Alex Mortenson said one night while she and Sierra Cox were talking about homework assignments, she told Cox, “When you do lots of homework, your brain begins to leak out of your ears.” That night, Mortensen said Cox painted a portrait of a person’s brain leaking out of their ears.
Mortensen said she was amazed and responded, “That’s exactly what my brain feels like.”
Cox, a senior majoring in humanities from California, said she posts and sells her artwork through Instagram and Etsy, an online platform for selling handmade goods, @sluggyshug. Doing so allows her to manage her business from the comfort of her handheld device.
She explained she channels her creativity through doodling and painting. “It helps me express myself better than I can in other ways. It’s definitely a hobby that’s good for when I’m stressed because I can relax when I do it. It calms me down,” she shared.
Inspired through studies
Cox said as a humanities major, she has learned about the history of various well-known art styles and artists, which prompted her to ponder how art can have an impact on others. “It made me more interested in how art affects people and how it [is expressed] in different ways for different people in different places.”
In addition, she said she enjoys making things that are different and have not been created before. “I used to draw and doodle on my homework, and I started painting and I really liked it,” Cox explained.
She said she has experimented with linoleum, carving and ceramics in hopes of seeking an appealing style to claim. Through her exploration, Cox said she became interested in an abstract style of art using acrylic paints, which became her favorite medium. She said she enjoys creating her own original artwork instead of illustrating something from real life.
“It’s hard to draw things exactly as they are. I prefer to make something up,” explained Cox, adding she prefers an expressionistic style of art.
Paint and gain
Cox said she began selling her artwork in 2019 to help her pay for more art supplies. She explained she gained inspiration to do so from her friend in California who sold her artwork on Etsy.
From there, Cox said she gained confidence in promoting her work with the support of her friends. “It’s still not huge … but it has definitely grown a lot since I first started.”
She said her business is based out of her home in California and she does not sell her paintings on campus. However, she shared she uses a design app to input and edit her designs onto shirts and stickers, then manages the shipping and handling for her customers.
Cox said she fears pursuing an art career would limit her creativity because she would have to paint for certain audiences and work within a time frame. “I don’t really want [selling my artwork] to become my job because I feel like that would ruin my hobby [because] … I wouldn’t be able to do it when I want to.”
Illustrated friendships
Although her business is based elsewhere, Cox’s reputation as an artist has been noticed at BYU–Hawaii by her friends Abbie Putnam, a senior from Utah majoring in communications, and Mortensen, a sophomore from Utah majoring in hospitality and tourism management.
Mortenson said, “It makes me feel proud of her, that she’s expressing herself in a way that a lot of people can’t and that she’s developing this talent God has given her.”
She explained she learned of Cox’s talent while watching her doodle in her notebook during a devotional, which led to Cox showing her more artwork on her Instagram page.
Cox’s roommate, Putnam, said, “It’s been fun to watch her create art in her free time. … I always like to tell people when I’m introducing her that she’s a talented artist because I think one of the most unique things about her is her artwork. She does a really good job.”
After serving in the Australia Brisbane Mission together, Putnam said she and Cox then became roommates and close friends while attending school together. She shared while visiting her in California, she bought one of her T-shirts that has her illustration of someone pulling a chicken drumstick out of another person’s hair. Putnam said she then wore it during a weight-lifting class, which caught the attention of one of her classmates, who then went on to follow her Instagram page.
Putnam said Cox isn’t afraid to express herself, loves to laugh and is a fun person to be around. Mortenson said Cox’s art style represents her vibrant personality.
Cox said creating and selling her artwork has increased her confidence as an artist. She advised aspiring artists to draw inspiration from other creators with a similar art style and to not be afraid of what anyone thinks. “If you don’t try, you’ll never know,” she said. •
