We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Carson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, 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 suppose in some ways, I’ve known I wanted to be someone who “creates” most of my life. In high school I really wanted to go to art school, but wasn’t encouraged by many. I didn’t have the confidence to say, this is what I want to do.

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

I create happy. I create joy. I create peace. (Spoiler alert!) Every story I write has a happy ending. Everything I draw brings me joy. I do my best not to bring strife into the world. People walk into my art booth at a festival and they take a deep breath and smile. They will often say, your art is so peaceful….or your art makes me happy. Those are the best comments!

I married my high school sweetheart and raised four boys with him. We love dogs and usually have at least two around the house–though I’d have more if I could get away with it.

I work in watercolors mostly, but love to embroider and sew as well. I’ve designed over 70 sewing patterns over the last 17 years and am now mostly focusing on my writing and painting. Currently I’m working on a series of children’s books called Fox Hollow Tales. I write about families and communities, being kind, following your way and The Way without making it feel like a sermon. There’s plenty of humor in my stories.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I was 17 I was told by someone close to me that I wasn’t “good enough” to make a living with my art. That has been a really hard lesson to learn, especially after receiving a very similar message from a college professor, and having a mother who always had to comment about how she would’ve done it differently—and just a little better.

It’s taken a long time, but I know I’m good enough to do the art I want to do. I know that art is a skill you practice and work on, not something you’re just born with. I wish I would’ve learned that long ago. but everything good in it’s own time, right? The universe is not on my schedule.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about being a creative person to me is that I get to share my joy and passion with others, and I get to share the unique way in which I see the world around me. I get to share the stories behind the paintings or the story I wrote, I get to share my process, my creative solutions to problems–and I get to share in the joy that my viewer has when they see my art, or the laughs they had when reading my books. I enjoy talking about how I figured out how to put something together–whether that is a dragon doll, a story plot, or the elements of a painting, and I enjoy helping other creative solve the problem they are struggling with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.furandfeatherfriends.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magickaljenncarson_art/

Image Credits
Please credit Mary Bortmas for photo of me and puppy