Featured on Jennibellie

I am so excited as on Tuesday I was a featured artist on Jennibellie's blog. Please do head over there to read my interview and check out the rest of her blog and tutorials. Just click on the image below.

But if you don't head on over this is what I said...

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.

My name is Anna and I live with my childhood sweetheart (my hubby) and our two bunnies and two guinea pigs with lots of character. My “day” job or trained profession as it were is as a photographer and graphic designer. My heart lies with anything creative really and as a small child I played more with “junk” and art supplies than I did with dolls and bears and the like. My Mum always said I was happiest with an empty loo roll tube and some paint and glue and that is so true even to this day. Whatever I can get my hands on I tend to use and like Jennibellie, I am also quite thrifty. I don't tend to buy lots of paper crafting stuff, I tend to do more of it myself as it gives me more of a sense of achievement to do that (not that I am dissing people who do, just for me it doesn't give me the same sense or feeling). For a while I ignored the arty feelings I had and I did what was to me a boring HR job which I hated and it made me so ill and stressed and the creative side just kept on calling and calling. One day I gave into it and I have never been happier. I call my self a mixed media artist as I use anything and everything to create, usually canvases and if I am not doing that, then I am working in my art journal.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I face is not thinking that I am good enough or indeed an artist. Am I worthy of the label artist or am I just someone who paints and draws? An artist is a label that says you are good at what you do and sells loads of art. At least that is what my inner critic is always telling me! I draw something and then look at it and think “meh” but then my husband says I should stop beating myself up about it and that I am good. I don't think I ever really look at my work and think it is amazing. I look at it and think that is OK for now but I always want to strive to do better and I am always practicing Always trying to push myself. To start with I just created for me and enjoyed that process. Friends and family told me that I should sell some of my work but I didn't believe them as I thought that they were just being nice. Then one day a stranger told me they liked my work and also I recently did a mail art swap with an artist who wrote me a really inspiring letter. I gave in then and thought what have I got to loose so I opened an etsy shop. I still create for me I just happen to then sell it on. I think if you try and create art that you think other people might like then you can't do it as well as your personality and your soul and your energy does not go into the piece. What ever happens I try and stay true to me. I often look at my work and think it is not finished but I have to call it a day somewhere as I could go on and on and I have made that mistake before and then ended up ruining it. Sometimes less is more as they say and that is so true. Knowing when to stop is hard.

What is your greatest personal achievement either in your art, or because of it?
This may not seem that philosophical but my greatest achievement is selling my work because it means that other's believe in me!

What is the best thing / worst thing that art has brought into your life?

Art has definitely bought a sense of calm into my world and also an escapism. Whatever kind of day I am having, art saves me and makes me sane again. I can't think of a bad thing except for wanting to buy more supplies!