Please start by telling us a little about yourself and your studio.  

Hi!  My name is Carol and I live in North Carolina with my husband and a lot of animals!  We live in an 1800's colonial home/farm.  I have two wonderful daughters and 5 awesome grandkids.   I have a wonderful studio in my home for my macramé, photography and my newly discovered interest in Vintage.

If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it?  

That question is giving me a headache so I don't thing there is one thing to define me!

What role does your family play in your art?  

My husband doesn't g give me a hard time when I'm creating because when I get in the mood I forget to fix dinner, feed the animals, etc  My daughters are both very artistic.  One is an art teacher and the other is a singer and hairdresser (what a combination!)  So I bounce my new items off of them and they will usually be very honest about it!

Where do you live and what is it like?  

I live in North Carolina and it is beautiful.  We do have all four seasons.  Snow in the winter, beautiful trees in the fall, awesome spring with blooms everywhere and very hot summers!

Where did you learn your medium?  

I taught myself to macramé in high school in the seventies when it was so popular!  I loved the seventies and I just pretty much gave my age away!

What are your goals with your ArtFire studio?  

I would love to be able to do this on a permanent basis.  I have been laid off for awhile and have been making a little extra with my on-line shops.  Would love to be able to make a living out of it!

How did you come to selling online?  

I started because I was laid off and thought I could make a little extra money and now I'm really hooked so even if I do find an outside job I won't be quitting my shops.

How did you come to find a home on ArtFire?  

I had been on Etsy and had heard some of the artists there talking about ArtFire so I opened a shop here too.  I actually have two shops here but my photography shop is not pro yet.

What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?  

Don't give up.  It takes time and you also have to believe in yourself because if you don't, no one else will.  (Except for your family who had better back you up anytime!)

Why do you think that buying and selling handmade products benefits society?  

Handmade just makes me happy!  When I buy handmade I know someone put a lot of love into my purchase instead of sitting in a factory all day being miserable and making thousands of the same thing.  When I sell something handmade it gives me a wonderful feeling of accomplishment that someone likes my products.

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