Daily Inspiration: Meet Meredith Thompson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Thompson.

Hi Meredith, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have enjoyed art since a very young age, and my parents, who adopted me from birth, wonder where it came from. So does my birth family, who I’ve since met, as no one seems to have this artistic talent I’ve developed. My original intention in life was to go to graduate school for art therapy and combine my love of art and helping others into what I thought would be something I would love to do. But I decided to avoid following that path for various reasons. I ended up starting jobs in marketing and business after graduating as an art major and psychology minor at Emporia State University. Jobs have often had a creative artistic element to them. I ran a side art business, Creative-Elementz, out of my old historic building in downtown Leavenworth while working “normal” regular jobs. I moved to Colorado in 2016 to enjoy life closer to the mountains that have been such an important place for me time and time again since I was young visiting, later working there in college summers and always dreaming I’d spend more time there as an adult. I may have to continue exploring in CO or somewhere during our hot summers. Still, I’ve often dreamed of hitting the road for epic summer trips, getting inspired by the visual beauty in the world surrounding us. But I’m also just as content living small and locally in historic downtown Leavenworth. Living and working downtown is something that I have always really enjoyed. I’ve lived on two other blocks downtown, each a block from where I live now.

I moved back about a year and a half ago to Leavenworth into a building I had not lived in, but my husband and I bought and renovated in 2009 when we were still engaged. The project was done in time for us to have our engagement pre-wedding party in to show off our work. We rented it that night to one of my friends, who opened a hair salon in it first and has had subsequent businesses rent the space from us until now. My husband and I worked together in this building starting in 2002, and I always wanted to fix it up, so it’s cool how it’s all worked out being back here in it. I remodeled it for my future self, as it’s perfect as an art studio/gallery/gift shop for my business. Thank gosh, the old seventies paneling and lowered ceilings are gone, and we’ve opened it up and exposed some brick.

When I moved back, I was in a mid-life crisis. I took some time to settle back into being in my hometown and thought a lot about my purpose for being here. My mom ran for office this past election cycle, and I was able to help with her campaign designing the marketing for it and serving as her campaign manager. I could also paint without distractions for the first time in a long time, lose myself, and find myself in my art. The latest painting I’ve finished is born from what I’ve been working on finding who I truly am. I’ve also had as much fun creating fun little wooden signs with newspaper print decoupaged with sayings. It has been a long time since I have taken the time to develop like this. I’m leaning on all my experiences to gain confidence to blossom into my authentic self, fulfilling my purpose for being here and spending my energy intentionally on important things. I don’t have as much as I used to, but I use it purposefully and give myself time to be instead of being so busy I can’t enjoy life. Striving to find that balance is important to me, although I am guilty of overdoing it when I get inspired and on a roll.

I am grateful to have the support of the shop so far and know that we will create it into something even more incredible as we blossom.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d been thinking about it for a year and a half, trying to narrow it down and decide what I wanted to do. There were many directions I could have gone, but this allowed me to do my own thing creatively. I opened a month after my tenants renting the space had moved out. I could fill their space with some of my art, and getting feedback on my art before I opened was nice to hear. Not knowing exactly what type of items would all come in with mine has been a fun surprise, as you never know what the artists will come up with next. I enjoy rearranging and decorating a lot, so it’s fun to get to play with all this art together to see how it works since we have such a variety of things we sell, it is very eclectic. Finding that balance between running the business and creating is something I will struggle with forever. They are different creative outlets; thankfully, I enjoy both sides: business and art. Both sides of my brain work!

Pricing art is challenging. I hope that people appreciate the time and effort it takes to get to the point where you can create beautiful pieces. We also have things that aren’t fine art, more gifty-type items people can pick up quickly, and are fun, creative quirky things to enjoy. We’ve adjusted our prices once we got everyone’s things in, but we are still finding that rhythm. Getting foot traffic in and getting the word out is a constant challenge to finding the right customers. Word is spreading that we have a colorful fun shop. I have people that just come in for a mood enhancement from the color in the shop; they like to absorb it all. That’s cool and a big compliment. Most art is colorful and bold, and we live in a grey/white/black trend. With people spending more time at home the past few years, I hope they are tired of the grey and will opt for adding some color to their world.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have focused mainly on acrylic paintings lately, especially locally focused art. I’ve painted the Leavenworth Centennial Bridge and river view in 7 of my paintings and am working on getting up to 12 of them to offer a calendar next year with them. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced in a few years, and it’s been such an iconic part of growing up in Leavenworth. I’d also like to do more local paintings as people respond well to them. I often have more ideas than time, but I enjoy creating pieces that locals identify with. I sell a lot of prints of those local paintings.

I do like to do paintings involving mental health. I just sold a painting that was the most personal one I’d probably painted. It was a self-portrait of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to affect the world around me. I had just finished it and posted it, and one of my friends messaged me and said that the painting was perfect for their new practice opening and they had to have it! Selling that painting was highly fulfilling as it came from my heart and my thoughts, and it’s going to a good home soon at a women’s health clinic in Kansas City, hopefully inspiring others. I’d love to offer classes in the future that help people process their thoughts and explore who they are to help them grow and blossom into who they are meant to be. I love to inspire others and make an impact in others’ lives. I have been known to do murals around town in businesses and homes, which I love, but it is pretty physically taxing. I enjoy it, but I have to keep my physical limits in perspective when taking on things like painting a mural on a floor or ceiling because I’m still hurting from it. I don’t bounce back as quickly as I used to years ago. It has been cool to work on this brewery project I’ve been helping with for about 6 months as they work to open soon. I painted murals on the walls and the floor, and it’s just an all-encompassing space with a train theme and local history added on tables with decoupage. It should be opening within a few months, and it’s going to be something I will be quite proud of being a part of the creative collaborations of how it ended up inside.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I pinch myself some days that I get to do what I want for a job now, and I’m helping other artists do the same. I have a bracelet on right now that says “Live with Intention,” and that is something I’m trying to do. I am staying focused on my goals and dreams and gaining the confidence to do them individually while allowing me to relax and not overdo them. Success, to me, has the freedom to decide how you want to live your life and then make it happen. I had a therapist tell me once you know, you have the power to create the life you want. It resonated with me repeatedly, and I replay that in my head, and now I’m making it happen. That feels pretty good.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.creative-blossoming.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativeblossoming/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeBlossoming/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-thompson-9001999/
• Youtube: @creative-blossoming