Bari Wieselman Schulman, Founder rethinkreframe
Name: Bari Wieselman Schulman
Founder: rethinkreframe
Who is Bari Wieselman Schulman?
Bari has always been thinking and doing differently — a creative + analytical mashup, bari is an artist + writer obsessed with unique color juxtapositions and fascinated by self-expression and meaning-making through art + style + space. Chicago-born and rooted in madrid, Bari and her husband founded rethinkreframe after a pivotal shift in Bari’s thinking — the realization that her divergent mind was not a vulnerability but a strength. Bari holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and spanish from the University of Rochester and a phd in psychology from the University of Chicago. The artist and her family are currently thinking and doing differently in Chicago (mostly).
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
My company is me :) I'm an intuitive + experimental modern abstract artist with a focus on fine art + art objects. I work with private clients, interior designers, brands, galleries, art advisors, retailers, and those who appreciate, collect, and seek out the bold, the vivid, the colorful, the evocative, the intense, the thought-provoking, the dialogic, the extraordinary...
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
To me, it means diving deep on thinking + doing differently and embracing the idea of doing anything I want to do — thinking + creating + doing — and sharing that philosophy + the output with others.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
Friendship + energy + creating an environment grounded in real + authentic support, exchange of ideas, word-of-mouth + social media, events + networking, modeling for + mentoring my entrepreneurial children...and a million little things woven into my daily life + mindset -- how I talk about women in business, donations, informal mentoring + providing input on ideas, content, strategy...
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I made things official 3 years ago, in spring of 2020, though i'd been moving in that direction for a long time (my entire life, in a way).
I founded rethinkreframe studio after a pivotal shift in my thinking — the realization that my divergent mind (or what i used to call “fragmentation” — mind constantly in motion, thinking differently, diverse interests + skills, sensitivities, intensity, experimentation) was not a vulnerability but a strength. the formalization of my practice as an artist (and my studio as an object in the world) enabled me to articulate an infinitely flexible space in which i could freely create (anything) and share my work with others.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
This is an interesting one as my path has been somewhat unique (not surprisingly!)... there are some very practical skills honed during my time working in the academic + design worlds that are incredibly valuable for running the business side of things, which I think many artists struggle with— writing + communication, branding, pitching, understanding the different pieces of a business + creating a robust consistent vision, translating ideas into action...
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
I do it all :) Today, the secret is doing it — as a perfectionist working in a very visual space with very limited time, I find social media both valuable + painful — so right now, just doing it (daily, with internal consistency, with beautiful photos, with moments of connection) equals success. I always want to do more + do it better but I've learned that sometimes, just doing the thing and doing it consistently can be both impactful and a key building block + catalyst for doing more + better, if one so chooses...
Do you want to share your story and advice with the Dear FoundHer… community? CLICK HERE to submit your information.
Follow us on Instagram @dearfoundher and join our Facebook community for more conversation.
Make sure you tune in to Dear FoundHer… for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
