Meet Tyra Vassallo | Artist & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Tyra, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When we’ve been doing what we love from the heart for so long, eventually it calls to us to share it with the world.

The arts have always been an integral part of my life. From childhood to adolescence, into college and across all the cities I’ve made my home, fine art and languages have always fueled my inner fire.

Led by a passion for authentically connecting with myself and others and having a positive impact on the world, art and languages naturally became the perfect “mediums”.

Having always been a free-spirited entrepreneur, ready for the next adventure whenever the opportunity calls, what I love just found its way to becoming one flourishing business after another.

“Colorful Libra” was bound to be born.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
How did Colorful Libra come to be?

Colorful Libra came to light out of a very tough time in my life.

After a personal health crisis left me at a loss for myself, I turned to the one thing I knew that had always brought me peace and healing. My art, once again, was my saving grace.

I found that my physical and mental states were best when I was doing art or surrounded by it. I would spend more time at the Sawdust Art Festival, where our friends and local artists in Laguna Beach spent their spring, summer and winter seasons featuring their art. And as I created more and more art for my own mental healing, I found myself applying to become a Sawdust Artist myself and getting accepted to the Summer 2022 season!

While my first business (MULTILINGO PLUS / MLPCOM: a communication agency fulfilling my love for languages) had finally started running itself, I found myself building business number two, this time feeding my love for art.

What is the “Colorful Libra” Brand?

As with art, I am passionate about astrology. My sun is in Libra, and while the sun is only a fraction of the astrological self, it is an important part of who we are. Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of love, harmony, esthetics, beauty, balance, empathy, compassion, peace, fairness and openness. The arts are at home in Libra.

It is my hope that my art will inspire and empower people to discover and express their emotions with courage, to experience and spread healing compassion to themselves and others and to find beauty and love in all the colors of life.

I hope that it reminds us all to embrace the artist within and to (re)discover our higher self.

What does Colorful Libra bring to the world?

Colorful Libra is dedicated to supporting mental health and inspiring people to use art as a healing medium. “Healing Art with Colorful Libra” are complimentary classes offered at the Sawdust Art Festival in July and August this summer, and more mental health support initiatives are to come in 2023!

What is the Colorful Libra process and how can people use it at home to support their mental healing efforts?

The Colorful Libra process is simple and based on the therapeutic nature of art — it’s like meditating:

1. Create a safe space for your sacred time with creativity. You might want to put on your favorite music and comfortable wear.

3. Breathe in consciously & take note of how you feel without any judgement.

3. Choose whatever medium and color you feel drawn to in the moment.

4. Simply connect the medium to the surface.

5. Just move. Start moving it in any direction that feels good to you. You don’t need to plan or know what you’re going to create. Turn to your intuition and allow yourself to be entranced. You may sense a certain flow or direction in your arms and body movements. Just go with it and let go of any expectations of a final result. It can be completely messy or super neat. It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about the “what”, just focus on the “flow” of your hands, your body, the feeling of the paint, the brush, the pencil, the surface, or whatever medium you’re using.

6. Notice the changes in your breathing & in your feelings. You might find that your breathing out a sigh at a certain point. You may feel tears, or you may start singing as you move. Just flow and let go.

7. After you feel complete with your piece for this sitting, walk away from it for a bit and come back later with curiosity. What do you see? What did you learn about yourself? How do you feel now?

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To me, the art scene is the best of Laguna Beach. My favorite art venues are anything around the Festival of the Arts, especially Pageant of the Masters and of course, the Sawdust Art Festival, This is where local art comes to life. From paintings and pottery, to clothing and hand-made jewelry, this festival is sure to have you coming back for more culture, more art, and more drinks!

To me, a perfect day in Laguna might start at Moulin, a local French café for some coffee and treats, then a stroll down Forest Ave towards the beach, an afternoon wine tasting at McClain Cellars, a hop over to Sawdust to mingle and check out this season’s art, then dinner at Oliver’s Osteria.

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?
Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that if it weren’t for the support of family, friends, colleagues and mentors, the road to success would not have been so sure.

I feel so lucky and grateful to have the love of my life, my husband Chris and our furry baby (and real boss) Joujou, whose constant presence at my side and unwavering belief in me has carried me through even the toughest times on this journey. They are my reason for getting up in the morning.

I am just as grateful for the friends and angels along the path that give us the nudge we need to take that leap. I can’t extend enough thanks to my dear friend and marketing guru, Eden Oleson and Trevor LePenske from Trevor LePenske Jewelry, who have helped open the door for Colorful Libra to come into the light for the first time at The Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach. And a big shoutout to my booth partner and fellow new artist, Ed Chang of Rabbit In the Moon Photography for his help with my art photos and for sharing this first season with me!

Website: https://www.colorfullibra.com/

Other: https://sawdustartfestival.org/artists/tyra-vassallo/

Image Credits
Image Credits: Colorful Libra, Rabbit In the Moon Photography, and Eden Oleson