We were lucky to catch up with Carla J Lawson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carla J, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The biggest risk that I ever took in my life was deciding to be a full-time visual artist and acting on it. I had worked my entire life in retail and customer service jobs that paid me quite well. I loved working in sales, and I was exceptional in sales and customer service. Despite having always worked in sales, I also had always been a creative. From the age of 7 I had been drawing and making things using natural talent and gifts. My parents were super supportive and encouraged me in anything that I wanted to explore creatively. As an adult, I hadn’t quite grasped the magnitude of my creative abilities. I had an uncanny gift. I was able to look at something or see how something was made and then make it myself- with my own style added to it. For years I created beautiful things at random for friends and family members as gifts. Then in my mid-twenties, I went to an art supply store and bought a canvas, brushes and some acrylic paint. It opened something up inside of me when people saw it and asked for me to paint something for them. I continued to teach myself how to paint and sell small paintings whenever I had the time. I was 38 when my mother called and made me an offer that would change my life. She said that she wanted me to move back into my childhood home with her and use the garage as an art studio- giving me an opportunity to create with no overhead expenses. She said that she didn’t want me to look up and be in my 60’s or 70’s regretting that I had never given myself a chance as an artist. It took me by surprise, and I was pretty sure that what I did not want to do was give up my job and my apartment to live with my mom and take a risk at something that I had no idea or plan about how to make a living doing. I shared with several friends what my mother had proposed, and they were in agreement about me giving up my independence. Then I shared with a couple of friends that were professional artists. They were speechless at my inability to comprehend what my mom was offering. One of them made a statement that woke me up completely. “You have been offered what some artists will never know the feeling of. A safe, supportive environment to create without worrying about how you’re going to survive. You need to swallow your pride and go home.” I thought about what he’d said for about a month, then I called my mom, packed up my place and went home. When I got home, I immediately set up a full studio in my mother’s garage. I took a part time job in town and started painting in my spare time. After a year and half, I decided it was time to fully dive into being an artist. I quit the part time job at 40 years old and submersed myself into painting. It felt like someone had taken a blindfold off of me. I literally exploded with creativity.
During the first 9 months I cranked out over 100 pieces of original art. I felt like I couldn’t stop. The ideas kept coming and all I did from sunup to sundown- was paint. I was eating randomly, sleeping in spurts and nothing was as important as the next idea I had for a new piece. Eventually a childhood friend came by to visit and joined me in my studio for a glass of wine. As she looked through rows of stacked paintings, she shook her head in astonishment. “What are you going to do with all of this? People need to see your work!” I had been so immersed in creating that I hadn’t even thought about anyone else seeing my work. She coordinated and helped me plan my first artist reception as a full-time working artist. We expected to get anywhere from 25 to 50 guests. 130 people came to see my work for the first time- and they bought almost everything that I had. That event gave me the validation, affirmation and courage that I needed to believe that what I had to offer made me people feel something, and that I could make money doing what I loved. It was on that day that I realized that taking the risk to be something that I knew nothing about, was going to be worth it.
This year, 2024, marks 15 years since that first reception. It took 5 years to understand my worth, another 5 to figure out and learn how to generate revenue outside of selling originals, and another five years of fine tuning everything that I had learned to get to where I am now. Where am I now? Confident, always stretching as I explore new mediums and master them and creating still consistently because I have to. It has become the air that I breathe and the song that I dance to. Most of all, the biggest risk that I ever took in my life, has become my biggest blessing. My spirit is free because my heart stays full, doing what I love to do.

Carla J, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am 54 years old, married with a 19-year-old son. I have my entire life been attracted to all forms of art. Visual art, dance, music, theater, you name it- if it was creative, I appreciated it. When I decided to become a visual artist and work for myself, I had no idea what that really meant and what it would take. I am self-taught in all disciplines. I paint, sculpt, make jewelry, dolls and quilts and I am an author. When I’m not working on visual art, I’m writing books. I learned how to do all of these things by studying the work of other artists, learning what their processes were and applying what would help me to grow to my own process. It didn’t take long for me to realize that people don’t buy original art every day. So, I had to figure out a way to maintain the generation of income. I realized that the prices of my originals were not a price point that people en masse could afford. I needed to set myself apart as the artist that art lovers could always walk away with something bearing an image that they loved. I started with t-shirts, then tote bags, then mugs and calendars and continued to add products that were affordable. It was important to me that the person who saw my work at an event and loved it but couldn’t afford a $3000 original or a $200 print did not feel as if obtaining something of mine was not an option. I made it a point to have functional products with my art printed on it priced from $15 to $100 always available. That was one of the best decisions I ever made. I’m filled with pride when I’m somewhere and see someone with a backpack, duffle bag, t-shirt, or tote bag bearing my original art on it pass by me. The most important thing of all is that my work shows a sense of cultural pride. As I evolve as an artist, I am highly appreciative of the people who bring their children to meet me. The people who say that I inspired them through a piece f my work or by them hearing me say “Just start.” My work is always tied to some type of cultural reference and an affinity for color. I try to bring my pieces to life with vibrant colors and textures. It’s critical for me as an artist to know that people felt something when they viewed my work. That something in the colors and composition inspired some type of thought.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is sharing your most intimate self with the world. As a creative we see beauty in things that other people take for granted. We see color and movement in ways that most people cannot. Then we translate that to a blank canvas and the result is something that allows people to see your heart, without explanation.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I had known about patrons of the arts. Over the years I had no idea that there were people who not only loved but understood artists and that they would donate funds to artists so that they could create freely. So many times people asked how can I support you and I didn’t have an answer outside of them making a purchase. Once I learned about patrons and began to seek them out I immediately understood the value in having support that has one goal- to see you win.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carla-js-art.square.site www.artwithpurpose.store
• Instagram: @carlajsart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlajsart
• Patreon:http://www.patreon.com/Carlajlawson