CarrieJoy, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Carved
I create artwork under the name CarrieJoy for 2 reasons 1. It’s the name my parents gave me & 2. It is my hope that every piece of artwork that I create carries with it JOY to those who see it. At Carved, I create resin artwork that is made into products.
What does a typical workday for you look like?
I start my workday with a cup of coffee & some quiet time. This is when I focus my time & energy on what is most important for the day. It’s how I draw from the well of creativity!
I like to get all my routine tasks out of the way first thing so they are not forgotten. I tend to get lost in creating. Once those are done, I start experimenting & trying new color combinations & techniques. When I’m out of ideas to try, I sit down & start hand drawing graffiti artwork. Before I know it it’s the end of the day.
At times, it can be difficult to keep creativity and new ideas constant. What inspires you as an artist to press forward when you hit a creative block?
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When I hit a creative block it’s most likely because I have run into a problem of some type or I have found restrictions with the materials I am working with. Thankfully, I am inspired by solving problems/making improvements with outside-the-box solutions. For example, I noticed that I often had small amounts of resin leftover when pouring our traditional artwork. So I started experimenting with ways to incorporate this extra resin into artwork. Eventually this experimenting resulted in our graffiti inspired artwork.
What does your creative / work space look like?
I like to see the materials I’m working with. I also like it when I can easily find what I’m looking for. So I love that all of our pigments are displayed. I also have a cart that I keep with me all day long. It has all of the tools that I use so that everything I need is right there ready to grab.
What are your go-to essential items for your workday?
My apron (with it’s pins), my tool cart, a pallet knife & Montana Colors paint markers.
What’s been your most rewarding experience at Carved?
My portfolio has many different kinds of artwork in it, but when I started working at Carved, I had never made resin art before. I had to learn the nature of resin & how to work within its limits. I found this frustrating and a struggle. However, I eventually got the hang of it & was able to develop my own technique that felt true to my personal style of artwork.
It’s been rewarding to see this artwork made into Carved products & even more rewarding to see our customers excitement over the products.
Everyday, I visit the Carved's Instagram (@carved) to see how our customers are enjoying their products!
What are some projects you’ve worked on outside of Carved that you are proud of?
I am a public artist. This means that much of my work is large scale & meant for public display. My favorite projects have been ones that are collaborative in nature & inspire community engagement.
What is your dream project?
I believe that art can be a powerful tool that brings people together. Art can cross cultural barriers and tear down walls. Art is a safe place for hurting people to heal and find rest. Art inspires JOY and it’s fun!
I’m actually quite passionate about this as I am working to form an Arts Non-profit that partners with community leaders, and local artists to create meaningful experiences that inspire community engagement through the arts.
What hobbies do you have outside of Carved?
I have been very fortunate to have been able to turn my hobby (creating art) into a career. So, there is a lot of overlap between what I do for hobby & what I do at Carved. However, one thing that I enjoy doing outside of Carved is fiber art. I enjoy foraging for natural materials & incorporating them into works of art.
What does your Carved everyday carry look like? Do you have a favorite color combo?
I currently can’t get enough Rocket Red. I find myself putting it on everything!
In short, CarrieJoy is amazing!
The passion and skill that CarrieJoy has is fun and exciting to be around. We hope you enjoy her creations and that they bring you joy!
