We recently connected with Stefanie Anderson and have shared our conversation below.

Stefanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I’m definitely happy as an artist. It’s my main outlet for being able to express myself and my love for the dark, weird and witchy.

As much as I would love to create full time, I don’t bring in a steady enough income to have it as my main profession. Sooo, I’m a cake decorator by day, crafter of the witchy and odd by night. This way, I’m able to pull in a regular income in a professional setting that I’m familiar with and have a passion for, but still able to create and sell things that I love for extra income. So it’s kind of a win win!

Stefanie, 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?

As you’ve seen, I’m Stefanie. I hail from Central Florida. I am the wife to an amazing husband, and a mother to 3 awesome girls, and the human to 3 feline fur babies. I’m a lover of pop culture and tattoos, a fanatic for horrors and the macabre, and a practicing eclectic pagan.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a creative streak to me. It’s always been a hobby of mine in some medium or another, but never something I could do full time because at the time, I didn’t think there was a market for the kinds of things I created. I had instances spattered throughout my adulthood where I sold a custom painting here and there, but that was about it.

I got my big push to pursue my crafting more seriously when Covid hit and flipped my professional career upside down.

I’m a chef by trade, and was solid into my career since 2003. Before Covid, I was invested back into an establishment that I helped open in 2012 (I took a couple years off to accept a chef position in St. Augustine). When I returned in 2018, I ran a restaurant on property for a year before I accepted their Banquet Chef position. I was well on my way, running all property banquet events, overseeing two restaurants, being nominated for Leader of the Quarter for 3 quarters in a row…and then Covid started raising it’s ugly head. Business started to slow down, then we started having event cancelations, then…there was nothing. Nearly the entire staff was put on furlough, then, just a few months later, I was let go with no guarantee of having a job whenever business resumed. I was disappointed, and for the first time in my career, I was unsure of what to do. So I decided to take the time off to focus on my family, and reevaluate what I needed to do professionally.

So, I started into crafting things that I loved to help pass time and keep me occupied. My daughters would jump in and create things here and there too. It was something fun that we shared and could do together.

I’m a member of a Facebook “Witchy Trade and Gift” group, and actually got my motivation through there. I started making custom pieces: paintings, resin pieces, woodburned pieces, etc. I was receiving a lot of great feedback and encouragement to join other groups to show off my art. So I did, and the momentum kept going. At some point, I was able to start selling my art, which drove me to create my business Facebook page. And now, almost 3 years later, I’m creating pieces that include witchy tools and decor, spell/intention/apothecary bottles and jars, custom woodburned pieces, upcycled taxidermy and trinkets, and bug and bone art. I’ve sold and shipped my art to maybe 40 different states, and hope to keep it up.

I’m fortunate to have the support and encouragement from my husband and three daughters. They’ve pushed me from the get go and help inspire me to keep going.

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

I was always seen as a bit of an odd duck. I always seemed to have a different perspective than others, and that translated into my art. For the longest time, I didn’t think there was much of a market for the kinds of things I created. Now that I think about it, maybe I was just a bit sheltered. I was so stoked to discover this whole creative culture, and even more so when people wanted to own MY art. My reward is having people love what I create, so much as to want my creations displayed in their homes and businesses. I’ve had people reach out to me about how much they love owning my work, and how some connect to my pieces on such an emotional level. It’s really humbling.

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

Support small businesses! Sure you may be able to find something thru some large supplier at a lower price, but you get what you pay for…mass produced, lower quality, rarely “one of a kind”. When you buy from a small business, you’re getting something either hand made, or small batched. You’re paying for quality and for love of their craft. You can almost feel that in their art. When you’re buying custom work, you’re buying a one of a kind creation. YOU are the only one who has that.

If you’re not buying from them, help promote them. Word of mouth is such a huge drive for small businesses. Like their social media, tag them in a post, help promote them because you like what they do. Trust me, it helps a ton and you will be so appreciated for it!

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Eclectic Curios- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066902580064&mibextid=ZbWKwL