We recently had the chance to connect with Carla Wilson and have shared our conversation below.
Carla, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I am enjoying reading (novels) in my spare time. I belong to a book club that started meeting once a month or so beginning in February 2025. We’re on our third book now, and I’m really enjoying the process! Reading helps slow me down and takes me to another world temporarily.
I am also enjoying getting back to my regular yoga practice. Taking the time to move your body and meditate is so important.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My art business is called Carla Wilson Studio. I’m a mixed media artist who creates paintings and collages on canvas, paper, and wood. I add my original designs to merchandise such as clothing, greeting cards, notebooks, mugs, and many other items.
I tend to use bright colors and collage with texture and energetic expression. I was a teenager in the eighties when pop-music and dance-clubs prevailed, and although I don’t always use neon colors, I do love accents of hot pink or lime green with occasional black graphic marks.
Sometimes a spiritual quality comes out in my art, and my work depicts a dream-like quality.
I’ve been making art since childhood but only started painting prolifically since 2019. I sometimes am amazed at how much work I’ve produced since then.
Currently, I’m getting ready for a series of art events, including a “solo show” at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Little Italy from November 1st through 30th, There will be a poetry, music and art event in South Park on November 16th, an an “Art in the Garden” event on December 7th in La Jolla, and another solo show in La Jolla in February. It’s a busy time for artists, and since I work full-time in my day job, I have my hands full.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I think the part of me that might have served its purpose is the part that worried about what other people think.
Of course we care to a certain extent, and it’s nice to be liked, but you soon find out that you can’t please everyone, and your work is not for everyone, and you can only be yourself! I’m now making art primarily based on what I like to make. I do love to experiment, though, so I’m always interested in trying different techniques. When I was younger, I definitely followed trends, but I always added my own twist. As I grow older, my confidence in my uniqueness grows.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I have always felt different—like I did not fit in–I was never a typical American kid. My mother came to the U.S. from Germany (of Croatian parents), and my father was the son of a Romanian immigrant, so I was raised with distinct cultural customs growing up. We received care packages from my European relatives, and I was raised with different foods as well as European customs long before they became known in this country. That was a long time ago!
At the end of fourth grade, we moved from San Diego to the college town of Laramie, Wyoming, and there, not only was I a child of “immigrants,” but I also came from California, which was different culturally than Laramie, as well (picture mountains, cowboys, trucks and gun-racks, versus bathing suits, beaches, and flip-flops). My father pursued his master’s degree in English literature at the University of Wyoming while my mother worked in restaurants and taught tennis to support us. The kids I went to school with lived in regular houses with their families, while we lived in married student housing. Because I was different, I was bullied by the girls and teased by the boys. I was very shy and self-conscious, and as an only child, I felt lonely, and my grades suffered a lot during that time. I missed my childhood friends in California, and I struggled to fit in in Cowboy country.
I never failed to make friends, however, and I loved to participate in sports, music, theater, art. I enjoyed reading and writing, so somehow, I kept going despite my insecurities. Healing is an ongoing process, and that is perhaps why I make art.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My family, my privacy, and my time matters most to me. Our society’s collective mental health. Art. Music. Community. Justice.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes. I have a need to work hard and rarely wait for others to give me the green light to begin a project. While I still have the energy to keep going, I will keep doing my best to express my creativity in hopes that it will inspire people to do the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carlawilsonstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlawilson.studio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Carla-Wilson-Studio-61580221194995/
- Other: Substack: https://carlamwilson.substack.com/
Books: https://www.carlawilsonstudio.com/books
Image Credits
Photo Credit for Bio-Headshot: Michelle Kennedy.
Carla Wilson’s artwork photo credit: Carla Wilson.
