Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mary Ann Carroll. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Mary Ann thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

As I suspect is the case of most creative types/those who work in creating art of any kind (edible or otherwise), my first dollar earned as a cookie artist was from a friend – who was both in a pinch, thanks to the newly underway COVID pandemic, and had enormous faith in me to pull it off.

In Spring 2020, as COVID really started ramping up in the south, a friend was hosting a baby shower luncheon (outside of course…) but the venue required that all desserts be provided as single-serve and individually packaged, so their staff was not cutting/serving desserts, possibly increasing person-to-person contact or spread of the virus. She reached out to me in a panic – this was all new, and none of us knew at the time where this was headed. She knew I made decorated sugar cookies for fun/for friends occasionally, and wanted me to make treats for the shower guests. In the end, she was thrilled, so were the guests, and my small business was born!

Mary Ann, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My cookie decorating journey began in early 2020, when I took two in-person cookie classes, teaching the basics of decorating. I was hooked right away – and as COVID really started ramping up, I began experimenting on my own as a means to relieve boredom and bring a little sweet fun to family, friends and neighbors. I was shipping and delivering to doorsteps of those we loved in no time! My brother and husband encouraged me to take this on as a real side-hustle once I completed a couple orders for friends. So in the spring of 2021, I took the leap, and Cookie Canvas was born.

For my customers, I pride myself on creating works of art that not only match their aesthetic and event theme, but are also beautiful AND tasty. I distinctly remember my husband telling me early on, “oh yes, I’ve seen cookies done like this before – they’re always hard and completely gross. They taste like sugar poured on cardboard! You have to be sure they taste good.” Challenge accepted, and mission accomplished!

The things I am most proud of is helping my customers take their events up a notch with custom sweets to share with their guests. And, going hand-in-hand with this, the best gift they give me is when they refer their friends and family to me, or when they come back for each and every event they host, wanting to feature my cookies.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

The best thing that others can do to support local artists is simply to comment on their work, share it with others, and/or recommend us to others. In the social media aspects, it’s as simple as giving a “like” or sharing to your social media circle. But in real life, it looks like: showing up for events where they’re selling their work, and when you’re able, making purchases to support them. The memes you see on social media are true – small business owners like me really DO do a happy dance every time someone makes a purchase!

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

For non-creatives, or those who don’t have a lot of experience in a certain creative space, I think it’s important to remember the amount of time and personal energy it takes to learn a new skill, translate that into the artwork, and the amount of time it takes to create a piece of art. All of that is also factored into the price.

For me, in the cookie space, I spent months and paid for many classes to help me hone then improve my skills. It’s always a learning process – with every order, and sometimes with each cookie, I learn something new to help me with the next, or to broaden my skillset to take the cookie art to the next level. The time it takes to create, in some cases, has been decreased as I learn efficiencies in my decorating process, but that is all because of time and energy invested up front, and that I continue to invest along the way. Prices reflect that. It’s also a handmade product, so the price is higher than you’d pay for something that is mass-produced, but there will be a uniqueness to every cookie – something you will not find when buying from a large retailer or chain.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @CookieCanvas.GVL
• Email: CookieCanvas.GVL@gmail.com
• LinkTree: linktr.ee/cookiecanvas.gvl

Image Credits
Mary Ann Carroll, Cookie Canvas