Fox Discollins Hall

If you choose something that you love and that you are passionate about, you will do it well. From there the sky can be the limit.

 

Discollins is a contemporary artist. He is better known in the world of art simply as Discollins.

He was born in the island country of Jamaica. He was adopted as a young child. His adoptive parents moved the family to Europe and then to Canada. It was a tumultuous life with his adoptive parents.  Discollins was sent to a Canadian boy’s school until the age of seventeen.

At age 17 Discollins was dedicated to the practice of martial arts. He attended a competition in the U.S. sponsored by Chuck Norris. After the competition, he returned to Canada but decided to focus on a move to Los Angeles to follow his dream. All his hard work in martial arts training paid off in a big way for Discollins when he made his way back to the U.S. He was hired to work as a top model with prestigious brands names, and for celebrity video cameos. His modeling career provided an excellent income. The income equaled freedom to Discollins. He was free to pursue a passion he had longed for his entire life.

Discollins’ passion is with painting.  He shares his art around the world. He has a love of working with his hands.  As a result, he has handcrafted one of a kind furniture.  He demonstrates his unique artist designs. He is a creator of art when he is working with his hands. It does not matter what materials he uses. He has a vision in his head and it comes to life on the canvas or a piece of wood. The closer he comes to completing a piece of art, the happier he becomes.

Another passion Discollins has is traveling. He has been to many countries, such as Europe, Asia, and Africa. He loves great food. He enjoys experiencing different cultures and learning their history. He exposes his self to the daily routines of each culture to understand the way other cultures do things. It makes him understand people much better. He believes that everyone who has the opportunity to travel should embrace it and just “do it”.  People would learn so much about different cultures. He believes the world would be a far better place if people saw how others live and what makes them tick. You should see what makes them happy and all the different flavors of food.  Travel truly enriches one’s life.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

As a child, I loved to draw and I loved to paint. I would draw pictures of the sun or the moon and the stars. When I was in my teens a dear friend gave me a book of art by Modeo Modigliani. He is an Italian Painter who grew-up in France. He was an amazing artist. I loved his brush strokes and his characters. He became my favorite painter. He inspired me to paint more and more. That is really when I began painting my own creations.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I love to work out. I maintain my body in good shape. When I wake up each morning, I have a healthy big breakfast. I either go to the gym or I go directly into my studio. If I go to the gym first, I have to pick up lunch on the way to my studio or I end up not eating for the day. I want to paint without having to go anywhere. I can get lost in the zone, once that happens, I just keep on going.  As the picture I’m creating starts coming to life, I get more excited. I want to see the end result so I don’t want to go anywhere until it is completed. By that time, I didn’t eat all day. That happens to me quite often. I sometimes make up for it the next day. I love good food. I eat healthy.

How do you bring ideas to life?

My ideas can come from anything. Sometimes it is the shape of an object or the curves a person that inspires you. It could be the way someone sits or the way that someone stands could be a great painting. I get inspired by those things. I remember those things and when I get home, I draw it on a canvas and come up with a color scheme that would be what I have in my head. For example, if I see something that is green and I think, what if I keep that same shape and put it with six different colors and make it come to life.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I am a very low key very basic person. I am not one who really follows trends as they come and go. I think sports would be the thing that kept me away from all the bad things growing up. I enjoy my alone time. I listen to classical music and I am taken to a different level or a different place when I am painting and I am alone. I like people, but I am not a lonely person.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I think for me, painting is my habit and, I love it. I must continue doing it repeatedly.  I do it with a passion. Do it with love. I try to get it right the first time. It keeps you focused and it keeps doing things the right way. Do it with all you have got.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to pick something that you love and that you are passionate about and bring it to life. Make it be a part of your life.  If you choose something that you love and that you are passionate about, you will do it well. From there the sky can be the limit.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I believe in reincarnation. I believe if we are good people we come back. I believe if you are not a good person, you will not get to come back. I believe a lot of us have been here before and we are back now. My friends do not agree with me.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I would say to be kind to everyone. Treat everyone the same. I know selling paintings is a business, but it doesn’t feel like it. I don’t judge people. In fact, the first hundred thousand I got was from a person who purchased four of my paintings. To look at him, you would never have thought he would have made a purchase. Had I treated him any differently, perhaps he would not have.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

My strategy to grow my business is to keep creating good paintings. I believe word of mouth is the best way for people to find you. It is an incredible thing.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I am still working on some of those. I believe in treating people with kindness. I believe in treating people the same. But I also believe I should be a better “people person.” I don’t hold back when I have something to say, and I don’t play games, and I don’t compromise. For example, some people are able to laugh at a joke that is not funny. I never learned how to do that.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I use to watch Anthony Bourdain who did No Reservations on the travel channel. He traveled the world as a connoisseur of many foods. I believe someone should create the same idea but to have a connoisseur of great art. The connoisseur will tour the world meeting artists and painters of all different kinds. I think it would be great to put that together as an art piece. There are so many great unknown artists in the world. Someone should bring that to Life. I would personally thank whoever does it first.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

In my world, we discover many different tools for painting. It could be colors or different media. I found this a unique place where people can mix the right paint colors for you. The best money I ever spent was to have the paint made. It made my life so much easier. It is something that I have been looking for forever! I finally found it. It is amazing to me.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

My computer with photoshop can help me to make colors more vibrant. It helps me with discollins.com I can create some of my own colors and kind of bring them to life. It can help me transfer copies of my paintings properly to discollins.com. However, my preference is to mix my colors on canvas.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Becoming by Michele Obama. I related to her.

What is your favorite quote?

Be realistic, Demand the impossible. by Sye Rivera

Key Learnings:

• I would say to be kind to everyone.
• Treat everyone the equally
• Pick something that you love and that you are passionate about and bring it to life.

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