Check Out Haley Hoover’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Hoover.

Hi Haley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am from a very small, rural town in Southwest Oklahoma. In a town of less than 4000, everyone knows one another intimately, or so it seems. It is through growing up, living, and working in this environment that I learned the true depth of character and why it matters.

When you see the same people at work, at church, and in the grocery store, you get to know the integrity of people. As a business owner, this has shaped so much of how I treat my clients and colleagues. For one thing, the golden rule is still golden — it’s beyond important to treat others as we would like to be treated. It’s also important to remember that our clients and colleagues are human beings, just like us. When we think of each other as fellow humans sharing the planet, we tend to operate out of a much higher sense of awareness, kindness, and understanding.

I always felt like she was a bright color in a tan landscape. From age 18, I began blogging about authenticity and finding one’s own identity, beyond the masks and titles that society gives us. A year later, I began doing Julia Cameron’s work: The Artist’s Way, and by doing so somehow stumbled into my purpose of helping others become their best selves through art and writing.

Since then, I have gone on to found The Sparkling Hippie, LLC. and its sister brand, The Sparkling Hippie Publishing Company, which helps entrepreneurs self-publish their books on Amazon.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Growing up in a rural farming community isn’t always the most supportive place for abstract artists. To be fair there were always a few cheerleaders around me, which is partly how I’ve become who I am today. But the majority of folks there are only interested in art that matches their way of life and their surroundings.

Western landscapes in shades of tan, khaki, off-white, and eggshell. To be clear – this has never been my style of art. I use glitter, bold, bright colors, and lots of busy patterns and fluid shapes. White, and shades of tan are used quite sparingly. I have painted farm scenes and farm animals, but only in bold, unnatural colors with lots of drips and drops and splatters of gold and glitter.

When I was fresh out of college, I had a newfound confidence in my artwork. I was encouraged to set up a booth at the county fair, so I did. I proudly displayed all of my wild abstracts on pallet boards (a great attempt to fit into the crowd and the scene). People came and browsed and smiled politely. I believe I made a few sales to some children (who are never afraid of loud splashy colors) but overall people would look around, and then keep walking.

For whatever reason, I will never forget a comment from an older man. He had on a cowboy hat and boots, like most folks. He looked at my art thoughtfully. I wondered if he may be interested. My heart skipped a beat for a second. After a time he looked at me and asked, “Do you ever just paint horses?” I burst out laughing. It was often ironic to me how misunderstood my wild art was in this khaki atmosphere.

I told him I’d gladly paint him a pink and purple horse.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an Intuitive Artist and Corporate Workshop host, my work is a refreshing mix of intuition, art, and personal development — I believe I am here to help corporate employees find and own their full authentic selves.

I believe that we live in a society and a culture that oftentimes praises us for being fake. we’re constantly scrambling to the top of a proverbial ladder, trying to prove ourselves, itching for more success, more money, more recognition, but my life’s journey is about dismantling all of that in search of the truth that lies beneath it all. Who are we underneath the role of our job title? Who are we underneath the masks that we do to keep ourselves safe? Who are we underneath the success, and glory, the shame, and the guilt? Who are we underneath it all?

I believe that that is our true authentic self. The authentic self is a reflection of the soul. To get in contact with the soul we must slow down, move into our bodies, and become more aware of the emotional-intuitive side of the brain. These subconscious messages most naturally come up when we are free-flowing to the rhythm of intuitive art-making, at least that’s what I have experienced.

All of my workshops, my art coaching experience, and my unique intuitive artworks aim to reveal my authentic self, as well as encourage others to take the same journey. The exploration of self, authenticity, and true awareness is a journey. This is the meaning of the journey of life. Many elements of my work focus on themes such as going with the flow, surrendering, trusting the inner self, and letting go of control.

I believe that if we all dropped our masks, our striving, and our shame, we would be sparkling, intuitive, authentic, and creative beings. When the world is full of people like that, war and violence can’t help but cease. We become a love-centric society, whose only goal is encouraging and supporting one another on the never-ending journey toward deeper truth and inner alignment.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think more and more we are going to be pushed into the opportunity to thrive using our intuitive and creative gifts.

The more disconnected and fearful the world gets, the more opportunity we have to lean into our raw, humanness.

This is as simple as taking a few heart-centered breaths in the middle of the day. When we connect to our deeper selves we connect to our divinity, and that is where the empowerment lies.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thesparklinghippie.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesparklinghippie
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/thesparklinghippie
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haley-hoover-9b7858151/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sparklinghippie
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqg5BUFuSD_GgtAUmgOky9A
• Other: https://anchor.fm/the-sparkling-hippie-podcast