ARTISTS + RENEGADES: interview w/ Bonnie Christine

Thursday, January 24, 2013

{Artists + Renegades is an interview series that celebrates artist-preneurs building exciting, unconventional careers. Equal parts inspiration, advice, and just plain fun, it will pump you up to pursue your wild and colorful dreams!}

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Friends, I'm happy to share welcome a colorful + talented lady to Artists + Renegades today-- Bonnie Christine! Her blog, Going Home to Roost, is a visual feast that I drool over every time I see it. The header. Ohhhh, I die!

Anyway, Bonnie graciously answered my questions below (including one that has a LIE in it! Its your job to figure out what she's not telling the truth about...) Read on to learn more about Bonnie and join in the fun!

What’s your BIG DREAM?

To be a fabric designer!

What was your happiest moment in the past week?

Arriving in Kailua, Kona Hawaii!! A work trip for my husband that I was happy to tag a long for. :)

What’s your personal motto?

Nurture. Create. Inspire.

Let's play two truths and a lie: mix in two true statements about yourself with one false one, and we'll try to guess which is which in the comments section later.

I love green smoothies.

I was a cheerleader in college.

I went to school for art and design.

What is your favorite piece of your early art / writing / etc.? (Share a photo of it, if possible!)

I think it would have to be the very first pattern I ever made. It had taken me so long to learn how to put something in repeat and had been such a mystery to me for so long. It's really terrible, but it was a monumental moment in my journey as a designer. My reaction was similar to when my hen laid her very first egg. I held it up in the air and ran around the yard screaming like a small child. I think I called my mom crying. She loved it. And it really was horrible.

If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would you choose, and why?

Amy Butler- the queen of all fabric design and modern quilting. She's been my role model for a very long time.

What job would you most like to try for a week?

Hmm, maybe being a pilot? I'm pretty sure flying around in the sky is the coolest thing ever.

I couldn't live without _______ because _______.

Toaster, because he's my snuggle buddy.

What’s one thing you wish you had the guts to try?

Surf? I'm too skeered of sharks. And of drowning.

What's your most awkward family photo? (Share share share!)

Ummm, I think this one is pretty good. My mom, sister and I all in matching handmade Easter dresses from my mom.

Tell us one thing you absolutely adore about yourself.

My creativity and ability to see things for what they could be.

If you could live in another decade, which would you choose and why?

I think the 40's. When women were becoming more independent and the clothes were beautiful and the accents lovely. Men were chivalrous, and I think it's one of the most romantic times.

Bonnie Christine authors Going Home to Roost - the blog dedicated to everything handmade and anything homegrown! She also works as a surface pattern designer and is mother hen of the Roost Tribe, a community for creatives. When she's not blogging or sketching, you can find her cooking, traveling with her husband and playing with their pup, Toaster.

where else you can find her:

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest

{Feel inspired? Check out my e-book, Jump, Trust, Repeat, chock full of practical tips and encouragement to build a thriving career as an artist!}

COMMENTS

Laura commented on 24-Jan-2013 04:26 PM

Toaster is such an awesome dog name, and he looks cuddly awesome, and you're really pretty, and I think you're lying about #3! Lovely work!

bonnie forkner commented on 25-Jan-2013 07:59 AM

hey laura!! you're too sweet! i'll be popping in a little later to tell the TRUTH, but for now i just wanted to say hi (and i love your website!).

Anonymous commented on 25-Jan-2013 07:13 PM

What a fun interview! I love the creative questions. I am a new member of the tribe...lots of fun. I would love to design fabric too...right now I am a craft and quilt pattern designer....headed for Portlands quilt market in the Spring. Will you be there?
Shirley

Tiffany Barry commented on 26-Jan-2013 05:27 AM

Fun interview! I'm guessing that the cheerleader in college is the lie... now I'm going to be on pins and needles until I find out, lol!

bonnie forkner commented on 28-Jan-2013 01:11 PM

Hey guys- just popping in to fess up!

TRUTH: I love green smoothies.
TRUTH: I was a cheerleader in college. (Believe it or not!)
LIE: I went to school for art and design.

I actually went to school for business & marketing! Which really has helped me tremendously in my creative endeavors. Thanks for playing along! :)

Anonymous commented on 29-Jan-2013 04:50 AM

Great interview, Bonnie! And I think #3 is the lie! Funny, I was JUST having a conversation over lunch with my hubby about how sometimes I wish I would have finished my art degree. But I'm still making art without the degree, and that's really all that matters! :)

bonnie forkner commented on 29-Jan-2013 09:44 AM

sadee- cheers to self taught awesomeness! ;) have always loved your work!

elena commented on 29-Jan-2013 04:46 PM

Hi Bonnie, I'm curious what we're seeing in images 1, 2, and 5. Beautiful work... just curious what exactly they are.