From New York to Germany to Texas, this gentle, creative spirit draws from her life experiences to create beautiful art and photographs for families to cherish.
It’s been a year since Carrie Ann Hall of Patience & Grace Studio first designed our signature TheTexasWildflower.com logo, and we love it just as much today as when she first showed it to us in a private Facebook message.
In fact, she’s among the many creative women we set out to highlight here on the website, and we’re especially delighted that she designed our first-anniversary tee, as well.
Yet there’s so much more to the multi-talented Carrie than her work here with us–as scrolling through her simply gorgeous Instagram feed reveals.
That’s why we thought we’d introduce you to her officially through one of our artist profiles.
Read on!!!
On the origins of her creative spark
“I’ve been creative since I can remember. I grew up in the country in central New York State. I was surrounded by do-it-yourself-ers that could sew, paint, crochet, woodwork, glass-etch, build, craft . . . you name it, and someone in my family could do it. I think what really encouraged my creativity though were my teachers and peers in school. I’ve always been an introvert, quiet and modest, so when I got recognition for my creativity it gave me a bit of confidence when I otherwise didn’t want to be noticed.”
On living in Europe
“Oh, how I long to be back in Germany! It was the best part of my life thus far. European culture is focused around happiness, being outside, and spending time with family and friends. We went on so many adventures, big and small, but one of my favorites was Norway, it was magical! The historical culture they have preserved of Vikings, trolls, and ancient myths makes you feel like you’re in a storybook. I didn’t realize my design reflected a European aesthetic, but I guess if you feed your soul with things that make you happy, it just comes out naturally.”
On photography
“Photography is actually the skill I am most confident in because I have been dedicated to it for over 8 years now. I fell into photography when my DIY thinking pushed me to learn everything I could in order to take great photos of my own growing family. I love preserving memories for other families; it’s the un-posed and natural love in a photo that keeps me inspired. Newborn photography is my favorite, as the oldest child of 6 I was around babies quite a bit, so becoming a mother myself just came naturally. Capturing the beauty of a newborn and the love that radiates from new parents is precious. A few years ago my photography started getting repetitive and stale so I took on the challenge of film photography and fell in love. I love the richness and depth of a film photo; it’s just got a natural and artisanal quality to it that can’t be replicated digitally. It helps me slow down and really think about why I want to preserve each and every shot.”
On who inspires her
“This is tricky. There are so many artists out there that I admire, I try my hardest not to mimic but I am still trying to find “my style” so I like to try out different techniques and styles. I love folk art and Dinara Mirtalipova is by far my favorite. Everything she does is beautiful. She’s actually from Eastern Europe and pulls a lot of inspiration from Russian folklore. https://www.mirdinara.com/ I think what intrigued me most about her work was the Godiva Christmas design she did a couple years ago. It helped me realize how fine art and graphic design could go hand in hand.”
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On carving out creative time while still being “Mom”
“When they were little we used to do a lot of kids crafts. When they got frustrated or bored it was expected at that age and I would just help a lot. Now that they are 7 and 8 it’s actually quite hard to do things with them because they still get frustrated or bored, but I know they are fully capable. They both lack confidence, especially when I try teaching them to paint. If it doesn’t look exactly like mine they give up. If anyone has tips on overcoming this I would love some advice.
Lately, I do my painting or design when they are at school and its quiet in the house. Creating is meditative for me so I try to do it when I know there will be little interruption.”
Thanks so much, Carrie, for sharing your story. Readers–you can learn more about the artist via CarrieHall.MyPortfolio.com and PatienceAndGraceStudio.com as well as Facebook and Instagram. Interested in hiring Carrie to photograph your family? She’s currently running a fall special (details)!
Thanks for reading!
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