Meet Brooke Bohn | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brooke Bohn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was stuck in a very toxic workplace and wanted a way out that I had control over. I was tired of the same routine of finding a job and it turning sour because of people not understanding my neurodivergency (which was a huge realization in the summer of 2022 when I was diagnosed with ADHD). I always wanted to be an artist since I was a child, but tossed it away after dropping out of Emily Carr years ago and moving home due to my poor mental state. I realized how expensive life is and turned away from a creative career out of fear that it wouldn’t work out.

I realized this last year that I can make things work for myself if I actually tried. About a year ago I decided to take a huge leap of faith and open up my own shop, make prints, sell stickers, and figure out who I am as a creative person. I stopped doing realism (I still do it when people request commissions) and wanted to discover my own style. As I experimented, I also began to realize that working for a system that I didn’t believe in would result in a lot of unhappiness, which was already beginning to happen. So, I quit my part time retail job and started doing illustration full time. I told capitalism to screw off and expressed it through my social media platforms, which allowed me to find other creatives and creative supporters in my city. I have an awesome boss at a local skincare boutique called The Potion Bar, who hired me because I was open about my art, business goals, and that I wanted to be a creative human and not a screw in a broken society that believes in profits over health.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started off doing pet commissions through my dog’s instagram. His name is Jasper and we were @yqrjasper on instagram. I was new to digital art and was having a lot of fun. I stopped doing art for years at this point, but the support I received was amazing and I loved drawing everyone’s dogs! I made my own separate account called YQR Portraits and only did digital commissions. I did this for about 4 years before burning out and taking another break from art. I still did commissions occasionally, usually when money was tight, and I was really good at it. I don’t know exactly what happened or what changed inside me, but I decided to move away from that and begun my true creative journey that followed my love and admiration for all kinds of animals – wildlife, domestic, marine life, etc.

I also started painting traditionally again and sold them for a decent price that really surprised me. I believe that the pandemic lockdowns really helped my creative vision. I was on CERB (shoutout to Canada) for months and did nothing but paint with my friend Travis on the weekends. I was an art machine, but once again, burnt out when I had to go back to a toxic retail environment that sucked the creative juices out of me. I ended up combating it with my drive to succeed as a creative and put it on the back burner. It was really hard – I was juggling an internal battle of undiagnosed ADHD, a lot of school work, and dealing with customers and co-workers that stressed me out on the daily.

I ended up putting all that behind me and I’m a lot happier today after quitting that job, becoming a part time student (I’m one class away from being done university), and finding a part time job where I’m valued as a creative and person. I changed my business name to something that identifies who I am – a lover of nature. Mushbeast is a combination of two words – mushroom and beast – which also happen to be the two things I draw the most of.

One way that I love to show my artwork is by making people aware of wildlife conservation and species that are not talked about. I have a print that is focused on animals that are no longer in Saskatchewan or at risk. It becomes a conversation piece that shows a connection to how capitalism is taking away natural habitats and removing animals that are meant to be part of the ecosystem. I also like to showcase eco-friendly lifestyles through my drawings (like my vegetarian stickers). I don’t draw things for the sake of creating, I draw them to show how much I care about a world that we aren’t always aware of, but our way of life can have huge impacts on how the natural world functions. We are also reliant on nature, more than we’d like to admit.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Regina is an interesting city that has a really bad reputation across Canada (which I sadly agree with). I’m also a bit of a hermit and like to keep to myself, but there are a few gems in this city that I am very fond of.

I would take them to Wann Izakaya. They have the best ramen in the city and I go there every year for my birthday with my partner. There’s nothing better than delicious and warm soup in a breezy October.

Pause Coffee is a subscription coffee service local to Regina. They don’t have a storefront at the moment, but Alayne and Jason are wonderful people who have delicious coffee and amazing tools. They contribute to the community regularly. There are a lot of pop-up locations in this city, so checking out local social media accounts is one of the best ways to find places to hang out.

My workplace, The Potion Bar, is one of them. We had a Halloween Party in October with pop-ups by myself, Pause Coffee, and a local tarot card reader. We have a space to relax, do your nails, and mix custom lip glosses. It’s always a wonderful night when we’re open late with a bunch of local people in a lovely storefront! The Potion Bar is located in Cathedral, which is my favourite neighbourhood in Regina.

Happy Hi, which is a block away from The Potion Bar, is a cozy coffee and bakery shop with two wonderful human beings. Their mini garlic loaf is to die for and can cure anyone’s depression. They also make delicious drinks and make a traditional matcha!

We have a wildlife bird sanctuary that my partner took me to and I fell in love. They have old geese that have salt and pepper feathers that are so kind and just want some yummy bird seeds. I saw my first cedar waxwings up close too! I had no idea they were so tiny. The place is also covered in ducklings and tons of homes for birds. I had no idea this existed until last year, so I highly recommend it. Regina has a lot of cool spots for wildlife due to natural parks, so taking a stroll in those areas is always a good time too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my friends in my art discord server who’ve supported my journey since the beginning, my boss at The Potion Bar who allows me to be myself with no shame, and for all of those who’ve stuck around through the turbulent journey we call life. The largest shoutout goes to my partner, Joel, who has stuck with me longer than anyone else.

Website: www.mushbeast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mushbeastillust/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mushbeastillust

Other: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mushbeast