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

Sweet Pea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

As most kids do, I loved markers and clay and glue but I grew to believe that creativity wouldn’t lead me to a “real” job. In my twenties and thirties, I stumbled around in legitimate employment – 40 hours, Monday through Friday, sick and vacation days, etc. Much of this work was for non-profits; I found ample meaning in it but little financial stability. I was good at it but always felt like I should be doing more. There was a part of me that was missing. It was a part that felt so impractical but important so I squoze-in drawing, collaging, and various forms of printmaking on evenings and weekends.

When I hit my 40s, I decided making art wasn’t just a hobby and since the money hadn’t been great thus far, what did I have to lose? I wish I had believed that making art was a career sooner. I would have had more time to build my skills, more time to experiment and explore. Most of all, I would have spent less time feeling stuck in work that wasn’t what I was truly meant to do.

Sweet Pea, 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?

I am a fierce seeker, a spreader of joy, and a proudly awkward artist. I create quirky characters, stories, print goods, and artworks. My work is ever evolving – starting as a printmaker and collagist, shifting to graphic design, then to mixed media art and writing, and most recently focusing on illustration. Regardless of genre, my work has always celebrated people and things on the edges and in the margins. I want to shine a light on the unique, the unfamiliar, the odd, the old, and on the value of the too-often overlooked or forgotten.

In recent years, I have found a rhythm by combining my illustrative work with a quirky line of greeting cards. The format allows me to keep drawing and playing with words while making work that is accessible for many.

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

Just like any profession, creative work involves struggle and dedication, growth and education, skill and talent. Acknowledge this in simple ways like thanking an artist for creating something you enjoy, supporting organizations and legislation that fund creative work, and paying for artists’ work.

Valuing the beauty artists contribute to the world and appreciating the sacrifices that many artists have made to contribute to the fabric of life has a profound impact on a creative ecosystem.

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

I think a lot of people think being an artist is just play-time. Creative work is often fun and playful but it also requires us to be vulnerable. Being attuned to emotions, to delicate or uncommon aspects of life requires an open heart and we often expose our innermost ideas knowing many people may not understand them. We are often tender-hearted.

It’s well known that we often earn much less (on average) than our peers in other professions. An hour spent as an artist is not usually equivalent to an hour doing other work. The time it takes to come up with a new idea varies so widely; some ideas spring forward in seconds and others need to be coaxed out for days, or months, or years. Most folks aren’t aware of all the projects that fail, of all the ideas tried that end up going no-where, or how many times we are told our time is worth less or being spent frivolously. It can be a challenge to stay dedicated; it takes a strong person to persevere.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sweetpeacole.com

Image Credits

All images by Jennifer Van Jaarsveld Kinney of Jen Lee Photography