We were lucky to catch up with Amber Morgan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber , thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

Looking back, I can say that I’ve always been an artist. I discovered my passion for drawing at a young age and took every art class I could from elementary school through high school. I wanted a career doing something creative that would allow me to continue using those artistic skills in some way. I earned a degree in Graphic Design and eventually landed a job that turned out to be more focused on sales and marketing than on the creative role I had pictured.

I still wanted to make art, but I was in my 20s and just starting a corporate career, so creating felt more like a hobby than something I could make a living from. It didn’t feel practical at the time. So I shifted my attention toward climbing the corporate ladder and focusing on the demands of my day job.

There are times I wish I had been more dedicated to making art back then; that I had believed a little more in myself, my abilities, and that being an artist could be a viable career path. This was before Instagram and Etsy had just become popular. I thought about starting a shop, but just never took that step. I do ask myself sometimes, “how much further along would I be today if I had taken that leap back then?” It’s human nature to try and look back and connect those dots.

It wasn’t until I reached my 30s (after I got laid off) that I finally felt inspired to make art more of a priority. I took on freelance design work, commissioned art projects, and started painting. I had to rebuild the confidence in calling myself an artist and believe that I was on the right path and that everything would work out if I just committed.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an artist, illustrator, and muralist who draws inspiration from elements found in nature and the world around me. Currently, my primary source of inspiration is the Joshua Tree area, along with the diverse landscapes of Southern California.

My husband and I have called the high desert our home since October of 2022, landing here after a few years of travel. Our home and surroundings have given me a new sense of creative energy and a fresh perspective to channel into my work.

My illustration work is a blend of abstract, natural elements and geometric shapes using earthy colors. A significant portion of my artwork is rooted in the symbolism derived from nature and my dreams. I enjoy the challenge of taking a singular, sometimes complex idea and exploring how I can interpret it in a more minimalist or surreal way.

I sell a variety of products featuring my artwork, including prints, stickers, postcards, and enamel pins, in several shops in the high desert as well as in Palm Springs and beyond. I also had the opportunity to create a mural for one of the coolest shops in Joshua Tree, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Back in 2020 while living in Nashville, my mental health took a significant nosedive (like many of us during COVID). My day job was extremely stressful during the pandemic and then our dog passed away. My husband and I were both depressed, anxious, and burned out, so we decided to make a significant life change.
We quit our jobs, sold all of our stuff and set out on an adventure to hit the road full-time, car camping across the Western U.S. It was a risk that a few people in our lives didn’t quite understand, but thankfully, the majority of them were incredibly supportive and encouraging.
We started our trip in West Texas, exploring Big Bend and car camping in Terlingua for a little over a week. It was the perfect place to kick off our journey and allowed us to decompress and get our bearings. It was remote and quiet (except for the wind and coyotes) with no cell service and the darkest skies I’ve ever seen, so we completely disconnected.

It was where we really started to reflect on this crazy life pivot—transitioning from our stable full-time jobs and a cozy two-bedroom apartment to living in a Subaru with just the essentials. Before, we hadn’t slowed down enough to reflect about what kind of life we actually wanted to live. Out there, we had nothing but to think and one thing became clear: the hustle of our previous life back in Nashville wasn’t it.

As our trip continued through the vast landscapes of New Mexico and Utah and all the way up to the lush green forests of Washington and mountains of Montana—that reality became more clear. We wanted a life more intertwined with nature and a thriving creative community.

Each place we visited over our 2 years of travel holds such a special place for me. But once we landed in the high desert, we fell in love with both the landscape and the community. The decision to stay in the Joshua Tree area was a no-brainer for us. I’m so grateful we took that risk of leaving it all behind in search of something better for ourselves.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal has always been to inspire others in some way—whether that’s gaining new perspectives or encouraging them to get out there and connect with nature in any way that they can.

It’s challenging to disconnect from the hustle of daily life, especially with so many distractions pulling at our attention. Nature has an amazing way of helping us be more present in the moment and our surroundings.

We can’t always take a grand adventure whenever we want, so I hope that my art can serve as a gentle reminder to stay curious and to seek out those little adventures in any way you can. It can be as simple as enjoying a walk as the sun rises, lunch outside with your friends without the distraction of your phone, or just stopping to look up at the night sky.

It’s really just about taking a moment outside of ourselves to appreciate and take notice of the world around us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heyambermorgan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyambermorgan
• Other: https://www.faire.com/direct/ambermorgan