We were lucky to catch up with Savannah Hyson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Savannah , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Without a doubt, my most meaningful project so far has been my Anya Collection, which is a series of Christmas paintings featuring Anya the polar bear. Anya, known as “a tiny bear with a big heart”, loves nothing more than Christmas. Her holiday spirit is infinite; nothing brings her more joy than sharing special presents with her friends and family.
This project is particularly special to me because of a little known fact: Anya is actually a representation of myself and my Christmas spirit. Many of the things Anya is doing in her paintings are symbolic of the things I love about the season, and many of her qualities reflect those of myself. I think Christmas is the most wonderful and beautiful thing in the world. I often say that I would be working at the North Pole with Santa if I could! In fact, my art office space is decorated year-round to resemble the office of Arthur from the movie Arthur Christmas!
There are many special details to be found in Anya’s world. For example, if you look closely in each scene, you will find that she always has her teddy bear with her. His name is Charlie, and he is actually modeled after my own Christmas teddy bear, who is also named Charlie.
Another special feature is that each scene of the Anya Collection has a small story that goes along with it, describing in detail that part of Anya’s life and bringing the viewer deeper into the magic of her wintery world. These scenes are available printed on Christmas cards, gift tags, and stickers. Currently there are 5 scenes in the collection, but throughout 2023 I will be adding 3 new ones, each of which I’m very excited about. After that, Anya will be debuting a brand new collection… I haven’t released the details of this series yet, but I can tell you that another very special bear will be joining Anya on new holiday adventures.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I love expressing my passion for the natural world through my art. Every day I see beauty all around me, and the best way I know how to capture it is through the lens of my camera or with my paintbrush.
In addition to my fascination with nature, my shop is inspired by how my spirit comes to life at Christmas time. I absolutely adore everything about the season: the lights, the trees, the snow, wrapping presents, giving to family and friends… the joy of the season is truly magical for me. I’ve always wished I could be a real elf at the North Pole, giving presents and bringing Christmas spirit to people everywhere!
At times, the real world can be challenging and dark… I like to think that, on hard days, my art gives people another world to escape to and explore in their imaginations, a world that we wish was the real one. And on good days, I hope my art reminds people to appreciate every little joy in their lives, and to notice every tiny wonder around them. I believe that beauty is often found in the small and simple moments, in the little details that we take for granted but that are fantastic when viewed through a different lens.
And so, Spirits of Nature was born; the blend of my admiration for the wild in the world and my endless Christmas spirit. At Spirits of Nature, you will find not only works of art to celebrate the Christmas season, but masterpieces for all year round. My hope is that my products will bring my customers as much joy as they bring me when I create them! Everything I create is from the heart, and packaged with love. I always feel like packaging an order is rather like wrapping a present… and when you receive one of my orders, it feels a bit like opening one!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Hands down the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is sharing my passion with the world. I create because it makes my own soul happy, but it also makes my heart smile when I know someone is enjoying and appreciating my art. My favorite part is experiencing in-person sales at markets and events because I have the pleasure of meeting the customers. When I have the chance to see someone’s eyes light up when they walk by and discover Anya, and then to see them fall in love with her as I describe her world and show them all the details… it’s incredibly special, words can’t describe it.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I feel the best way to support artists and encourage a thriving creative ecosystem is to simply shop small! It’s so easy these days to just buy everything online… but taking the time to go out into your town and shop at local businesses makes a big difference. When you actually see and feel items that were handmade by people in your town, it helps build an appreciation for local artisans, and that in turn builds support.
Contact Info:
- Website: spiritsofnaturefinds.com
- Instagram: @spiritsofnaturefinds
- Facebook: facebook.com/spiritsofnaturefinds
- Other: etsy.com/spiritsofnaturefinds