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

Claire, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.

The best boss I ever had was Brian Bonham, he was my sales manager at FoodServiceWarehouse.com. He would train us on all the equipment, how it works, how they differ from other products, how to best analyze the customer’s needs to get them the piece of equipment for their business, ect. I always found him to be very knowledgeable and professional but most of all approachable. He had a very dry sense of humor that I enjoyed and although he was strict when it came to what was expected as far as sales numbers go, he always gave us the tools needed to reach our goals. I really felt like he was invested in every member of his team and genuinely wanted us all to succeed individually. I always felt like I could ask him questions or get some insight from him without getting any sense that I was annoying him.

I was already a few years into my art business when I started working at FSW so, while I was working there I would talk about my art a lot. Brian was always very supportive and encouraged me to continue to pursue it while I was him employee which was the complete opposite reaction I would get from previous bosses. Eventually, FSW collapsed due to the CEO’s sketchy dealings behind the scenes and all 400+ employees lost their jobs. It was at this point I decided to stay home with my daughter and pursue my art as my only source of income. Brian and I stayed in touch via social media and several years after the closure he commissioned me to complete several large canvases for him. This only solidified the feelings I had toward him as a leader. He was always genuine about wanting me to succeed, even after I was no longer his employee he continued to support my dream of working as an artist. I’ll never forget that.

Claire, 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’ve always had a crafty, entrepreneurial streak. From an early age, I loved making things and finding ways to share them with others. I studied visual arts with a concentration in photography at Radford University, but switched my major to business with a minor in art during my junior year because I wanted to keep my career options open.
My first job out of college put my photography skills to use as a baby photographer at Kiddie Kandids. Later, I moved into sales roles, including at Westwood College and then as a sales representative at FoodService Warehouse (FSW), where I really enjoyed the work and the team.

While at Westwood, I started my Etsy shop on the side, selling hand-painted coaster sets and mixed media canvases. It took off faster than I expected! I learned a lot quickly—sometimes the hard way, like figuring out international shipping after my very first overseas order to Amsterdam left me in the red. Those early hiccups were great teachers.
A few months in, I landed a licensing contract with Kess InHouse, which helped get my artwork out there and generated solid income. Around the same time, I was invited to show at a RAW: Natural Born Artists event in Denver. That first show was a blast—I made around 50 sales and connected with so many other artists in the community. The energy from that experience hooked me. I started saying yes to every showcase I could manage, often painting late into the night after my day job. Six months later, I won RAW: Visual Artist of 2013, which opened even more doors.
That momentum led to additional licensing deals and exhibitions at galleries and coffee shops around Denver. While things were going well with my art, I approached the CEO at FSW about brightening up their new office and warehouse with some artwork. He loved the idea and commissioned me for a big project—multiple canvas groupings (including one with fifty 12”x12” pieces) plus custom coasters for every chair in the offices. It was a huge undertaking that took 4-5 months, and it’s still one of my favorite and largest projects to date.

In 2019, I began taking private commissions again and briefly reopened my Etsy shop. After an extended break, I recently brought the shop back under the new name CraftAndConspiracy. I chose the name because I’d eventually like it to become more of a family creative venture rather than just my own artwork. Right now, I’m focused on building up inventory so I can jump back into local art shows and craft fairs. I’m also open to more private and commercial commissions.

I’m really excited to be starting this next chapter. There’s something energizing about rebuilding and seeing where this creative path takes me next.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I was more knowledgeable about all the software programs and technological tools. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands; I was never very interested in techy things so I didn’t spend much effort retaining any skills I learned in college as far as creative software goes. I took one digital photography class and all the rest were dark room classes. I’ve spent zero time in the dark room since college so that was time well spent! I’ve had to learn and relearn things the hard way. I would end up saving a lot of time if I was more fluent in creative programs, instead I end up doing most things manually

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

The biggest way to support artists and creatives would be to buy artwork directly from the creator. Whether that be in person or through their website. AI can create a lot of beautiful things but it cannot replace the heart in soul that goes into a handcrafted piece. Hire a local photographer to take your family pictures, buy gifts at your local artisan shops, get your house plants from the pop-up shop at the park or buy something off Etsy. Attend craft fairs and art shows and bring your friends to expose them to all the creatives in their community. Most of all, encourage your friends and family that have a creative gift to share it with the world. A good amount of creatives spend a lot of time in their head feeding self doubt and never think that anyone else will see value in their work. That is simply not true! You will never know what reach your work can have or what your work might bring into someone’s life. Take the chance on yourself and share your talent, encourage other talented people to share their work and the creative community will thrive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftAndConspiracy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairedayart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clairedayart
• Other: https://rawartists.com/claireday

Image Credits

Mandy Austin