— The very first professional texture designer I partnered with, Denise Love (of 2 Lil Owls Studio) has been a delight to work with ever since the launch of Photoshop Artistry in 2013. From there she went on to become a major contributor within the advanced AWAKE program and then the first (of fourteen) to step in as a contributor to the KAIZEN group every month. We join Denise today in her Georgia home and talk about her life as an artist …
Q: How long have you been running your content-design business? And what was it that originally inspired you to make this into a full-time pursuit?
I started 2 Lil’ Owls in 2012, while I was working full time in (of all things) the kitchen and bath industry. My job was extremely stressful. My boss was tough, the hours long. I was stressed and at the same time bored. I needed something new, somewhere else to take my life. I knew there had to be more for me. Loving my artistic work above all else, I decided to give it a real go.
The first year is always the hardest, but I made it through. I worked every spare minute I had on this little business of mine — long nights, long weekends. And I made lots of mistakes … All while still working the day job.
And then this happened: In August 2013 my Mom called me … with the worst news you can ever hear your parent tell you. She had lung cancer. She was only 56. And I was devastated …
I quit my day job and went to take care of her. I didn’t care if I had to foreclose on my house and lost everything. My Mom meant more to me than anything else. She was so upset … she thought I was ruining my life and future prospects by quitting and coming to be with her.
But as it turned out, it ended up being the best thing I could have ever done. I got to spend the last six months of her life with her, and I was there to hold her hand when she passed. I stayed there six more months to help my step-dad (who also had cancer — yep, two parents with cancer at the same time) through his chemotherapy. That really sucked.
But honestly — had I not taken that year away from my regular job, I might still be working my stressful day job today, never getting up the courage to quit. And truly, had I not gone through all that, I would never have known how good it can be.
I LOVE working for myself … I love working on projects as they inspire me. And I love interacting with other creative people and constantly learning new things. I love helping others make beautiful photography, and love seeing them push it further, creating beautiful art from their photos.
Q: Have you been artistic your whole life? And where did it all begin?
I have always been artistic, and I am also pretty handy, so when I set out to do something — I just get at it. If I need to learn how to do something I’m unsure of, Google is my best friend.
I have engaged in many creative pursuits over the years: jewelry design, metal smithing, sewing, painting, drawing, design, and now photography. I’ve discovered along the way, however, that I can afford to only have one expensive hobby at a time … so right now all my time and money goes mostly into photography.
Q: What is it about photography you love most? (And do you have any advice or tips for anyone else thinking of taking it up the way you have?)
My favorite artist medium is definitely still photography. I dabble in plenty of art techniques because I paint a lot of the backgrounds I use to start off my textures with. But in the end I still love the photography part the best. As much as I want to paint a real picture, I kinda suck at it. (Ha!) But with photography I can take the shot, add textures, and play with it in Photoshop — and pretty much come up with something I love every time. Maybe I don’t have the patience for the other stuff since it isn’t as fast or as gratifying to me as photography.
My best tip for getting started in photography is simply to grab your camera (or smart phone) and get out there and start shooting. The best way to learn is to just get out and start doing it. Put in the hours. Sitting at home wishing you could do something (or daydreaming about it) gets you nowhere.
Q: When it comes to your professional work, how would you describe the balance among the various things you do?
Everything in my business, I do myself. I build the websites, create all the graphics, take all the photos, make all the products, answer all the emails, work all the social media, etc. All by myself. But I keep it manageable by not trying to do it ALL every day: I have days where I work on the back end of things, and other days where I work on the creative side of things. I find it easier to compartmentalize the different tasks for different days. It is hard for me to switch from being creative and painting textures to building the website and working on graphics, so I don’t try to do it all in the same day. Splitting it up keeps things balanced and workable.
Q: When creating your textures, do you maintain a pretty regular production schedule, or does it just depend on the season (or on your mood from week to week)? And how many hours a day would you say you spend creating?
You would probably consider me a workaholic — but I gotta tell you, most of the things I do for my creative business don’t feel like work. So I’d say I hit the jackpot. I’m just so lucky. Seems I am always thinking and creating. Always working on ways to grow artistically. But with real motivation there too, because I figure if I don’t have new stuff going out into the world on a regular basis, why would someone want to come back? So I do put out quite a bit of product. I’m always creating the next set of content.
Q: What’s your big ambition right now? Artistically speaking.
This year I have been working on my still life photography. I set up a tiny still life studio in my home and I have been working on a new series and blogging about it, where I share my set-up, talk about the light and the props, then go into the processing and the adding of textures to the finished photos. I want others to know that no matter how small your space or how little money you have to spend on it, you too can find the perfect place beside a window and create some magic.