We recently connected with Amanda Black and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My background is actually in photography. I earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Studio Arts with an emphasis on Photography, and I call it my first love in regards to the arts. Once I began pursuing a creative career, the traditional darkroom photography wasn’t a match to my life at the time. I had two young kids and was a Stay at Home Mom. The goal was to find an art form that I could pursue alongside raising my kids. Printmaking entered, and though I had taken one class in college, I was building new skills. I taught myself through trial and error. Trial and success, which led to new trials, new errors, and new success.

I always suggest setting a goal for yourself to grow in your practice. Once you’ve learned the basics, it’s time to branch out and learn the next step. I did this by basically setting assignments for myself. With each new assignment I honed my craft and figured out what worked for ME.

Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a printmaker and creative based in Minnesota. The main arm of my business, Black Loon Studio, is in fine art relief prints. These are meticulously created by carving an image out of a block, rolling ink on top, and then pressing paper onto the block. Well, that’s the simple description of the process. What I sell are handmade limited edition prints ranging in sizes from 4×6″ to 16×20″. The subject matter is inspired by the natural landscape in Minnesota as well as weekend adventures with family. You will find a lot of birch trees, loons, and cabin vibes among my art.

I have also branched out into stationery work. Designed by me and printed here in Minnesota, I have a beautiful collection of notebooks and notepads. These also fit into the nature and adventure themes of my other art. I am very blessed to be able to create a life and a career around something that means so much to me.

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

One of the greatest things to come out of this career path is my children seeing another option for their own lives. We don’t all work a 9-5 office job. They get to see what it looks like to pursue a passion. That is incredibly worthwhile to me. Not even just my children, but my peers, my nieces and nephews, the kids I see at an art fair! Let’s prove to the world that an art career does not mean you go starving.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew that for nearly every issue I faced, someone has been there before. If you run into a hurdle with your artwork, look for books on the subject. If you have built a community of creatives in a similar passion, use the hive mind to problem solve. If you find yourself struggling with an area of your business, there’s likely someone you can hire to take it over.

Essentially, answers can be found for nearly everything. You aren’t alone, even if entrepreneurship feels like it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blackloonstudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/blackloonstudio