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

Alright, Patricia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Since I was a child I loved to draw, paint and color as most kids do but I never outgrew that feeling. It actually continued to grow & expand. As a teen I looked at just about everything as a blank canvas that needed to be beautified. I began with my bedroom armoire. It was a beautiful waterfall mahogany veneer piece of furniture that I decided it needed my artful vision painted on it. However, my parents were not impressed. Needless to say a little upset with my creative spirit and that is when I learned another beautiful art technique. Restoration. My father showed me how to strip it all down, bare & raw. Then taught me how to restore it to its original beauty. From that moment I was in love with finding old, worn & discarded items and wanting to restore them back to beauty. However, when it was time for college my parents did not see a career in the arts for me. At least not this type of art. As I remember the saying that was repeated “starving artist” so I found another platform for my art. I enrolled for Architectural Design. And with studies of art history & art classes on the side. I found my loophole. Creating is more than just taking a brush to something, it’s an journey through emotions. It’s freeing & soulful. It’s raw. And there is no right or wrong to it. It’s all I ever I wanted to do. Then life happened as it often does. I didn’t finish my credits for a degree, I decided an artist needs to find inspiration and experience life. In plain terms, I became a slight wild child & didn’t know what I wanted. I just knew a business office setting wasnt for me. Before I knew it I was a single mom. My greatest creation to this date. Then my parents got sick, so I was helping to care for them. Right about now que in a man. Like I said life happens. I got married. And suddenly being a mom, wife & caregiver took priority. My dreams were put on hold. That is until almost 9 years ago. My son went off to college, my husband working double shifts & me home alone in an empty nest. That’s when I picked up my brushes again. It started out for just myself then family & friends and it still continues to grow. I’m proud of my little creative art business. I’ve stayed up on my techniques & lessons throughout my life. I could never have given it up completely. Art was my way of dealing with challenges & difficult times. It’s my therapy. I still continue to explore, experience and learn new skills, techniques & styles. I still look at just about everything as a blank canvas searching for beauty hidden within.

Patricia, 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?

Fast forward to today, I am a freelance self taught furniture artist specializing in old world finishes, restoration & refinishing. While those may be what I specialize in. I do however offer an extensive repertoire of styles & finishes to my clients such as French Provencial, Steampunk & Industrial. I dabble in mixed media arts and crafting home decor. I offer an array of services that encourage reusing, repurposing & upcycling goods for new uses. I provide consultations, sample boards for my clients so they may be able to envision my creative process and i have been known to volunteer with such places like Repair Cafe educating our communities to reuse & repair rather than throw away. This is a home based small business, with a backyard boutique. I’m super proud of this little piece of heaven I carved for myself. Working from home allows me more time to create, use nature as my inspiration, be close to my family and most importantly allows me to give my clients a warm welcoming experience & all the attention they deserve. I offer a very relaxed environment for both consulting and shopping.
I also participate in a few events within my local community area. Art, Craft, Antique and Vintage Shows & Pop up markets.
I am a regular at High Falls Sunday Market (where it all began) hosted by the historical D & H Canal Museum in High Falls NY
Keeping it humble

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

Support your local artist, visit their studios, shops, online presence, go to a gallery or pop up market or local craft fair. Visit that new barista or Cafe. Stop at that little roadside stand.

So many think art is just a painted canvas but it’s not. It’s so much more. There is a revolution of growth in the artesian industry. Artisians are marketing their best works. From organic candles, oils, honey to paintings, woodworking and so much more. Artcis all around us.

Creatives offer so much to society and to our environment. Through artisans we are learning to waste less and reuse more. Saving our landfills and oceans from waste that has been destroying our planet.

Communities can come together through this ever growing trend and really make a statement. It starts with reaching out to your local small businesses and artists.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was always told you have to have a back up plan to your dreams, that art won’t pay the bills or put food on the table. “You’ll end up being a Starving Artist” if you continue down this path.

Guess what there is no such thing as a Starving Artist, it was romanticize notion from the Renaissance period. With perseverance and commitment you can make as much as a living as you wish in the arts and creative industry.

I had to retrain my brain to acknowledge that there is always at least one person who will see my vision, feel my art and want one of my pieces in their home. Also to accept that not everyone will understand my art but that’s ok because there are more creatives just waiting to be discovered.

When I see that exact moment when a feeling of excitement rushes over a client or customers face, I know exactly why I create. It’s not just to feed my soul but to recharge theirs as well. It’s my happy place to see that joy on their faces

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ceceandpatsys
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeCeandPatsys?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Twitter: #cecespatsys
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cecespatsysshabbychic3197
• Other: I’m also on TikTok as Cece’s & Patsy’s