Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Carver.
Hi Audrey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been an artist since I was very little, and it has always been a part of my life. However, I studied environmental science in school, and worked in climate education in my home of southern California before I ended up in MN.
I moved here a year and a half ago when my long time partner who is from here got into med school at the U. When I arrived here and discovered what a welcoming and vibrant art scene there was, I decided to go for it and try to make art my full-time job. I have been running my business as a mural painter and illustrator since. I am passionate about using my env science background to paint local native species and help people connect to the environment here, which I have fallen in love with. I also really enjoy community mural projects, where I get to work with others to make their vision come to life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! I knew nothing about running a business before I decided to give it a shot, and have made a lot of mistakes in the past year and a half. Its hard to know what you don’t know until something goes wrong. However, there is a really supportive arts community here that was very generous with knowledge sharing, and a lot of resources that made it possible (a big shoutout to Springboard for the Arts!!). I had to learn everything from contracts to pricing to marketing to taxes, and am still figuring a lot of it out.
My dad says that good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement, and it has been a year with lots of experience!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I already touched on this a bit in my story section, but I am a self employed artist. I do illustration, but my first love is murals and I try to focus there as much as possible. My background is in environmental science, so my art is all a love letter to the natural world and local ecosystems. I am always specific about what plants and animals I paint, and I work hard to bring local nature into our everyday lives as much as possible. I also love doing community mural projects, helping people connect to their spaces and see their visions come to life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I feel so lucky to be where I am today! Often times when it seemed like things were difficult or challenging, it ended up being the time where I was pushed onto the path that lead me here, from other jobs not working out to unexpected moves, luck has been a big reason that I ended up where I am. I was also incredibly lucky to have kind, wonderful mentors and teachers along the way who were willing to go on a limb and help me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.audreycarverart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carveraudrey/
