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

Lindsay , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

My first realization came in high school and into college where I attended ECU’s art school. Unfortunately, I lost that goal for about 20 years. It came back a couple of years ago after making several breakthroughs in my mental health journey. I had also discovered a new way of making mosaics, one that would help me stand out from other artists. Now, I spend my days with one goal in mind, making my art business successful. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always been interested in the arts. In high school and early college I enjoyed painting and sculpture mostly, but was always interested in learning new crafts. I took a long break from this, however, life just gets in the way sometimes. I started working regular jobs, trying to find other interests in which I could earn a living. I discovered that this life just wasn’t for me and likely many other creatives. During the pandemic, my boyfriend bought me some traditional mosaic supplies to try and get me inspired again. Soon after this and a night of brainstorming, I decided to use a different mosaic medium, puzzle pieces. I had found my niche and set myself apart from other more traditional mosaic artist. I am quite proud of how quickly I have mastered this technique and love explaining my process to others. I also love to inspire the youth to pursue artistic endeavors.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part for me in this journey I’m on is making people smile. Inspiring both young and old creatives to continue their craft. When someone purchases one of my pieces, I love the thought of them waking up everyday, looking at my piece and smiling or feeling joy. I enjoy this entire experience because I’m spreading art, beauty, color and all the emotions that a piece of art can evoke. I also enjoy the journey itself, the work and creativity put into each piece. They are all expressions and pieces of me. I’m not just sharing beautiful art, I’m selling expressions of myself. It’s a very freeing feeling and good for the soul.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

From personal experience, I’ve had non-creatives who don’t consider what I do a “job.” Because my business is an art business, it doesn’t seem to qualify as a career to some. My response to that would include the fact that I work more hours in a week then most of the naysayers. There’s many aspects to running an art business including marketing, inventory and a little accounting. It’s something that has to be built and given constant attention. The money comes slow at first, but one must be patient and keep working towards the main goal, success and financial security. Creatives have always struggled with being taken seriously, but I would counter with this: everyone enjoys some form of art everyday. Without art, life would be quite dull. Television, movies, video games, social media and so many of the other activities we fill our days with wouldn’t be possible without art, without creatives. We perform an important and essential role in society, we bring joy, contemplation, love, thoughtfulness, awe, awareness, awakening and so much more.

Contact Info:

• Website: puzzlingmosaic.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/puzzling_mosaics.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/puzzlingmosaics.com