We were lucky to catch up with Karlene Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Karlene, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I had been told from the time I was about eleven or twelve that I had a talent for writing. I never believed in myself enough to honestly pursue it though. I still wrote, but mostly for myself and for a forum where I did online gaming. It wasn’t until someone reached out to ask if I would write something for them that I thought about actually publishing anything. I was surprised at the reaction and the number of people that wanted “the next” book! And then having one of my short stories published in an anthology that was nominated for an award was equally surprising! I do wish I’d been brave enough to try sooner.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For my writing, I’ve always written. I just finally decided to do something about it! For the tabletop miniatures my husband and I paint, that started accidentally. I had painted porcelain dolls, ceramic figures, and done pencil drawings before, but there was something cathartic about painting these little figures while I was working on my Master’s degree. 20 minutes a day of creative release before getting back into research. However, when I finished the degree, I had a stockpile of miniatures!

I joked with my husband about opening a shop to sell them. And since most “adventurers” in tabletop gaming seem to meet at an inn to start their travels, I decided HireAnAdventurer would be a great name. He took it seriously and came up with a logo for me, built me display stands and everything. Next thing I knew, he was right there with me, painting even more miniatures. We went from just the online store to doing local craft shows, then to doing Comic Con events. We now sell our books, our miniatures, some leather work he does, and amigurumi I crotchet. I also present sessions at the conventions on the writing process, and I go out into high school classes and libraries to talk about either my books or how to get into the writing field and things they’ll need to consider such as accounting, social media, and more.

The thing that sets us apart is that our miniatures are table ready. That means we aren’t looking to do award winning, only set it on the shelf to display it paint jobs – we create pieces that may have a flaw or two. Pieces that are meant to be played with. And they come with a price point that keeps them affordable for most players that want finished pieces but don’t know or don’t want to know how to paint.

Something we’re both very proud of is that people are looking for us at events. We recently attended one just to see if it was something we’d want to vend at next year, and numerous people approached us to ask where our booth was! We’re also asked to do commissions for folks on a regular basis!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I was raised to be humble, never brag, not talk about myself. Learning to get past that and be able to “sell” my books and be excited about them has been a difficult journey. While I love what I’ve written, it’s still hard to want to “brag” about them and tell people they would love to read it.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Creating is a healing process, almost meditative for me. Being able to let go of every day worries and focus in on what a character is doing or best describing a scene, or picking just the right colors for a miniature, or the act of repetitive hand motions while counting crotchet stitches… brings me into the moment and lets me just BE and to breathe. Writing also allows me to work through concerns and issues I’m facing – many of those scenes never even get published!

The second most rewarding part is hearing from people that they loved something I created. I have a few customers that are always excited to see what new writing I’ve done. There’s even one person who “adopted” a bunny I crotcheted – every so often the bunny is brought by a booth I’m working so I can get an update on the adventures. It’s even inspired that person to write stories about their bunny!

Third best thing would be sharing what I do with others through presenting. I love seeing others get excited to find that yes, they CAN do this! They can write and paint and crotchet – and that it’s okay not to be perfect!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karleneturaclark.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karleneturaclark/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karlene.t.clark
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlene-tura-clark/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarleneTClark
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HireAnAdventurer