Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Vaught.
Hi Adrienne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been interested in art. When I was little my dad and I would make jewelry as gifts for family. This turned into making gifts for people as I got older and then turned into a business. I created wedding jewelry for friends and my own wedding jewelry. I was working on growing my jewelry business and working full time in IT. I would do a few craft fairs and have some small side projects.
Then I had kids.
It didn’t make sense to be working with small beads and sharp tools with tiny humans around. I took a break from making jewelry and crafting all togther for a while.
Then the pandemic hit.
I needed a way to express my creativity but could only really do it when my girls were asleep. So, I picked up my watercolors again. It was a quick and easy way to be creative but could be put away easily too. I would spend 15-20 minutes each night just putting paint on a page. It was more about the process than the finished product. I needed to feel something other than the looming sense of dread the pandemic had put on my heart. The watercolor painting gave me the space to just be. To not worry about the pandemic.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, life is not smooth. Nothing in life is ever smooth. I was working towards growing my business making jewelry. Finding where I fit in and then life got in the way. Marriage and then 2 kids in under 5 years really shifted my focus. I love making jewelry but it was not logical to continue. I switched to something that felt it could be integrated into my life more easily. At the end of the day, I am a mom first. The girls’ need took precedence over what I wanted or needed. Switching to painting allowed me to give them my attention without losing any more of who I was in the process. I could paint when the girls napped or after they went to bed. It didn’t feel like I had to have all this stuff to just be able to do 1 project, like I had when I was making jewelry. At some point I will go back to making jewelry but for right now I am just painting, for me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So, I went to school to be a graphic designer but my love for art started at a young age. I was always creating something. It was not until I got older did I truly find what was the perfect fit for me. Now as an adult I work IT during the day and then after the girls go to bed I paint. I love watercolor and feel most comfortable with this medium. It is flexible and dynamic. I think I am most proud of the way I can put color on the page and evoke emotions in my abstract creations. This is what also sets me apart. I have yet to see anyone who paints the same way I do. I don’t mean that in a narcissistic way but just as a point of individuality. When I paint my focus is more on the way the colors move and less on the final outcome.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I give a lot of credit to my family. All of them. Every single member of my large family believes in me. Whether it’s gifting me art supplies or going to art museums with me even when they don’t want to, they all support me in a multitude of ways. I am also a member of a Facebook group called KC Parentpreneurs. I have gotten a lot of advice about how to be a successful entrepreneur and parent. Having that support system makes all the difference.
Pricing:
- 4×6 paintings start at $20
- 8×10 paintings start at $35
- Custom paintings are based on size and subject
Contact Info:
- Email: mixmadie@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mixmadie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mixmadie
Image Credits
Shauna Davenport
SLD Photography
