We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Doss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time I knew I wanted to be an artist was a surprise, because I had no idea that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. Although I have always been a creator and have always made art, I had never really considered it as an career option, Then one day, on a whim, I decided to post a painting for sale online. It was a whimsical painting of two quirky women walking a silly dog, something I made because it amused me. I kind of forgot about it until a few weeks later when someone from Italy bought it and suddenly I was an international artist. You wouldn’t believe how excited I was. I was hooked from that moment on and have been selling art ever since. I have now sold more than 1000 original paintings, countless prints, have an agent, and illustrated many books.

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

I am a painter of whimsical things and a spinner of stories. Every painting I create tells a story, usually about friendship, adventure and magic. I have had lots of inspiration from my children and their wonderful imaginations, and I try to capture at least a little bit of that wonder in my artwork. I love that my work brings so many smiles to so many faces, whether it be in the books I illustrate or the paintings that are collected and displayed all over the world. Bringing a little bit of brightness and a little bit of happiness to a world that is sometimes unkind is my favorite thing about being an artist.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

One of the best feelings is when someone connects with my art. Social media has made being an artist possible for me and for so many others through its ability to directly connect with fans. Brick and mortar galleries are no longer necessary to be a successful artist. You don’t need to buy something to support an artist (although that definitely helps!). Liking, commenting and giving encouragement goes a long way to helping an artist create new art.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Long ago, I was told that I was not an artist. That was for other people, I didn’t have what it took. My drawings weren’t realistic enough, My paintings didn’t look like the work of famous artists. I needed to do something else. Something practical. I believed this for far too long, and it was a lie. Young artists need to know their creative voice is important. It may not look like the master painters of the past, but it has value and the world needs it. One of my favorite sayings is “The Earth without art is just eh” and nothing is more true.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andralynncreativedesigns.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andralynncreativedesigns
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/andralynncreativedesigns