We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Laven. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.
Anna, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I think I had always known I wanted to pursue a creative path. Whether or not I associated that thought initially with making a living from my art it one day, I don’t know. From an early age I loved art and soon after I realized I had a love for photography, even imagining myself being a National Geographic photographer. Still, I never really thought about pursuing it professionally until much later. At 16, As far as finding work and needing to make money, I went right to retail. Later I went to school for business. Luckily I found my way into the floral industry and from that moment on I knew I wanted to try and make a living being creative and doing what I love.
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 was born and raised in the Denver area, in a very creative household. I am an artist, photographer and floral designer. I work in the floral industry and have been for the last 16 years. Over that time I learned a great deal about business and got to utilize my creativity everyday. Right away the industry solidified my desire to have my own business and inspired me to find my own brand. I wanted to find a way to bring everything I loved together and create something I could be proud of whether it made money or not. That’s how Queen City Craftworks was born.
Essentially Queen City Craftworks is an art and photography gallery. I specialize in original photography and digital art, all deeply influenced by nature. Nature is my inspiration and drives so much of my life. I think what sets me apart is my unique way of capturing images that feel more like art.
You can purchase all of my work as prints or gifts, or as digital downloads that you can customize and print yourself. I’m also working on a donation platform so more people have access to photography, art, and nature in their lives.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect about what I do is slowing down. Taking the time to get outside, to explore, to take pictures. To really slow down and think and feel. To create. It’s really hard to do but so rewarding when you take the time to do it.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I first started by choosing the platform that I felt best showcased my work and had more of my audience. Building an audience is definitely a process, so be patient! I started following other artists and photographers and also other businesses in my area. It’s a great way to connect with your community as well as build your brand. It’s important not to compare yourself to others and to just be authentic to yourself. That’s probably the best advice for anyone just starting.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.queencitycraftworks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queencitycraftworks/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/annalaven