Shelley Lowell

I attribute my success to tenacity and never giving up. Even when a high school teacher told me I'd never make it in advertising because I was 'too sweet,' I had the nerve to say 'that's what I want to do' and I did it anyway. I think the most important thing is that I have tenacity - I just don't give up. That's been critical throughout my entire career, whether I was breaking into advertising as a woman, creating controversial feminist art that people weren't ready for, or building a respected design practice. My father wanted me to be a teacher and didn't want me to go into advertising, but I did it anyway, and he ended up being thrilled because I never got fired while teachers were getting let go left and right. I've always done what I wanted to do regardless of what other people told me, and I think that persistence and refusal to accept other people's limitations on me has been the key to whatever success I've achieved. It's important for everyone, male or female - you just can't give up.

The best advice Shelley lives by is to follow your own path, even when others say you cannot. Early in life, even a high school teacher told her she would not succeed in advertising, but she refused to accept those limitations. That experience taught her to trust her instincts and let her work speak louder than doubt.

You've got to do what you want to do, regardless of what other people tell you, because you're the one who's doing it. Never be forced or told 'don't do that' or 'if you're a woman, don't do that.' Don't let other people try to sway you away from your purpose. Follow your dreams and don't give up because somebody else said you can't do it - because you can. When I started in advertising, it was definitely a challenge as a woman, and a high school teacher even told me I'd never make it because I was too sweet. But I had more nerve than she thought, and I did it anyway. I think it may be a little easier now because the industry is more open to both sexes, but my advice remains the same: do your purpose, follow your dreams, and don't let anyone tell you what you're capable of. I was very lucky that even though my father wanted me to be a teacher and didn't want me to go into advertising, I did it anyway - and he ended up thrilled that I stayed in it because I never got fired while teachers were getting let go. So whatever you want to do, don't let other people's doubts or limitations stop you.

One of the biggest challenges is preserving true human creativity in a world increasingly driven by automation and AI. While technology can support production, Shelley believes it can never replace genuine innovation, emotional intelligence, or artistic vision. The greatest opportunity lies in artists who remain authentic and use their work to create meaningful human connection and lasting cultural impact.

The most important value to me is that my work serves humanity rather than my own ego or financial gain. I don't have an ego attached to my work - I always say that my current body of work, 'Inside the World of Gaea,' was co-created by me and the universal energy who gave it to me. I'm just the vehicle. This work is not about me or personal recognition - I was given this to share it with humanity, not to sell it and try to hang paintings over people's sofas. Even my early work in the 1970s was mainly statements to wake up humanity, though it was much more in-your-face back then. Now I work in a much kinder, gentler way, but the purpose is the same. I want to donate this work and get it into a place where people can see it and learn something from it. It's for humanity, it's not for me. I'm not interested in the recognition - I'm interested in getting the work into a place where it can serve its greater purpose. That's what drives everything I do.