We recently connected with Carin Bernard and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I picked up painting as a form of therapy to cope with depression and the passing of my mother. I would spend a significant amount of time by myself, with the exception of my cat. My thoughts would overpower me until I was lead to paint something. I used to say if I can inspire at least one person through art, I would be worth facing myself. Sharing my art led me to becoming a professional artist of 8 years. Through my summer internship, I’ve taught several teens and tweens how to start a career in art. I am currently teach middle school art and have never felt so fulfilled in my career.

Carin, 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 went to school for economics and worked through college. I’ve always drew and colored but picking up painting boosted my confidence. I started out selling paintings then took the money earned from that to invest in doing private paint parties. As time went on I was able to register for an LLC so I could start doing more for my brand. I now do a wide variety of products from stickers to hats and recently started taking on mural projects.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Community should get into the habit of supporting one another the way we celebrate famous people. If we show up things can improve in the community and people can grow as a collective.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’ve always found myself with some sort of car issue. Whether my car broke down or I got into an accident, I always had to keep moving. There was always a job, a class or bill to pay in order for me to survive. If my form of transportation wasn’t restored quickly, everything else in my life would fall a part. I had no one that could give me rides consistently and getting my license was mandatory. It’s the fact that I was always able to show up where I needed to made me realize my capabilities.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Carinista_art
• Facebook: Carinistaart