We recently connected with Caitlin Yarbro and have shared our conversation below.

Caitlin , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

There are moments I wish I started my creative career sooner. I still have a hard time considering this a career as I have yet to commit to it full time even though it’s heading in that direction. I often look back and think I lacked courage when it comes to what I pursued in college and the risks I took. I was very committed to becoming a counselor. I worked for almost 9 years as an addiction counselor. I loved my job very much. And I found myself drawn to using art in my work with clients. I wanted to focus on art therapy and go back to school, but I began having children and life changed a bit for me. Sometimes I regret not pursuing more once I stopped working full time as I often wanted to jump into creative work when home with my boys. It was only after the Pandemic hit that I jumped back into making.

Caitlin , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I did not always work or identify as a maker. Before pursuing my art business, I worked full time as an addiction counselor with teens and their families. I graduated from college with the plan of pursuing a graduate degree in social work or professional counseling. But after working for almost nine years as a counselor, I experienced burn out. I had two babies at the time and my work life became stressful, so I left the field and decided to stay home full time. This was not an easy decision and it came with its struggles. My third son was born right before the pandemic and life got a bit hectic. It was during the pandemic that I started getting back to daily journaling, writing letters, and collage as coping. Art was always an interest of mine. I often used art when working as a counselor- introducing art journaling and using it as a healing tool. I loved watching the process of making. I became interested in learning about process vs product in therapy and focused on this in my work.
When businesses began to open up again after Covid, I was offered an opportunity to participate in art pop-ups with a local shop. I was starting to share more on social media about my work and letter writing. I have always been a stationery enthusiast and paper lover. I was sharing stationery shops and ways to send fun “snail mail”. Would make videos of my hand lettering and tools I loved using, such as stamps, wax seals, and special pens. At the time I wasn’t selling my work, but rather making gifts for friends and sending them via the mail as a way of getting through pandemic life. Because of my engagement with a local shop (GEM- now closed) and the beginning of a business relationship turned friendship, I was introduced to more events in my community and began participating in our local Art Scene events. My confidence in my ability to continue pushing with my collage art came after participating in Rockford’s Greenwich Art Fair at the Rockford art Museum. I was invited to participate in an art collective booth. It was a lot of prep and work, but really pushed me to continue with my art. I continued to participate in Rockford’s Art Scene and then began applying to maker’s markets in the Chicago and Wisconsin areas.
I focus on hand-cut collage. I love cutting paper and engaging in the process of composing a piece. I am mostly inspired by nature elements, but I am drawn to creating nostalgic experiences for my customers. I want the customer to feel the whimsy and thoughtfulness that I am attempting to bring out. When I create a collection of work, it is most likely influenced by what I am currently feeling or experiencing in my surroundings. Helping others see the joy that comes from sending or writing a letter is important to me, which is why you will find many collage note cards in my booth at a market. I have taken custom orders for handmade cards and collage work.. I began creating stickers of my collage work as a way to offer mini art options. I do not do prints. Everything is one of one, so the stickers offer a way to have a work on mine that may have sold already.
I love that I do handmade and have seemed to bring my love of connecting with others and making art together. Humans need connection to survive. Using what I have learned as a counselor and putting that in my art and/or offerings has been so meaningful. It especially makes me smile when others who visit my booths at markets recognize that and we can connect. I still consider myself a novice at this work. I am not a masterful artist. I am self taught. I am still learning. But I am absolutely proud of myself for taking this risk and putting my work out there when I do an event. I can lack confidence at times, but staying committed to making has brought me a sense of accomplishment.
When I became a mom, I often felt as though I had lost a piece of myself. It felt confusing. I started doubting myself. My anxiety increased and fear set in that I wouldn’t have the confidence to return to “work life”. I want readers to know that it’s possible to change paths. It’s possible to want motherhood/parenthood, but also make a decision to pursue your own passions. And just because I went to school to for counseling, does not mean I am committed to that for life. You can change your mind! I am proud of my recent courage to pursue this creative life. I am also proud of my three boys and life I have with my husband.

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

I often experience some regret regarding utilizing my community and the people right here in my local neighborhood living creative lives. I think I was often too scared to ask for help or reach out with questions about what our community offered. There are so many classes, volunteer opportunities, and people who can help. Rockford has a wonderful Arts Counsil and local businesses who are dedicated to furthering our art community.

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

Right now with where I am at in my creative career, I would say just being able to do this and have it grow with the little time I have had feels amazing. I’ve met so many makers and connected with new people at events/markets. I am now selling my work at four different shops and built new relationships through custom work. But what’s even more rewarding is knowing that I am taking healthy risks, jumping into new things even when I am scared, and connecting with others through my work. Maker life is time consuming and sometimes overwhelming, but the making itself gives me so much joy and calm. It’s my meditation. And I no longer feel like I am missing out on my boys’ lives. I can make room for both loves- my work and my family.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.caitlinyarbropaperart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitlinmyarbro?igsh=MWxqdzdudG5mNWR5dg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086669631502&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
The photo of me on a stool with my artwork was done by Jasmine Rose Photography.