’s an enormous leap of faith to go from working over my garage to a 3000sqft gallery and studio, but I’m so excited for the opportunity.

Is there anything, in particular, you’d like me to add to the articles?

Yes. The main thing I want you to highlight in the article is that I have a Kickstarter going right now that is to fund our art gallery and studio in our home town. I want to be able to bring that Aloha Spirit and that inspiration to people in my town. Being able to teach people in person and encourage others through art is amazing. Also, if you could watch my video and look at the whole Kickstarter page. I want the focus to be supporting me in getting my studio off the ground. I only have 18 days left in the campaign and need to hit my funding goal.

The post “From Bedbound to Opening an Art Gallery: How Ann Upton used Art to Challenge Lyme Disease and Harness Instagram to Open Her Own Art Gallery” appeared first on CEO Medium.