We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carrie Wasterlain. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carrie below.
Carrie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
My watercolor art business, Carrie & The Brush, was a COVID-19 baby. There wasn’t one moment in which I made an intentional choice to start a business, rather, it grew out of a hobby, which morphed into a side hustle (and then a bigger and bigger side hustle that takes up every ounce of my free time!). I had always enjoyed art since a very young age, when my dad would sit with me and teach me how to draw simple 3-D objects. I later took figure drawing and painting classes at an artsy high school in New York City, and then in college, added on a Fine Arts Major once I completed my major in Public Policy, as a fun way to spend my senior year.
I grew up in a family in which both of my parents had corporate jobs, and I never considered a career in art, Instead, I went into advertising – the most creative corporate job I could think of – and found the content to be repetitive, the culture egotistical, and the work to be too surface-level. I went back to graduate school to become a psychotherapist, and until COVID-19, that was my sole career.
In the first weeks of lockdown in 2020, like many others, I discovered art tutorials on YouTube, as well as a set of watercolors hiding in my closet, from 1996 (when I was 7!). After a few Jenna Rainey tutorials (an incredible loose watercolor artist), I realized how intuitive I found watercolor – in contrast to oils and acrylics which I never found my groove with. I started an instagram for my watercolor practice, mostly for myself, and I painted every single day, for a year. As I grew my skills, my following grew as well. I started painting bouquets created by local florists, tagging them on instagram where I would post my painting process. One day, a florist told me she wanted to buy the painting. That was the lightbulb moment in which I realized I could make money from this intensely enjoyable hobby. And that was the start of my business!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Soon after I sold my first painting, I opened up an Etsy shop selling original floral paintings. About a week in, another florist purchased a painting I had listed in my Etsy shop. As the sales trickled in (and they certainly weren’t popping off at first), my confidence and motivation grew, and I sought out to learn all there was to learn about Etsy – and there is a LOT.
While I loved painting loose watercolor florals, I quickly realized that it was hard to differentiate from others selling on the platform with such a broad subject matter. As Etsy is a search engine, I realized I needed to have more of a “focus” than general floral watercolor in order to show up in the algorithm, attract a customer base and make scalable sales. When I found out I was pregnant, it was only natural that my work morphed into nursery & kids decor, which was perfect for my goal of being more marketable on Etsy.
Halfway into my pregnancy, I found out I was having a boy (I now have two!). Though I believe florals are for everyone, this milestone in my life inspired me to expand my subject matter to other subjects, such as animals and wildlife, as I wanted to paint some sweet decor for my little one that went beyond flowers. As I researched Etsy to see what kinds of nursery and kids decor was out there, I realized there weren’t a lot of unique options to choose from. All of the decor had the same baby-ish style, of simplified, cartoonish animals.
Meanwhile, as I cared for my newborn, spending hours and hours with him in his room (well, more of a closet) each day and night, I had a light-bulb moment: nursery decor isn’t for newborns – it’s for MOMS! I mean, let’s be real…babies can’t even see in color. I was kind of shocked that there was very little decor that was both cute enough for kids and sophisticated enough for moms to enjoy. And that’s what I set out to create.
Since my apartment was too tiny to design the nursery of my dreams, I set out to help others moms decorate their. I started gathering inspiration from the world around me in my new home of Austin, Texas. As I and my little one were mesmerized by the wildflowers, deer and farms animals around us, I was inspired to create art inspired by the child-like explorers in all of us. From milestone cards to alphabet prints, my products are designed to delight little ones and parents alike, creating opportunities for connection, learning and discovery for all. My boys’ room is now adorned in my art prints and wallpaper I designed, and my oldest son loves to point out the animals he sees around him. These moments are what drives me to continue to create.
Watercolor has brought me more joy than I knew was possible, not only through the process of painting, but through connecting with families (mostly moms) and delivering pieces of art that enhance their and their children’s lives. My next goal is to delve into art licensing in the world of baby and kids apparel, which brings a whole new set of skills I am determined to tackle.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Developments in the digital world have transformed the creative landscape, providing artists with incredible opportunities. The ability to reach and engage an audience through social media, sell nationwide on platforms like Etsy, and learn virtually any painting or digital design technique with a simple Google search has enabled me—and many others—to build fulfilling and joyful businesses. At the same time, these advancements come with significant challenges, such as rampant copyright infringement and art “poaching” on the internet. Just a few weeks ago, I discovered my Woodland Alphabet art print being sold on Amazon by a faceless company based in China that had stolen my work.
AI is another example of a double-edged innovation—extremely useful in some ways and deeply threatening in others. AI tools can now produce “art” in a matter of minutes that might take an artist hours, days, or even months to create. This shift can perpetuate the perception that art should be fast, cheap, and easily accessible, driving down the willingness of customers to pay for authentic work. Compounding this challenge are industry giants like Amazon, which, while undeniably valuable, have set unrealistic expectations around free and expedient shipping—something small businesses simply cannot afford to sustain. Together, these factors can make it incredibly difficult to run a profitable art-based business.
If we want to maintain a thriving creative ecosystem, we can start by considering shopping more at local stores, craft shows, or searching harder for small businesses online (Instagram is a great place to find them!). We can do our research, choose to care more about who made what we’re buying and what the impact of our purchase will be. This process can and should be enjoyable – there is benefit on both ends of a meaningful and thoughtful purchase, and these moments of connection are what makes life as humans special.
Other artists are also crucial in helping art businesses maintain profitability, and can help immensely by pricing their work based on its value, rather than underpricing, which brings down the entire community’s profit potential. We can further promote the value of creative labor by discouraging unpaid work or “exposure-only” projects altogether, though they are temping for newer artists. Artists should push themselves to stand up for their value and negotiate when licensing or selling their art to companies, rather than accepting the first price offered.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The world of watercolor and creative small businesses is, in large part, driven by women. One of the most fulfilling surprises of starting my own business has been connecting with other women—sharing lessons, wisdom, and encouragement as we strive to reach our fullest potential, both as artists and as individuals. I’ve noticed that many of us struggle with self-worth and can be incredibly critical of our work, often to the point of stifling our growth. Valuing myself and my work has been a lifelong journey, and as I’ve grown in this area, I’ve seen my business grow alongside me. Building a business involves so much—from economics to marketing to mindset—and I find the process of learning and growing to be endlessly rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carrieandthebrush.com
- Instagram: @carrieandthebrush