We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Catherine Wilfong a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Catherine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I think I learned to draw before I learned to write. I have always been artistically inclined. For as long as I can remember, I have created pictures from whatever tool was at my disposal-markers, pencils, pens, paint, oil pastel…anything I could get my hands on! In school, art class was my favorite time of day. Outside of school art teachers, I have no formal education in painting or drawing. I am a self taught artist, and for a long time that gave me quite a bit of “imposter syndrome”. I started painting in high school and have been painting ever since. It wasn’t until the end of my college career at the University of Georgia that I even considered taking on commissions. Painting was so personal for me, and for years I wasn’t ready to invite anyone else in. I graduated as a fifth year from the Terry College of Business with a Real Estate degree in 2020 which is when things began to change. I moved back in with my parents during lock down, finished school online, and did not have a job. I pursued obtaining my Georgia Real Estate license and began to take on steady painting commissions for some extra money. I really enjoyed that season, but at the time I knew it wasn’t sustainable for me. Each of my internships in real estate during my college career left me feeling unfulfilled. I hoped that would change when I landed my first full time job in the construction industry early 2022. A year later I was miserable at work and preparing for my April wedding. It was in that season that I decided to start my own business. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I had a lot of dreams for the business and wanted it to be bigger than just art. I no longer settled for my excuses. You’ll excuse your life away if you’re not careful. I got married, launched my business, and took on a part time job at a florist to make ends meet. My husband and I built a house that same year, moved in at the turn of the year, and by fall of 2024 I realized I had settled into a rhythm that was comfortable instead of pushing myself to grow. I slowly began to take content creation a bit more seriously, and slowly a gained a small following. By late winter 2025, opportunities and commissions began to really take off. I am now a full time artist/stay at home wife, and I have never felt so content. I love creating my own schedule. I love creating content around art, homemaking, tablescapes, interior decor, hosting, and more. I love painting for other people. I love the community I’m creating. I love participating in pop up events and meeting so many wonderful people. I’ve entered a season of excitement, peace, and joy. I finally feel like I’m doing exactly what I was created to do!

Catherine, 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 was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2020 with a real estate degree from the Terry College of Business. I obtained my license in real estate and still keep up with it to have it on hand. I felt very unfulfilled at each internship and job I had and ultimately decided to start my own business in 2023. I married my best friend and kind of high school sweetheart (we started dating at the very end of senior year) in April of 2023. We love our life here in Athens, and I love having the ability and opportunity to work for myself full time. My business is called CBW Design LLC. I take on art commissions from clients. My specialty is acrylic paintings, but I often create pen drawings, colored pencil drawings, and watercolors as well. Common commission work includes landscapes, pet portraits, home portraits, and off site wedding venue paintings. I work with clients closely to ensure they receive a work of art they can treasure forever. I also create drawings and paintings for wedding stationary for my bride clients. This year I’ve started participating in relatively local art pop up events. I sell prints and stationary online along with some smaller original works. My website is www.cbwdesignllc.com. I have a blog on my website that I recently started and am really enjoying. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me, so I would love to see that grow into something bigger. On my social media, I share my artwork as well as interior decorating, seasonal tablescapes, floral arranging, hosting, and homemaking tips. I think that sets me a part from other artists. I have so many creative interests that I love to share, and people enjoy the diversity. My realistic artistic style also sets me a part. Every artist has a unique perspective to present to the world. I am most proud of my work. I love every single piece that I paint. It’s hard to let go of them sometimes! I love creating artwork for clients that they treasure forever. I think it’s cool to be apart of a legacy like that. Many of the paintings I create will be passed down to generations. I love that! I am a very small business with a lot of long term goals. I hope to continue to build my community and grow my client base through social media connection.

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

Supporting small business is huge. Online big businesses that mass produce have absolutely crushed local artisans and small businesses. Even the algorithm seems to be fighting small creators now. Everyone wants their products to be ready at lightening speed for a low price, and that isn’t realistic or sustainable for small artists and creatives. I’m a huge believer in shopping small even if it means paying a higher price. Personally, I’ve tried to find a good balance that’s realistic for my budget. Paying a higher price at a small business often means sacrificing quantity to fit within your budget…and honestly there is nothing wrong with that! Support comes in different ways. The most obvious is to purchase goods and services from small, local businesses/artists instead of turning to the big box internet. Financial support is crucial, but support on social media is also key! Sharing, liking, following, commenting, and saving posts puts an artist’s content out their and creates more opportunity for new clients and new business. Leave positive reviews, share websites and socials with others, and be active on social media to help push small creatives out there and encourage their business. A kind word goes a long way!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to create a lovely, peaceful life for myself, and I want to encourage others to do the same. I look to find beauty in the world to share with others. I want to inspire others while finding inspiration myself. That goal drives everything I share and create. I paint what I think is beautiful which is why landscapes are my favorite subjects! I create share floral arrangements and show viewers how to do it themselves. I watch the sunrise as many days as I can and pretty much tell anyone I come into contact with to try it out. I encourage people to use the old things that are passed down to them (like silver pieces or old furniture). I want to help people create a beautiful life for themselves. Maybe that’s creating a piece of artwork for their home, showing them ideas on how to set a seasonal table, or teaching them how to make their own wreaths. Maybe that’s selling lovely stationary to encourage letter writing, giving decorating tips, or sharing gardening hacks. Maybe it’s finding a delicious recipe to share, showcasing recent pictures I’ve taken in nature, or highlighting the things to look forward to each month. I share such a variety of content that all circles back to creating a lovely, peaceful life. My business is about more than just selling and sharing artwork. It’s about finding the beauty in each day no matter what season of life you’re in.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cbwdesignllc,com
• Instagram: @c.b.w.design https://www.instagram.com/c.b.w.design/
• Facebook: CBW Design https://www.facebook.com/p/CBW-Design-100094203924215/
• Other: Tiktok: @cbwdesign
  Email: [email protected]