Crow Takes Wing: Origins
I am so fortunate to have been born into a family that made creativity and art making part of our regular existence. But more so than that, instilling the habit and skill of looking at the world with curiosity, wonder, and appreciation.
My brother and I would always be drawing, playing with clay, coming up with and acting out stories - I remember him writing his own comic book probably around 8 or so. My Dad was a computer programmer for work, which he hated, so he was adamant that he didn't care what we did so long as it brought us joy. After he died, most of the belongings brought home from his office were artwork my brother and I had made.
My Mom, who does not believe she is creative (despite my brother and I having distinct memories of her ability to draw cartoon characters from memory, writing a children's book and accompanying illustrations, etc.) has always been equally supportive. She is also who I have to thank for teaching me by example to find the beauty in the natural world, and all the glimmers hiding in plain sight. She and my Dad taught me to follow my tender heart, and explore it to its corners.
Ok so where do the Crows come in?!
I have pretty much always had a fascination and feeling of kinship with Crows, and various corvid pals - probably deepened by the fact that my family's surname, Crose, sounds quite a bit like it. I was also obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe as a kid, along with Greek and Egyptian mythology, Native American legends, and have always had a little emo poet heart beating fervently in my chest from the early days.
With that, over time, the Crow really became a symbol to me of my Self, and my identity. Almost, or perhaps just as much, as my connection to and my identity with art.
Even with all that, it took a very long time for the concepts of how I could or would make any sort of living from art making to take form in my mind. But in 2013, I decided to make some kind of official move and created the business name Crow Takes Wing; meaning I was taking flight.
I didn't really do anything with it then; I wasn't really making any art for myself, and life was a bit murky at the time. Then in 2016, I met my now husband and funny enough started on a soap making adventure which started as a fun hobby. We made GOOOOD soap, and started selling and vending at markets under the name Nomadic Boutique. I really took it over, and funny enough had quite the soap following. Then of course 2020 happened, and all of that came to a pause - then a stop.
But the thing was, when I got together with my husband (who is also an artist), it rekindled the artist in me and we would draw and paint together all the time. It started with landscapes and figure drawing, until I was having fun again making for ME, exploring ideas. So that last year of vending before the pandemic hit, I had started to include prints of some of my artwork - and folks were responding.
After the initial couple years as I (and the rest of the world) began to find our bearings, I was making more art again and really finding my joys and my voice. So, in 2023, 10 years after its initial creation, I embarked once again under the banner of Crow Takes Wing, this time with all of my original artwork and creations. I came home to myself; I took flight.
