A Bushel and a Peck: Pay It Forward

Karen Cannon

Here we are on day four of the Pay It Forward winners!

Are you amazed by the talent of these incredible artists??

I know I am.

Today I would like you to meet Karen Cannon.

I love the idea of your Pay It Forward Contest!

If not for so many talented and encouraging women, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Two years ago, I had shoulder surgery and was out of work for a couple of months. (I am a full time psychiatric nurse). To pass the time, I started reading art blogs. The more I read, the more I became inspired to start painting again.

I've painted since the age of four, when I won my first art contest. Needless to say, I've become a bit better since then but I still love the primitive style I used in my "Noah's Art" painting in kindergarten! Anyway, I began to paint and read blogs. My painting led to an abundance of canvases and the decision to start my own blog. My blog has gone through a facelift since the early days and I don't spend as much time on it as I wish but my job is very busy so unfortunately it sits on the back burner. As I continued to paint, I decided to try to sell my paintings on Ebay. That was like diving into the deep end of the pool the first time! I had already opened a shop on Etsy but was curious to see how I would fare on Ebay. I was successful on my first painting and was then hooked! After several paintings sold, I got a message from a wonderful individual who asked me if I was interested in selling with her store. She represented a group of folk artists and loved my work and wanted to represent me. I was over the moon!! I sold art with the Collect ArtWork group for 9 months and met a great group of artists.We are all selling on our own now but it was a great experience!

My goal is to be able to paint full time. I love psychiatric nursing but painting soothes my soul. I want to have a peaceful life, filled with color and shapes and texture. For now, I paint in my spare time and sell online and in galleries. I meet wonderful people on Facebook, Twitter and on blogs.

An artists life is an amazing life and I lead it everyday!

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Thank you Karen for letting us get to know you better.

You can find Karen's blog HERE.

Karen's art is available HERE.

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The winner of yesterday's Peach Evolution Design giveaway is

Sara from Dream Big.

Congratulations!!!

Posted at 03:00 AM in art, Pay It Forward | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

Peach Evolution Designs

Welcome back for day three of the Pay It Forward interviews!

Today I would like you to meet Wyokemia from Peach Evolution Designs.

Hello, everyone – I’m Wyokemia! I feel so thankful to have the opportunity to share a little piece of my world and Peach Evolution Designs with you as one of the five Pay It Forward winners. It was so inspiring to read the comments left by so many of you, and it has been so great to be a part of this experience.

I started following my creative dreams more intently a little over a year ago. After working full-time for two large, national organizations, I begin to feel a nudge to move on to something more self-directed and connected to other passions that I wasn’t exploring at the time. After over a year of pondering and brainstorming about what exactly that might look like (while still working full-time), I had an aha! moment when I finally let myself become comfortable in knowing that I didn’t need to know all the answers and have every single step perfectly planned out, but that I just needed to start exploring and doing, and that it would be okay to make mistakes and learn along the way. And with that understanding, I finally found the courage to transition out of the more traditional career path that I had successfully been building, and into a path with far more unknowns than I had ever experienced. And I’ve not looked back!

What has evolved since then has been the start of several creative ventures, including starting an Etsy site, Peach Evolution Designs, around my creative outlet of making hand-crafted jewelry. Inspiration means a lot to me, so as I was picking a name for my jewelry, I knew that I wanted the name to honor my mom and the inspiring role she’s played in my life. My mom is one of the most creative people that I know…always looking to make something new from scratch, taking something that looks like nothing and making it into something – it’s truly remarkable all the wonderful things she’s able to create (including beaded jewelry!). Her curiosity and “I want to try that” attitude combine to make her one of the craftiest people that I know.

I am fortunate to have evolved from my mom – literally and figuratively. She has passed on to me a love for creative exploration, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to nurture my own creative interests and dreams.

And, just as my mom and so many other amazing people inspire and give back to me via their support, time, advice and love, I also want to ensure that I am always doing the same. A portion of each Peach Evolution Designs sale is donated annually to a selected charity. I also offer a *special* breast cancer awareness line year-round, and 25% of each sale is donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

As I continue to move forward in my creative ventures, I hope that I am able to help others as they pursue living life more creatively, too. I have recently started to work one-on-one with people to assist them in identifying and mapping out a plan to pursue their creative passions and dreams. This has very much developed organically, as I have been able to combine some of my strongest skills from prior work experience with the understanding and experience that I’ve gained in the last year. I feel fortunate to now have the opportunity to support others in their journey.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit about me and Peach Evolution Designs! Feel free to stop over and say hi on my blog – LIVE CREATIVE – or on Twitter! Have a wonderful day and a joyful holiday season!

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Thank you so much for letting us get to know you better!

Wyokemia has generously offered to giveaway a pair of her earrings to one of you!

All you have to do is leave a comment to be entered.

The winner will be announced tomorrow.

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The winner of yesterday's giveaway for two prints from Catina Jane is #6, Lei.

Email me your information and I will pass it along.

Congratulations!!!

Posted at 05:00 AM in art, Pay It Forward | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

Catina Jane Arts

Welcome to day two of the Pay It Forward winners!

I am having so much fun sharing these women and their amazing art!!

Today I would like you to meet Catina Jane.

Hey there!
I'm Catina jane Gray .. i am a self taught mixed media artist,jewelry designer, & photographer living in sunny florida .. I am a Jesus freak,color junk,and in love with sending hope to the hopeless..
                i am married to my best friend/hubby of 13 years and my children are comprised of the following: 2 stubborn crazy wiener dogs, a lab rescue who is a faithful friend, and a orange kitty who loves to snuggle!
                   I'm inspired by children's books, mary blair, & mid century illustrations .. I want to illustrate a children's book some day!

        My creative journey started as a kid . Bright colors and creation always excited me! Creating something new was equal to opening a christmas gift ..
            In my teens I discovered painting and working with charcoals along with writing poetry and there began my love for mixing words and visual art.
               I really feel art has the power to heal us , to help us find parts of ourselves we've been seeking out , & to speak right to the heart of the matters we are most considered with.

   God has recently opened to a new path for me where I felt called to pursue my art full-time ! So exciting and scary in one breath! So finding time to create is now not as much of a struggle but with that comes keeping the faith that you are on the right path, that what your doing is worth the hard work & love your putting into it.
It is so easy as a artist of any kind to devalue what you are doing and it's importance. to think that Art isn't a "REAL" job & it is only making money that defines our success .. NOT TRUE!!
Don't Doubt that you are making an amazing impact on the world around you!! No one can deliver your message just the way YOU can!!
(I'm preaching to myself too !)

           For me my art is a outlet for working out my struggles in life. I tend to paint myself reminders to never give up, always hope! , & to keep shining love.. I have had a long struggle with an anxiety disorder and it can be a very discouraging battle but I find the more I paint messages of hope for the world to see the more I find myself hoping ,trusting, & believing !!!

I believe hope is contagious & love is fearless... and we are more amazing then we may ever know!! God bless you all!!!