We recently connected with Andrea Snyder and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, 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.

I am somewhat self-taught. I took art classes in junior high and high school, and a few in college, but they never taught watercolor. I think that having the basics of art and composition in school helped greatly in learning a new medium. I could have taken some watercolor art classes, but I think that I needed to learn my own way, in my own time. I can’t think of any obstacles that kept me from learning; anything I wanted to learn (or still want to learn) is available online in some form. All I have to do is search the internet!

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.

Of course! I am a watercolor artist. I offer custom watercolor house portraits, Christmas cards, and ornaments, as well as greeting cards, art prints, post cards, and more recently, a selection of household items with my artwork printed on them. I offer one-of-a-kind, hand-painted house portraits that clients get to keep, instead of receiving a digital file or digital painting, which seems to be becoming more common with the increased use of digital artwork apps and AI. I like to be more detailed in my paintings, which is not as common in watercolor, as watercolor can be notoriously hard to work with—especially for detailed pieces. I specialize in painting historic homes and buildings, because historic homes are my passion. I love the craftsmanship and attention to detail that these homes and buildings feature. I love to think about the past generations that made the house a home. I love to try and capture that feeling in my paintings, and create a piece of art that the family can pass down for generations. And, while I love historic homes, I also enjoy painting new homes and creating a new memory for a first-time homeowner or newly married couple. I’m honored and flattered each time I am commissioned to paint something for a client, and I pour my heart and soul into each piece.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Oh goodness, I love this question! Artists, creatives, and small businesses need all of the support they can get. Sometimes that means shopping locally and supporting your local brick-and-mortar shops, even if it might cost a little more. Sometimes it means sharing posts and information on your social media channels (which is free!). Sometimes it means just being encouraging. Leave a positive review online if you received great customer service. Understanding the time it takes for an artist to create something from scratch, with their hands, and recognizing the time they’ve put into learning their craft (whether they have studied it for a few months or have been creating for 20 years), and realizing that they’ve devoted a part of themselves to their trade or craft is so important. It’s not “made in China” by someone working for less than minimum wage, who is working in terrible conditions that we continue to support by perpetuating the cycle of buying cheap goods at the big box stores. Artists, craftsmen, and creatives are more expensive, yes; but when someone purchases goods locally from these people, that customer is supporting that small business owner’s dream, putting food on the table and a roof over their head, and contributing to their local community. And if someone can’t afford financially to do that, that’s okay! But support comes in many ways—again, share on social media, leave encouraging comments, and tell friends and family. Those are such important actions that can be taken for free, and they mean so much to those of us working for ourselves!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, it’s the reward of knowing that I’ve created something that gives another person happiness. Life is hard, and we all need things that make us smile. If something I can do or create can make another person happy and bring back memories of places they’ve been or people they’ve loved, that makes me happy. I love having that ability to give to others in that way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whitedogartanddesign.com/
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/whitedogartdesign
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitedogartanddesign
• Other: Etsy shop: https://whitedogartanddesign.etsy.com/

Image Credits

All images are my own.