We recently connected with Carrie Hawkins and have shared our conversation below.

Carrie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Up until the summer of 2021, I had always been a part-time artist while keeping a “regular” job. My creative path has taken many twists and turns over the years, but one thing I was always sure of was that I always needed to express my creativity in one way or another. It all began when I was six years old and ran my makeshift art studio out of the living room coat closet. I would present my mom with a portfolio of pictures I had drawn that she could choose from to decorate the refrigerator. For a quarter, my mom got new art to display and I earned money for stickers! My creative entrepreneurial endeavors continued throughout my school years, Creating and selling jewelry and drawings for friends for a small fee.

I earned college degrees in graphic design, painting and cyber arts; as well as completed graduate work in art education. I spent my college years doing various freelance mural work and I worked for a few years post-college as an art teacher; however, budget constraints eliminated art techer positions and kept me from persuing a full-time career as an educator in art. I took on a job in a non-creative field because I was convinced I needed a “real job.” Once my employer closed during the pandemic, I pivoted and devoted my time and resources to developing my handmade art buiness full-time. Once my employer reopened and asked me to come back and pick up shifts, I declined and at that moment, I became a full-time artist and business owner. I have never looked back since!

The last three years have been the most-fufilling of all the years I have worked. I absolutely love what I do! Being a full-time artist and business owner is not without it’s struggles though. I put in a lot of hours creating and promoting myself and my business on social media and exhibiting my art as well as selling in person at shows. When others clock out at 5 pm on Friday and don’t think about work until the following Monday, I can often be found preparing for a weekend show after spending the week creating inventory.

I would never trade what I am doing now to go back to the mundane 9 to 5 job. It has only been since I began working for myself full-time that I have found a true purpose to my creativity. I have managed to combine my love of history and concern for the environment to create mixed-media artwork and art dolls that use recycled textiles and other objects that would otherwise end up in landfills.

I have also finally learned to own the fact that I earn a living as a full-time creative when someone asks what I do. In the past, when someone asked what I “did” for a living, I always answered with whichever job I currently had. Art was always an afterthought. If I focused a conversation on being an artist, people would often reply with questions of “what do you REALLY do?” Now I tell them I am an artist and I have no regrets when I say it!

Carrie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For years, I had different creative endeavors, from jewelry-making, to pouring soaps and candles. In 2005, I launched my current business, Scaredy Cat Primitives. The name comes from my love of cats, history and old things. I started out creating handmade art dolls and home decor in a primitive folk art style. I didn’t feel like my art reflected my true purpose. I was buying new materials to create something that looked 100 years old. I did not feel I was being responsible as an artist.

I decided to do what I could to reduce my carbon footprint while still creating the art I wanted to make. I shifted from painting and started creating 2D mixed-media pieces that used recycled found objects. I realized how much I loved how objects tell a story through their chips and dents. I also took my love of fabrics, textiles and cats and began designing and handcrafting art dolls. The most popular art dolls I create are my Ragamuffin kitties. I create each one from an upcycled wool or cashmere sweater. The collar and cuffs of each sweater go to use as the collar of each cat. I handstitch each cat’s face and add a fun fiber collar embellishment. Finally, I take broken or mismatched costume jewelry and create one-of-a-kind charms for each cat. I have sewn thousands of kitties since they launched in 2009.

I have recently added on handmade cat-shaped zipper pouches, Kitty Stashers and cat head ornaments and create other characters including owls and snowmen. Everything is upcycled from thrifted clothing and other textiles.

I also use upcycled fabrics in my 2D artworks as well. I often work with wool scraps leftover from sewing Ragamuffins, using every part of a sweater and leaving behind no waste! My most recent 2D art work combines found objects and non-recyclable clothing. I created dozens of roses from the fabrics and embellished each rose with a vintage brooch or button.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best thing society can do is to support it’s local artists and small business owners. You might think that you can get the same thing for less money at a big-box store, but those stores may or may not support their loccal communities. Local artists and creatives are often far more invested in their local communities, supporting other local creatives and small businesses. We know how important it is to support one another and that trickle-down effect has a huge effect on everyone.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is when I am at a show and I get to talk to people who get nostalgic when looking at my art dolls or artwork at an exhibition. Often someone might recognize the pattern of a sweater I used to make a cat doll or see a jewelry charm and recognize it as the same pendant or pair of earrings they remember their mother wearing when they were young. I like seeing my art bring smiles to people’s faces!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://scaredycatprimitives.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaredycat.primitives
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scaredycatprimitives/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-hawkins-4a58382b
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BadCatDesigns

Image Credits
Photos are all by the author (Carrie Hawkins)