We were lucky to catch up with Annie Stormant recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie , thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I took a risk last year in April. My husband and I were living outside of Boulder and came to visit Trinidad Colorado. We immediately felt a pull to this small beautiful town- it was intriguing in a way I can’t really put into words. Trinidad is full of untouched historic buildings, nestled beneath Fishers Peak, with the Purgatory river flowing through. West of town, there is a glittering lake with views of the Spanish Peaks. Historically, it’s fascinating. I could go down a real rabbit hole there, but I’ll spare you! Currently, it’s redefining itself after the marijuana boom and multiple other boom-and-bust cycles. We decided to move here after one visit.

I couldn’t understand at the time, but I think the in-between feeling of Trinidad resonates with how I’ve felt inside. I could relate to the town’s story- empathize with the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing where it’s heading, what it wants to be. I was trying to find myself in my art again, and provide us with some tranquility. In my mind, trying it out was worth the risk because what we thought we wanted thus far no longer felt right. I wasn’t sure if this would be a good fit as we were exhausted new business owners, and the thought of leaving a bigger city with all it’s resources was scary. It felt like something we had to explore.

I’m so glad we did. In this past year, I have had the chance to reclaim my life a bit and slow down. Before this lifestyle switch, I spent my time fighting through traffic, lines, chaos, and endless distractions. There’s the immense financial pressure of living in a bigger city that is only continuing to rise, and that takes a toll. As a very sensitive person, the grind mentality would inhibit my ability to relax, let go and create. It was really challenging to carve out time for my art in a balanced way. After taking the risk of leaving what we knew to move here, I have had the chance to reacquaint myself with… well, myself. It’s not perfect here, nowhere is. But, we have had the opportunity to dive into what really lights us up, refine our existing engineering business and focus on what really matters to us. As a cool unexpected bonus, I have come to love and admire many of the entrepreneurs, artists, and hard workers here in Trinidad. Connecting with them has led me to discover the beauty of small communities and a simpler existence. It’s like stepping back in time. That being said, there is a need for stable growth down here, so I am excited to see what unfolds as more and more people decide to break away from bigger cities and build upon the energy we’ve found here.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always enjoyed the arts. My mom was very supportive of this passion as she is also very creative, and enrolled me in multiple art classes, camps, and courses during my childhood in Chicago. It was the one subject in school that excited me. I was naturally drawn to the freedom art presented and it has been therapeutic for me ever since. The feeling of being in that creative flow state is unmatched, even if getting to that headspace isn’t always easy. The fact that there is no one “right” way to create is so magical to me. I love learning from other artists and drawing inspiration from the simple beautiful things in life.

I attended SCAD in Savannah GA, studying Illustration for some time after high school. Then (if I’m being honest) chickened out of pursuing my art as a career. I now know that battling that fear never truly goes away, but is instead a constant challenge in this line of work. After art school, I dove into another passion of mine: early childhood development. I attained a degree and became a curriculum specialist, focusing on arts-based lessons whenever given the chance. I think the two are closely linked for me, working with kids and creating art. I’m very passionate about providing an atmosphere for children where they genuinely love to learn and feel supported in their own self discovery. It’s the foundation for everything that comes next, and is so important. I hope to bridge these two passions of mine again in the future in some capacity.

Fast forward a few years, and I had been feeling a push to focus more on my own creativity again. There was unfinished business there and I owed it to myself to pursue that. I began Anne Margaux Studio by offering my skills to local businesses in my hometown of Winter Park, FL through watercolor, gouache, and acrylic illustration. That led to a few wedding invitations, client commissions, working with realtors by creating house portraits for their clients, art markets and other word of mouth projects. I pride myself in being communicative, adaptable, thorough in understanding my client’s needs, and delivering these commissions in a timely manner. Usually, they are personal for my clients- a gift for a special someone, a memory, a nostalgic place. I want people to feel the love I pour into each one. This work organically developed through getting out there and trying. It was not easy for me to shift into this new world, though. I felt rusty, insecure and it came with a lot of self doubt. I think artists battle a lot of these feelings and they often hinder us. I am most proud of pushing through that self doubt and continuing onward, despite life’s twists. My husband is my number one supporter and I’m so grateful to him for always encouraging me and providing space and security for me to discover this side of myself. Two years ago, when we moved back to Colorado, I decided to shift from making things that others asked for to painting what I love. What I would want to see in a beautiful space. This developed into landscapes, abstract florals, and allowing myself discover my own style as I went.

As I mentioned, we began our design engineering business in the last year and a half, which has required all hands on deck, lot’s of creative brain power from both of us, and many sleepless nights. Now that it’s functioning and we have help with a new team, I am able to step back into my art more fully. I think it’s important to mention that when you love to create, it’s always waiting for you to come back to it. There are times in life where that ebbs and flows.

My work can be found @annemargauxstudio on Instagram. I currently take commissions through DM’s. My website is not up at the moment, but I am gearing up for a re-launch in 2025. I’m happy to take my time with this process as I want it to be an honest reflection of me as an artist. In the meantime I will continue building a new body of work and exploring different styles. I am still finding my voice and I am really excited about it. While I truly enjoy working on commissions, and plan to still do them as they align with my style, I have realized my passion is in allowing myself to express deeper meaning, conveying an authentic emotion and using my art to communicate an idea. This is a new approach for me and is requiring a hard look at the creative blocks I have. I also love interior decorating and want to explore designing beautiful spaces. So this next chapter is what I’m most excited about and I hope to continue the process of creating art that inspires, celebrates and makes people think. I’ve realized this discovery all takes a lot more time than I’d wish, but I’m practicing giving myself grace and space to figure things out. In the meantime, I am planning to focus on in-person pop-ups, getting my prints out there to local shops and letting it flow organically, as that has proven to work well for me in the past. Instagram is best to keep tabs on this journey!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

It’s changed throughout my life. As a kid, the goal was to create just for fun, because it felt good to let my imagination go and be surprised with the outcome. Over the years, I’ve realized many adults do not allow themselves to play, me being one of them during certain seasons of life. So, it’s almost become a secret rebellion of mine. I refuse to let adulthood strip it away from me entirely, even though I go through periods of feeling like my energy should be poured into more “responsible” efforts. I never want to stop letting myself dream, explore and dive into that headspace. I think the world needs more of that.

Now, my goal is to come back to that childlike mindset after experiencing life as a working artist. I want to be more bold with my art, pursue it, honor it whether or not I sell. When I started my business, it was very much geared toward commercializing my art. I am evaluating that pursuit at this stage, and wanting to pivot to focus on the things I care about. For example, there are many amazing aspects of living in this small town, and I am thinking of making a series celebrating them. Again, focusing on the simple joys in life that make a huge difference in how we feel and see the world. I also have a desire to explore abstracts and different mediums.

As many other women can probably relate, I have been conditioned to put other’s needs ahead of my own, to worry what others think of me, to fear being “too much”. I’m still unpacking that. The thought of ever becoming a mother has made me consider what I would be modeling to those hypothetical children. I’d like them to see a female role model who doesn’t push aside their own passions for the sake of others, who isn’t afraid to share, or be vulnerable. Instead, a role model that leans into creativity, celebrates expression, and nurtures herself so that they can feel assured in doing the same. Regardless, if I never have kids, I owe that to myself and the people who love me.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

One big concern is the financial uncertainty of making ends meet as an artist. This was my reason for leaving SCAD and rethinking my career at 20. Affordability is an issue everywhere right now, and artists often have to choose between creating and being practical. That’s how it can feel at least.

Society can nurture artists by valuing their contributions, and creating spaces for artists to live / work. I believe the more we value and offer opportunity to artists, the richer our communities will be. There is a synergy in places where art is valued- it’s tangible. Local businesses hire artists to paint murals, then that becomes the perfect backdrop for an outdoor market with live music, people are out and actively connecting there which inspires more artistic expression. The ideas start flowing and opportunities are endless. It’s the heartbeat of humanity. We as a society need to offer more opportunities to creatives by focusing on growing the arts in school as well. Many programs get cut due to lack of funding, and usually art is the first to go since STEM has become society’s driving focus.

For me, I often wonder how many creatives are out there but are too afraid to try things out because society has convinced them that art isn’t as important as other aspects of life. I have personally been so afraid to put myself out there for many reasons. The conditioning that art is “a cute hobby” or frivolous, self obsessed, etc. stops others from pursuing it more seriously. I still battle this at times, but have had enough experiences at this point to show me there is value and beauty in sharing your talents with the world, and when you do, things tend to line up the way they are supposed to. Especially if you have something to say that could inspire and help others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: annemargauxstudio