Community over Competition: International Women’s Day Edition
I have no shortage of inspirational women in my life. So for International Women’s Day 2021 I wanted to show my appreciation for some of the incredibly talented artists that I’m lucky enough to know in my creative community.
When I first had the idea to write this blog post, there was one artist that immediately popped into my head – Charlynn Searcy.
Charlynn’s instagram handle doesn’t lie. Her feed is bright, bold, and a chromatic feast for the eyes.
Over the last few months, I’ve had the privilege of seeing the behind-the-scenes process of her incredible female portraits. Each and every feature in these portraits is thoughtfully and intentionally chosen, down to the number and shape of the bobby pins in her hair. The results of this attention to detail are beautifully composed, unique, and bold works of art.
Not only is Charlynn talented with portraits, she also creates gorgeous graphics that she turns into digital stickers and printables (you can find these beauties in her etsy shop). And if that weren’t enough, she also bakes! Go check out her spiced donut recipe in her IG highlights *drool*
The next artist whose work needs to be seen by the world is the incomparable Alanna Cartier.
(Photo credit: Amanda Mary Creative)
What I love about Alanna’s work is that it’s feminine, whimsical, and a little bit quirky (her swearing birds are a favourite of mine). Her art truly is a reflection of her unique and completely charming personality. Alanna is also the embodiment of community over competition – she helps run an online creative co-operative for women, which is my absolute favourite corner of the internet.
In addition to being a talented artist and cheerleader for the creative community, she is also a phenomenal teacher (a top teacher on Skillshare to be precise). All her classes are packed full of goodness, and she is just so fun and engaging to watch and learn from. To find out more, be sure to head on over to her website.
And last but not least is the multi-passionate and uber talented Josie Adams of Hey Miss Designs.
The name Hey Miss Designs is a nod to her high school teaching days, where she answered to the call of ‘Hey Miss’ by her students. To me Josie is the very definition of a ‘doer’ – she has a dream or an idea and then just gets to work in making it a reality (which is a little intimidating, but mostly very inspiring). Her designs are delicate yet bold, always have a beautiful flow to them, and use the most dreamy colour palettes.
Rather than niching down, Josie enthusiastically embraces all of her passions (from surface design to sewing to punch needling and more), and finds ways to weave them all together into one big beautiful creative life. Check out her website to find out more about Josie and her gorgeous work.
I am so grateful to know these women, to be inspired by them, and to learn from them.
When I found my way back to my art a few years ago and started connecting with creative women around the world, I had no idea that this is where I would find the community that I had been yearning for. It’s a cliché because it’s true – when we lift each other up we all get stronger.
So lets appreciate the women in our lives who make us stronger, today and every day.