Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Hamlin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining 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.

This is a fantastic question! It has taken me quite a while to hone my craft. I am entirely self-taught, having spent years learning different techniques for drawing, painting, and creating.

My shop’s tagline is “bringing handcrafted art into a digital world.” In the last two years, I’ve finally found its purpose: creating unique greeting cards.
I’ve watched many things evolve in our ever-changing world of technolgy, including the art world. People still paint, draw, and create, but many have traveled to the digital world and use their talents to create beautiful masterpieces on a computer.

Over the last few years, I’ve worked and learned to merge my old-school way with the ever-changing digital world. This has been additional learning.

Looking back, one of the most significant ways I could have sped up the process would have been school. I took a few classes in college, such as art history and fundamentals of design, but I wish I had gone full in with a degree to help me learn all the needed elements faster, along with a few business classes.

In addition, I’ve worked full-time while growing my small business, and while I don’t want to call this an obstacle, it can limit the time you can commit to classes, learning, and building the business.

Although looking back, there are ways I could have done things a little differently, I’m very happy with where I am today and know that I have many resources available if ever needed.

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.

My name is Amanda, and I’m the owner of Crafted on Canvas. Over the years, my little shop has undergone many transformations, always looking to find its place in the world.

I’m a mom to two beautiful grown-up girls and one feisty French Bulldog named Ginny. Just this month I find myself an empty-nester.

My love for art goes back to childhood. Nothing makes me happier than to pick up a brush, start with a line, and see where it takes me. I’m kind of old-school with a pen, brush, paints, canvas, and more… creating that handcrafted hardcopy.

As I stated in the question above in our ever-changing world with technology, I’ve seen so many things evolve, including the art world. People still paint and create, but many have traveled to the digital world and make beautiful masterpieces all through a computer. I have wondered how to merge the old-school way with the ever-changing digital world.

In 2022, communication and how I shared/used my words became very powerful in my own life. From that, the use of my handcrafted art moved digitally into greeting cards. As I began sharing my struggles and triumphs and continued creating greeting cards, my store, Crafted on Canvas, found its place. With the help of a funny little chicken my grandpa used to draw, others found ways to share words of encouragement and love with those in their lives.

Louie the Chicken with his sarcastic smile loves flying (through the mail) and meeting new friends. This year, we added Jasper the “heart dog”. Louie and Jasper are buddies to travel all over. Both of these guys you’ll find on the greeting cards.
There is something unique about receiving a physical card with the handwritten words of your special someone. It brings me joy to create and help others connect better with one another.

Each greeting card usually has a fun/cute message, and some share more sentimental messages. One of the things I’m most proud of are the characters on my cards—the mascots, I like to call them. Each one has a special story behind it.

When looking for inspiration for the greeting cards in 2022, I remembered the many cards and letters my grandpa, Louis, used to write. He found great joy in writing and mailing cards to friends and family. He always wanted people to know they were being thought about, loved, and mattered. My grandpa, who passed away in 2005, was someone very special to me. I searched high and low for a card or letter with a little chicken he drew often. Once I found him, I knew Louie the Chicken, named after my grandpa, had to become the mascot for my new journey with Crafted on Canvas. He has since flown to many exciting places, sharing his sarcastic smile and bringing laughter, humor, and love to people in the world through cards, just as my grandpa did while he was alive.

In 2024, we added a second mascot, Jasper the “heart dog.” If you’ve followed Crafted on Canvas for a while, Jasper would occasionally pop up in photos on social media. Jasper was my dog for 15 years. He was a part of our family, bringing us so much joy and love. I often called him my super hero as he battled congestive heart failure for 4 years and fought hard till the end. He passed away this year. One of the coolest gifts Jasper gave me was time. No one can ever prepare to lose their best friend, but I thought about my superhero as I began to process this. While he was alive, I sat with him and began sketching. We sat nights together, drawing what would become the design for the “Heart Dog” card collection. Jasper brought me so many smiles and love. I hope his face and the right words on a card can bring someone a little love, too, carrying on his legacy.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Since I was a child, I found joy in creating in many different ways. I’m a creative who loves to be loud and full of color in my work but is quiet by nature. In my early years, and for a long time, I told myself my quiet nature would make owning and running a business impossible. This was false.

One of my most significant resources then and continues to remain strong today are other creatives. Getting to know and finding friendships with those doing something similar can be your best resource. It’s helped me grow and learn in many ways, from creating and running a business to improving work. Sometimes, it just might surprise you when you open your door and start a conversation. You can ask questions and learn many wonderful things from one another.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I found my goal in 2022 when my business found it’s place online. Since then, I have worked hard at everything I do to grow and share that goal. With his sarcastic smile, Louie the Chicken is the heart of the goal.

As we tend to share our feelings in 140 characters or neglect to share them at all sometimes, I hope that each greeting card created and purchased in simplicity reminds us to tell those we love how we feel, whether it be “Happy Birthday,” “Congratulations,” “I’m sorry,” or maybe even help start the beginning of a challenging conversation in a positive way.

Our words are powerful, and my goal is to try and use them as best I can in my own life, and with a funny little chicken on a unique greeting card, help you share words of encouragement and love with those in your life.

Moving into 2025 I’m working on a few more updates to my shop to help make it more user friendly and branding cohesive. It excites me to continue to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.craftedoncanvas.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crafted.on.canvas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftedoncanvas
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crafted-on-canvas/
• Twitter: https://x.com/CraftedOnCanvas