We recently connected with Amy Hesper Carlson and have shared our conversation below.

Amy Hesper, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is me. Some might say that fortune or fame is what everyone desires, but I believe what we want most is to be loved at the core of our existence. We want acceptance from others. The trouble comes from trying to find these things in the world instead of God. Doing so can leave us with painful experiences, make us feel rejected, consume our minds with doubt, and lead us to believe we are unworthy.

I discovered this because my confidence and self-esteem were buried from years of high school bullying, rejection, and catching the brunt of my stepdad’s anger and abuse. Many days, I wanted to throw in the towel and quit life, but Something kept me going. After another tough season of rejection in 2021, I got sick and tired of feeling all these things, so I decided to write a book to help me finally love and accept myself. A friend encouraged me to share my journey and words with the world, so I published it on Amazon. The meaningful and lasting benefit of taking all my life’s past hurts and traumas is hearing how it helps other people learn to do the same. Because to Love Yourself Like God Loves You is the essence of life itself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a rabbit rescue mom, a spirit-led fluid artist, an encourager, and an entrepreneur. I consider my faith the foundation of life, followed by family and friends. I currently live in Gulfport, Mississippi, with my husband Derek, eight rescue rabbits, and a crazy cat named Puma. If I’m not writing devotionals or creating, I am outside connecting with nature, watching wildlife, networking with other business owners, or encouraging and supporting others. I believe that any outlet you use to create something can change you and the world around you.

I’ve always had a creative side. Growing up and before the internet, I explored art a little after getting home from school to deal with boredom. It was using cheap craft paints and splattering color on tracing and notebook paper or creating Rorschach-styled images. That lasted a short time then I didn’t make anything again for years. So, I never considered myself or said out loud that I was an artist until 2020. That year brought lots of firsts. I was in a new accounting job because of our company downsizing, then adding in the covid lockdowns, and I was stressed to the max like many others. Being raised in a family of alcoholics, I realized it was either finding a way to deal with all of the emotions or going down that path, and I always told myself I would never become an alcoholic.

So, I started doing live Facebook videos creating fluid art to deal with stress, and connecting with friends by sharing the beauty and fun of creativity in an upside-down world. Through the support and encouragement from friends, then finally someone asking if my art was for sale, I realized I was gifted as an artist and that my work brought forth a connection with others.

My creativity takes many shapes and sizes, from canvas, ceramic animals, tiles, jewelry, or wood.

What I discovered is that creating helped me find clarity and spiritual healing. It also allows me to help others do the same. The benefit of viewing art is our bodies’ Serotonin levels rise, and it is the same emotional stimulant as seeing a loved one. Being gifted with creativity, having a spiritual connection with the Creator, and using art to release emotion, means each piece is filled with hidden wonders. Everyone sees something different in my work, which allows it to become a visual meditation. They can spend time looking at the colors and movement of paint, enabling them to open their mind and focus solely on what they are viewing. They experience the same state of mental peace that I do when I’m creating, which allows me to leave stress at the door before walking into the studio.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’m most proud that I’ve allowed art to be the proving ground against the doubts of life. When we get ideas of things that we want to do but have never done before, we start to doubt we’re capable of creating or bringing that vision to life. I’ve gotten some wild ideas in the past, and I may doubt I can do it, but I try to prove myself wrong. Most times, it turns out better than I thought, and there are times that it may not. Ultimately, it helps to show me that I can do anything I set my mind to, which enables me to encourage others they can do the same thing.

The most rewarding part of being an artist is how someone connects with one of my pieces. It’s hearing what they discover hidden within, what their mind was drawn to see, or how it reminds them of memories and invokes positive emotions.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to help others discover creativity as an outlet or tool for dealing with anxiety and stress. It is a way to find a sense of calm, and we could use creativity as an alternative to addiction. I strive to show my audience that they can use art as visual meditations, allowing them to find clarity and spiritual connections for emotional healing. I encourage others to be more mindful of life and their creative desires.

My passion is talking with others and helping them to see that creativity is not strictly a paintbrush and canvas. It is anything that they bring to life simply from an idea. That is the truest sense of art and being creative, creating something from nothing but an idea. The form could be writing poetry or thrilling stories, landscape design, engineering, woodworking, or music to show some variations of what I consider to be a creative artist. The goal is to encourage people to find the creative outlet that speaks to them.

Contact Info:

• Website: reflectionsbyhesper.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/amyhesper.artist
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/amyhesperart
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-hesper
• Other: http://www.facebook.com/amy.hesper.artist

Image Credits
Amy Hesper