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

Devon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents have always encouraged me to pursue my interest in art without passing judgement on the quality of the finished product, and I really appreciate that. I remember as a very little girl drawing and coloring with my mom. We did other arts and crafts together too, like painting or making birdfeeders with pinecones and peanut butter and coating them in birdseed. There was never a “right” way to make something or do art, which I believe is an important lesson. I think it’s easy for people (artists especially!) to classify art as “good” or “bad” but I really believe art just exists as an expression of the artist’s viewpoint. My parents have always encouraged me to just keep making, which is exactly what I needed. My dad has always talked about cycles of learning, and how we improve the more we do something. Art is just like that; my art evolves and changes as I learn more about myself and as my use of materials changes. The encouragement when I was a child to make things has translated to seeing art as an active process of creation, and I love that.

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

Hi! I’m Devon from PencilsnParsley. I’m a colored pencil and ink artist based in Northern Colorado, and I make whimsical, nature-inspired art. I love to make three different types of art: original colored pencil works, repeating patterns for fabric design, and merchandise (like stickers, tshirt art, leggings, etc). I also do custom work, such as custom fabrics or original pieces for clients.

While I’ve been creating art in different forms for basically my whole life, I didn’t start as a professional artist until December 2021. I had been in a corporate field before, and while I was doing well professionally, I just wasn’t happy. I didn’t feel fulfilled. I realized I needed to make a change, and so I started PencilsnParsley. It was a leap of faith for sure, but I’m lucky that I have a supportive husband and family who encouraged me to pursue my art passion as a career.

My collaborative approach to client work makes me stand out from the crowd. I start with some basic sketches, but then encourage feedback and changes as we move through the process together from the initial idea to the final product. I want clients to feel heard and like they were involved in the process of creating. I think this process sets me apart from many other artists.

My use of materials is another thing that sets me apart. I use wax-based colored pencils and ink together, which is somewhat unusual. I start by outlining my sketches in ink and adding some details with the ink, and then layering colored pencil over the top. Using ink with wax-based pencil is unusual because I have to plan ahead and ink first. Ink on top of wax-based pencil won’t work; the wax from the pencil will clog the ink pens. Finally, making colored pencil art and then turning that art into fabric designs is somewhat unusual. Many fabric designers make their designs using digital art, but I create all my design elements on paper, scan them, and then create the finished designs digitally. This means that I’ve developed my own process that works for me!

Something I’m most proud of in my work right now is balancing art and motherhood. I have a 6 month old daughter, and so I have very different amounts of time for my work. Sometimes she’ll sleep take long naps and I get so much work done, and then other times she doesn’t sleep. I’m learning to break my work into small chunks and to keep my art supplies available to take advantage of the moments I get for my own work. Art is not only my chosen profession, but a piece of my soul, and getting even stolen moments to create helps me anchor myself in the sea of motherhood.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I feel like I pivot a lot, or at least I have recently. One of the biggest signs of personal growth, in my opinion, is feeling comfortable changing your mind when you’re presented with new information or have new experiences. One of my major pivots was deciding that the corporate work world isn’t for me. I had always figured that I would eventually like corporate work, and so I worked really hard to climb the ladder, thinking I’d be happier once I finished this project or put in extra time on that team. But I didn’t. In fact, I ended up feeling burned out and I wasn’t really making art at all. Over the course of 2021, through many conversations with my supportive spouse and parents, I came to realize that I was happiest making art and working for myself. I still feel like I’m getting started even a year into running PencilsnParsley, and I can see where I want to take my art career going forward, but good things take time and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

When I was still working my corporate job and thinking of starting PencilsnParsley in the fall of 2021, I devoured as many resources as I could about beginning a creative career, or even just getting in touch with your inner creative person, since I felt like I’d lost touch with myself. The most influential for me was “Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic” by Lisa Congdon. This is an excellent book even if you don’t want to become a working artist and just want to get in touch with your inner creative. Lisa Congdon came to art later in life, after working in the corporate world for decades, and has built a successful art career. I find her story inspiring. Her book discusses focusing on the process of making art, as opposed to focusing on the finished product (very much in line with what my dad says about cycles of learning and learning more the more you make art). Lisa Congdon’s book also discusses beginning to make art in spite of, or because of, your fear that the art won’t turn out. Just begin, even if you’re not wholly ready.

Another good creative resource is the Creative Peptalk podcast, hosted by Andy J Pizza. Andy did a miniseries about making art even when you’re feeling stuck around the time I was reading Lisa Congdon’s book in the fall of 2021, and I remember him saying that being creative is like riding a bike: you have to go faster than you feel comfortable with in order to stay upright and move forward. That has really stuck with me, not because I think he was suggesting I should jump into a new career, but that maybe I knew deep down what my answer was and I needed to take actionable steps towards my art career. I also think it means that artists need to take creative risks; don’t worry about whether a piece will sell or if it will “make your career”. Make the art for the sake of the art, because that art deserves to be made.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pencilsnparsley.com/
• Instagram: @pencilsnparsley
• Other: Email: [email protected] Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pencilsnparsley Spoonflower (purchase fabric by the yard): https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/pencilsnparsley

Image Credits
Devon Bennett, PencilsnParsley