gorgeous fabric from spoonflower, designed by Anne Butera.
I “met” Anne about ten tears ago. We became blogging buddies and fast friends. Over the years, we have kept track of one another…our dreams, our rough patches, our projects and we’ve exchanged snail mail, too. I admire the journey Anne has been on, becoming a self-taught artist, a teacher, and savvy business woman. She is a watercolorist and translates some of her work into fabric designs and merchandise. Her passion for gardening inspired the fabric (above) which has found its way into some of the pieces I sew.
When I was feeling some traction for upping my web presence, I turned to one of Anne’s Skillshare classes, Beginners Guide to Launching Your Artist Website . It helped my get my ideas organized and started me on my way. Anne turned my hesitancy and self doubt into action.
The thing I love most about Anne is the way she networks with, and mentors other creative people. This fall, she reached out to me to see if I might be willing to be part of her Sips of Inspiration series. This series highlights artists and the many ways they find inspiration. I balked at first, with all sorts of resistance, with the silly “I’m not a real artist”, and “I don’t have anything important to say” demons in my head. Anne was quietly and gently persistent, and finally I took a deep breath and said “OK”.
We spoke last week, and our conversation was a delight! Anne kept the conversation easygoing and relaxed. Today Anne posted the interview on her blog and IG account. I invite you to check it out here.
I am so very grateful to Anne for her friendship, her encouragement, her faith in me and for asking me to step out of my comfort zone. She helped me open up to possibilities in myself that I did not yet see and say “yes”. That, my friends, is a gift!