Meet Carrie Cantwell

 

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carrie Cantwell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carrie below.

Hi Carrie, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

It took me years of practice to build up resilience. It didn’t come naturally to me. As an artist, I put my heart and soul into everything I create, so when I first started out, I felt vulnerable and raw, and every criticism hurt, no matter how constructive or well-intentioned it was. After working for years as a professional artist, and going through critiques in art school, I learned that resilience is a muscle you have to build up.

I’ve learned from years of experience that there are multiple paths to the same goal, and if I turn down one road and find it’s not working for me, I just go back to the intersection and try another path. I, like every artist, have faced my fair share of rejection. Experience has taught me to not take it personally, let it roll off my back, and keep going. My art may not be for everyone, but I create directly from my heart, and my people are out there. Those who love my art are dedicated fans, and repeat customers and art licensees.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m an illustrator and surface pattern designer. I license or “rent” my art to companies to put on their products, and it’s been a very rewarding career path for me. My art is fun, bright, cute, often silly, and lighthearted. My artist’s mission is to make people smile, because we need more joy in the world. I’ve recently licensed my art with Target, and that’s something I’m especially proud of. I also license my art with Bed Bath & Beyond, Wayfair and other large companies. I never get tired of seeing my art come to life on real products. It brings me so much joy!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’m notoriously persistent and assertive, which comes from a sense of passion in what I do and dedication to myself as a professional artist. As an art entrepreneur, I know I have to be my own cheerleader and my biggest champion, and I embrace that every day.

My main piece of advice for new artists starting out is – don’t give up on yourself! Show up every day, even if you just do one tiny thing that day towards your artistic goal, those little things add up to big dreams coming true.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m a bubbly extrovert who is creative and always thinking of new and exciting ways for my art to reach more people. I love brainstorming about collaborations with partners, and I can be reached directly at hello@carriecantwell.com. My dream collaboration is to work with an apparel company, and for my patterns to appear on their clothing. I’m a fashion addict, so anything with fashion would be especially fun and rewarding.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Carrie Cantwell

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move