Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobbi Van Ert

Hi Bobbi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I’m Bobbi Van Ert: mom, wife, creative, and respiratory therapist. If there had to be one word, I’d go with unique. Creativity has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. As a child, I used to build my own doll furniture, and even decorated my dad’s entire pick-up truck in the life cycle of a butterfly drawings. I recall winning a drawing contest a time or two, and enjoying art class the best. My older sister is a ballerina and artist, and she wrote poetry with me and always supported me creatively. As a teen, I had the opportunity to be in art club and a majority of just art classes. I had the best middle school art teacher, too, who really helped keep art interesting. I was involved in art club and had even been art club president. I designed local murals and had pieces in art shows. At home my parents were also creatives, my mother an artist herself, specializing in painting, and my father a real MacGyver in many ways, always making something. Together they had quite the successful haunted house for a number of years, called Fright in the Night Haunted Golf Cart Trail. My dad built the limo golf carts used and built incredible, large scale props. We all decorated and acted in the event. It was an amazing creative outlet, but all good things come to an end eventually. As a young adult, I ended up having a child very prematurely. My life became encompassed in his healthcare and sparked new interest in an area I had previously never even considered. Respiratory therapy became an interest and I eventually worked my way to working in the same NICU my son was cared for in, as well as joining their NICU transport team. When covid hit, my career became so in need it caused a lot of burnout in the industry. I grasped for something to help bring happiness in such a dark time, and decided to dig back into art as a creative outlet. While I have many things I like to do art wise, glass art is definitely my favorite, and eventually I was able to start my own small business, Raven Skull Creations. Now I make stained glass, and a few other mediums like florals, terrariums and some macrame. My mom runs her own art studio, Evergreen Market: The Studio, and I help out and sell my glass there as well as on Etsy and social media. Sometimes you never know where life may take you, or what it might take you back to. Now, I’m a homeschooling mom, wife, artist, and respiratory therapist.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

It has not always been a smooth road. For starters, craft supplies are expensive! I spent a lot of time gathering my supplies to begin my creative business and just start the hobby in the first place. As time has progressed, I have been able to make upgrades and improve my skill along the way, leading to growth. I like to do many of the parts myself. For instance, my florals and terrariums are all made with florals, mosses, and even bones and crystals typically found by me in nature. I hand dye moss, polish own rocks and crystals, and find my own branches and other touches of nature for different pieces. Eventually my skill level got to the point I could start selling quality products and sharing my passion. I have been in a couple art shows now as an adult, and sell my products in store and online. My work is even displayed in several local businesses.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Currently, my main focus has been in stained glass. I currently use a copper foil, Tiffany technique and hope to get into fused glass soon. I was able to score a second hand kiln, that even came with some ceramics supplies, so of course I will be diving the clay direction as well in the future. This was another favorite of mine in school. I also do floral work, making floral crescent moons with crystal embellishments, and terrariums with bones, bugs and nature scenes. I use mostly materials I harvest myself. I also do some macrame, but it is hard to keep up with all the machine made macrame prices available now. Certain companies like to steal artists ideas and really ruin it when they remake our creations in cheap ways. I find glass the most satisfying of the mediums I participate in currently, something about breaking things to turn them into something beautiful again hits home for me. I channel a lot of my energy into my creations, and the intentions behind them show to the people they are meant for. Art is made to be enjoyed by others, and a little piece of me goes into every piece created. Sometimes literally, as it can be a dangerous hobby.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?

I see a lot of interest in the art industry in general. I see a lot of benefit from apps such as TikTok or YouTube where artist can share beautifully edited, step by step videos showing their creative processes that otherwise people may never see or come across. I see this inspiring people to try new things, and find their own creative outlets. I hope that something can be done about the copying of artistic property currently running rampant in store and online. The use of AI also holds interesting ideas of where the industry will go, but I do believe true handmade art is here to stay and eventually people will realize the difference between the cheap imitation, and true high quality product.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RavensSkullCreations
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ravenskullcreations/profilecard/?igsh=cmU5c281cmYxZnA4
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100064800007947/