We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristen Carrow. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristen below.

Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve been an artist since I could hold a pencil, and spent most of my younger years creating, but I never wanted it to be my career. My parents were both accountants and didn’t believe that art was something I could make a career out of. So I focused on my studies and went to college for game design, but it didn’t make me happy. I turned to graphic design, since that could be a viable job, but that also didn’t make me happy. I realized the only thing I really enjoyed doing was creating, not for a business or to make a sale, but for myself. So I changed my major to art, inevitably dropped out of college due to other circumstances, and turned away from it as a career again.

For a few years I wanted to be a baker, then a cake decorator, then I snagged a job as a cookie decorator. It was so much fun, and hearing how people loved my work made me so happy, made me feel so fulfilled. When I left that job, I started focusing more on my personal art again, and it lead me down the road to starting my own business, K Carrow Art. I had the support of my parents, my partner, and all my friends, and for the first time I felt comfortable enough to put myself out there. I now do vending events around Oklahoma and I love it so much.

Kristen, 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?

My name is Kristen Carrow, and I’m an enby artist of all kinds. My craft room is full of any art supply you could possibly think of, as I like to try them all! My most notable crafts are cross stitch, basket weaving, crochet, perler beads, and clay, but I also do traditional and digital art. From a young age I’ve been inspired by pop culture, starting with Naruto and Fruits Basket as my first true inspirations. I drew anime and original characters all the time, sharing this love and process with people online through Deviantart and Tumblr.

Nowadays I run my business K Carrow Art, where I sell unique crochet plushies like insects, reptiles, and monsters, as well as pets of all kinds. I occasionally do pet portraits and sell stickers, but crochet is my main staple. My favorite thing to do are pet customs, where I make a plush to match someone’s pet as close as possible given the medium.

What I think sets me apart from others is *what* I create. I love cutesy stuff as much as the next guy, but creepy critters need love too! I like making opossums and spiders, and I’m always looking for niche patterns to add to my list. I care about being unique and carrying stuff that you may not see anywhere else locally.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think people underestimate the amount of time and labor that goes into art. It isn’t just about a singular art piece, it’s about the entire process that goes into being an artist. You don’t just pick up a pen and create a masterpiece, there’s a lot of time and trial and error over the span of years to get where you are today. And your art is constantly changing – your style, muse, colors, focus. Art is a wave that you just have to ride.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society can support artists in a multitude of ways, whether through monetary ways or passive support. Art is expensive, it is a luxury, and artists deserve to be paid their worth – but that’s where a lot of support can stop short, especially in the current economic climate. A great way to support an artist passively is by showing up for them. Like and share their social media posts, go to shows they attend, even just visiting a gallery can make such a positive change. Sometimes all an artist needs to keep going is someone to compliment their work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Kcarrowart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kcarrowart?igsh=MTJvNjhlazNuenZxNg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BStyFkLdD/

Image Credits

C.C. Bean Imagery