We recently connected with Carolyn Campbell and have shared our conversation below.
Carolyn, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My parents. I was born with a curious nature as well as a tenacity! My parents were Depression Era people and persevered through many struggles growing up as well as through WW2. I believe their perseverance and ability to embrace life made a big impact on me. It wasn’t through words, but rather their actions and how they lived that I acquired this trait.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
When I retired, I was able to focus on art more. I always played with arts and crafts but didn’t have the time to really devote to my artistic itches. I paint with both acrylic and alcohol ink, which has been my primary focus since 2020. I love this medium! It is fluid, vibrant and surprising due to its chemical composition. I paint a lot of florals and landscapes. I want to learn new techniques that I have not mastered yet as well as paint larger pieces which can be challenging with such a fluid medium. I love working with all black ink because of all the colors that emerge from it when you manipulate it with isopropyl alcohol and air. My business is Creations by Carolyn. I sell my work through my website, at art shows, and in a local co-op gallery. I also teach Alcohol Ink classes and love seeing people’s delight at creating with this medium.
Additionally, I am the Art Director for a summer camp for children with cancer who are treated at Children’s Health in Dallas and Plano, TX. I LOVE this opportunity! Seeing kids who are going through so much express themselves through art and to learn new ways of creating is such as privilege. I am also President of the Bridewell Foundation that funds camp – children and their families do not pay for camp.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Leadership
Process development
ART!
Learn from others no matter what your discipline and explore on your own. Be patient. In any endeavor it takes time, practice, and the willingness to learn from mistakes to excel. Be disciplined. You will not become a master at anything if you aren’t.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Time to create! Having a small business is great, but it does require time and energy that takes me away from creating. Additionally, my role with the summer camp I mentioned takes a lot of time. Many days I don’t have time to be in my studio and that is frustrating for me. I tend to make it a lower priority than other things in my life. Ironically, I believe this is because it is how I most want to spend my time! As such, it is a “treat” and I am a “do your homework first” kind of girl – delaying pleasure until I have taken care of my responsibilities. I need to structure my day more with time blocked off on my calendar to be in the studio as well as to adopt the attitude that creating is a high priority that deserves to come first more often.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.creations-by-carolyn.com
- Instagram: creationsby.carolyn
- Facebook: Creations by Carolyn
- Linkedin: Carolyn Campbell
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