We recently connected with Haley Femrite and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Haley, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

As far back as I can remember, I loved being creative. I was always drawn to art. It wasn’t until my AP art class in high-school, that I knew I had to find a way to do it professionally. That class had a huge impact on me and changed me in so many amazing ways. I matured at a young age and have never really had much in common with people my age. Especially in high-school! But in that class I found a group of fellow artists whom I connected with. Everyday was a blast! They were, and are to this day, extremely talented. My confidence in my art grew tremendously. For me, it was the highlight of my day, a time and place where I could relax and be 100% myself. Not to mention, we had the best art teacher to ever exist. (I promise I’m not biased) Mr. Morris is a legend. That man was so passionate about art and creation. It was in his every action, he lived and breathed art. He always knew exactly what to tell you when you were stuck or struggling. It blew my mind! He really cared about encouraging the students who were serious about art. He wanted you to succeed, to grow, and to learn. In that class he gave us an assignment to create something using 2 different mediums. I just happened to choose ballpoint pen and watercolor. That was it for me. When I completed that assignment, I knew I had found my niche. To this day, and I know it sounds crazy, but ballpoint pen is my therapy. It’s slow moving, it’s time consuming, and takes a lot of concentration. It just puts me at peace. My anxiety disappears. I am by no means at my best as an artist. I have so much more to learn. That’s the beauty of it. I can’t wait to see what my art looks like in ten years. I am so incredibly grateful for my classmates and my art teacher. Everyone has moments or people who change their lives forever. They did that for me.

Haley, 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’m 25 years old, I was born and raised in Texas. I have an amazing little boy named Hendrix. He turned 4 this year. I’ve loved art ever since I was very young. My mom is actually very creative. She draws, does beautiful makeup, and is the best hairstylist I’ve ever seen. I always say I got my creative gene from her. High-school is when I really got serious about being an artist for a living. I knew I had to find a way. I found my love for the ballpoint pen because of an assignment and never looked back. I provide original drawings, paintings, prints, and stickers. Gosh, there are so many artists, all so unique. I am constantly in awe of how talented a human being can be. I guess I would say my style sets me apart. I haven’t seen anyone doing exactly what I do. And I am by no means the best, or the greatest anything. But I am so proud of how much my confidence, not only in my art, but in myself as an artist, has grown. It is such an empowering feeling to be proud of what you create. I struggled with that for a long time. Everything I create comes from the heart. Each drawing or painting is a piece of me. To be able to create something that is so special and for someone to want it and to love it, is one of the best feelings in the world. Aside from my son, there is no greater joy.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely! I love this quote by Jeff Goins, “The job of an artist is to create a sanctuary of beauty to an ugly world”. That is my goal. Art is my purpose, it’s why I’m here. There is so much cruelty and evil in this world. I want to use my gift to combat that in whatever way I can. In the grand scheme of things it may be a tiny impact, but that’s more than I could ask for. There is so much love and passion behind my art. I just want to spread as much of that love as I can.

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

When my son was born, everything changed. I took a big step back from pursuing art as a career and focused on finding a stable job to help support my family. I didn’t have maternity leave, so I could only take 4 weeks off from work after he was born. Man, nothing can prepare you for the amount of love that floods into you when you hold your baby for the first time. It’s truly indescribable. Now you have a beautiful baby that depends on you for everything. It’s easy to loose yourself in that. It’s also easy to feel guilty for wanting to pursue things your passionate about. It took me a while to find my balance. Now he’s 4 and loves to draw, we paint together, he’s learning his letters, it’s amazing. My favorite thing is when he makes a painting or draws something and wants me to hang it in his room. We have a wall specifically for his artwork.

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