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

Carol , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Learning photography can be different from many other fields. While there are many books and traditional material for studying, a lot of the craft of photography is best learned from working in the field. Studying under a working photographer gives you a unique view of how images are created. While I did not have a formal art school education, having gone to engineering school instead, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to study with some of the best photographers and observe the practice of the craft from these seasoned professionals.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Thanks for having me at Canvas Rebel. It’s always a treat to catch up. A little about me, I’m Carol Schiraldi the creative hat behind Carol’s Little World. If I had to describe myself, I would say I am addicted to coffee, ramen noodles, spinning, and photography but not in that order. Kidding aside, I’m a passionate artist, lifelong learner, and curious explorer. My work reflects a playful experimentation that’s deeply rooted in my willingness to indulge my quirky offbeat nature. Growing up in Scarsdale, a bedroom community just outside of New York City, I was immersed in writing, music, and pottery as a child. This upbringing gave me a rich tapestry of artistic influences that continues to infuse my current work.

After training as an engineer and working as a computer programmer, I like to say photography found me. Moving to Austin, Texas to be part of the burgeoning tech scene, I picked up a camera as an excuse to go out and explore my new hometown. What started as a hobby turned into an obsession and later a business model as I fostered Carol’s Little World into what it is today. Carol’s Little World is an online gallery featuring fine art prints, gifts, and merchandise such as phone cases, tote bags, t-shirts, coasters, and calendars. Sometimes quirky, sometimes painterly, my work is quintessentially Carol and that’s what draws my clients, followers, and fans. Yes, I use photography as my guiding star and primary medium, but I’m not afraid to play and mix it up, often working with mixed media and other experiments. I loves exploring the possibilities that arise from layering, compositing, collage, alternative printing, and material studies and my fans appreciate that each day is going to bring something fresh, new, and unexpected into the mix.

Exploring the world and bringing back a fresh take, a new perspective, a quirky off beat view of something everybody thinks they have seen before makes me proud as that’s where my passion for exploration and curiosity comes into my art world. My clients, patrons, and followers love to share in this exploration and get rewarded with the everyday surprises from the journey.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As an artist, I must confess, creating is its own reward. As a photographer, being able to go out and see the world, to explore, the venture into the arena all the while crafting meaningful images is exceptionally rewarding. It’s a treat to be able to travel, to get to venture out and talk with people, to share their stories. It’s an honor and a privilege and something that fills my spirit in ways that are hard to describe. I am probably the most boring dinner companion nowadays, as most of my conversations start with, “Once, I was at a bar in Reykjavik when…” or “I was having this great noodle bowl in Kyoto with this person who…” Sharing the stories of the people I get to meet is such a great reward and I always feel honored when somebody entrusts me with their story. It’s like a little gift I get to capture and share with the world and such an honor and thrill to take part in the entire process.

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

These days a lot of an artist’s time is spent on social media and marketing our work in non traditional ways. It can be daunting. The best type of support is not always costly to the patrons. Most artists struggle with visibility. It can be difficult if not impossible to get noticed or to stand out. In my opinion, the biggest thing you can do to help the artistic community is notice that it’s there and support it as you can. Support doesn’t have to come in the form of purchasing artwork, although that is always nice too. Even just sharing a link on social media platforms these days can double the reach for an artist and can make a world of difference. A lot of times support comes in the form of a kind word or two also. A meaningful, “I love this piece,” can lift our spirits and make an artist feel like the work is having an impact. With social media, sometimes it’s hard to know you have an audience. It’s not like the old days of studio and gallery times where you would paint in private and only share as part of the gallery opening reception. Nowadays, the opening reception is your Instagram grid every day of the week and we can’t always tell when it wows you.

The best thing you can do to support artists is to shop locally, support the artistic community as you can, share a kind word, and help improve visibility for artwork that resonates with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carolslittleworld.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolschiraldi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolsLittleWorld
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjschiraldi/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSchiraldi
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/carolschiraldi/

Image Credits
Carol Schiraldi