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

Alright, Bridgette thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was in 8th grade. Growing up I was a perfectionist and art allowed me to feel free. I was always so inspired by everything I saw at Anthropologie in Berkeley that I knew I had found my calling – making art and beautiful artistic products. My grandma and I would go to art museums together. My mom always had me creating a craft. I was always so inspired by how artists used creativity and business together to create their dream lives!

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 grew up in the Bay Area and wanted to be an artist starting in 8th grade. My grandmother and mom were both hugely supportive in my creative career. I went to art school at California College of the Arts where I studied graphic design, visual studies and painting and drawing. Once I graduated from art school I emailed Serena & Lily and began selling my art on their website. I was doing this simultaneously with working in fashion for BCBG on their photoshoots.
I was discovered by Anthropologie in 2018 – we created a 30+ item home and gift collection with each piece featuring my artwork. Nordstrom also carried the collection.
Since then I have manufactured and sold my own collection – Paint&Petals. My family and I live in Lake Tahoe and my brother Karl runs the backend of the business so I can focus on the creative parts.
We currently have two new products for sale on Costco.com

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

In order for a creative to survive they must also be entrepreneurs. Starting an art business requires so many random little skills – you have to work quickly and scrappy. For example, I still photograph and edit all images of my artwork and products listed on my site. It is important to handle as much of the administrative/back end tasks as you can so that you are able to pay yourself and also put funds back into the business.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, there is no other job I would want to be doing. This has to be a calling otherwise it is simply too challenging. The most rewarding part is that I get to spend hours painting and doing what I love. I think initially people think being an entrepreneur and working for yourself means you have tons of freedom. You do in some ways but honestly you just think about your work even more. Working for yourself and doing a creative career means you are on 24/7 – so you truly have to love it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paintandpetals.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paintandpetals/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paintandpetalsart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paint-petals/?viewAsMember=true