We were lucky to catch up with Carrie Bower recently and have shared our conversation below.
Carrie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
For years I worked as a wedding photographer. After 200 weddings, I was burnt out. You’ve heard it said again and again that artists are “starving.” I desperately wanted to get into a new type of art, and of course to earn enough to keep it from being a financial loss. I wasn’t sure if I could make it in an artistic field other than photography.
A list maker by nature, I sat down to conquer the mystery that was plaguing me. How could I find a new way to fill that creative desire, but tie in what I already knew. I took a long hard look at my life. What had I dabbled in that made me feel those full heart feelings, what had people complimented me on, what had they asked my advice regarding.. Adding these up, I saw a new path for myself that centered around an instagram profile showing people what I was up to. It started with ephemera, journaling, snailmail (especially during the covid quarantine), and slowly took shape as a love for mixed media arts, resin and creating my own wax seal stamp handles for adorning mail.
I’m definitely not bringing in the same amount of income as wedding photography, but what’s more meaningful to me is doing something that fills me all while staying home with our four kids. This was a risk worth taking, and I’m loving every minute of this slow-living lifestyle we have now.
Carrie, 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?
2018 was my last year as a full time photographer, I decided to seek a different artistic path that focused on my love for antiques, papers, nature and mixed media art. I currently spend the majority of my time creating resin projects that tie in my love of rugged nature with whimsical fairytales.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I find the most rewarding part of this creative path to be the ability to follow my own creative vision, and to inspire my kids to do the same. Being your own boss is freeing.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Instagram was integral in this journey. Covid quarantine helped me desire to get back into a writing routine, and to connect with others. This led me to an online community of creatives who were as equally excited to get back into old school mail connections. I think the key was finding like-minded people within the social media outlets. Niche hashtags, group chats, genuine comments on posts, and writing to one another in real life made the growth steady and legitimate. I highly suggest starting a group chat with other people who have common interests. You can help one another build something faster as a team than you can on your own.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warm.morning.sun
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warm.morning.sun1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/warm_morningsun
- Other: Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/Thewarmmorningsun/in-the-cottage/
Image Credits
All photos were taken by me.