Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Carlson
Hi Paige, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always loved art in many forms. Throughout my schooling years, art classes were my highlight and really what kept me motivated. I loved everything from, painting & drawing, pottery, and eventually graphic design. Somewhere along the way, in my 20’s, music became a main focus and a wonderful outlet in life and for my job. I spent much of my career in my 20s and 30’s focused on music, as a singer songwriter, than in leadership within my church. Since becoming a mom 6 years ago, my passion for the creative has only ramped up. About 3 years ago my job ended and I found myself wondering what was next. I started searching out opportunities to help contribute to my family AND use my creative gifts. Inspired by a close friend after a girls weekend, I started researching and found something incredible. I could get creative and publish journals I designed on Amazon. I immediately scraped every corner of the internet to learn all that I could about self publishing and gave it a go in May of 2023. My first project truly came from my heart as a mom. It brought together my love of design, motherhood, mindfulness and desire for living an intentional life. As I started marketing my first journal for moms, the response was encouraging and incredibly motivating! I could see that my journal for moms struck a chord for those in that season of life where everything feels a little chaotic. Since then I’ve published 8 more journals, planners and notebooks, and sold close to 3k books in total. My business has since then launched as Bright Bird Studios where I sell original designed journals, notebooks and planners, as well as original works of art (my etsy shop has a few printable downloads for sale as well). I know this is just the beginning, and I’m excited to expand in the coming season and see where my creativity takes me!
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?
This journey has not always been smooth. Along the way I’ve struggled with marketing, and with how to have an online presence on social media without being glued to my phone all day. It’s a crazy time in our culture where any business now also must be a “content creator” of sorts on social media platforms. I have found that when I spend so much time trying to come up with content to market my journals and art I don’t get to do what I actually love which is CREATE! I’m learning to balance these things and I have to be honest, it’s quite a challenge! It’s also an interesting road publishing or creating a work of art and putting it out there only to see that it’s not selling, that can really kill momentum and it’s easy to let it stall me out. I’m learning to work through all these speed bumps and trust that it’s ok for some days or months not to be as smooth as others. I still choose to enjoy the process of creating and getting to know what could really help other moms in this season and trust that the best is yet to come!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I self publish journals, notebooks and planners on amazon. I’m most known for my affirmation journals – my first one is for moms thick in the challenges of motherhood, and the second one I designed and published is for mothers during pregnancy and preparing for birth. I’m proud to offer something to mothers that can impact every part of their lives because it is about how we THINK. Our minds are powerful, and affirmations have been a impactful way for me to turn chaos, insecurity & anxiety in motherhood into confidence and calm in my whole body. I want every mom to know that she has those tools at her fingertips with this simple act of practicing affirmations and journaling.
I’m also very proud of the watercolor and mixed medium art I’m creating recently. I’m not sure how much it sets me apart, but I am proud of the fact that I can still be creative and put my work out into the world while being a full time stay at home mom of young kids. My young boys can even take part in the process sometimes! We all sit down to paint, or they can contribute ideas for journals.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I have been inspired by many!
I’m especially inspired by fellow moms who are getting creative in business to help support their families!
Whitney Gandara @mouseminutespodcast is a constant supporter, mentor and cheerleader – she is the friend that originally got my wheels turning about publishing on Amazon and she has been paving her way creatively in business as well! I’m inspired by what she does and how she does it!
Sydney White @cradleandlatch is always an advocate and cheerleader, we spend time talking about our businesses often! It’s so much better to mom together, and even more fun to cheer each other on in our businesses. I couldn’t do it without this support!
My husband Matt Carlson is a constant supporter, team mate and cheerleader – I’d be lost without him, his love for our family and his constant encouragement propels me forward.
There are also people I’ve never met that have helped me along the way, I’ve specifically learned a lot about self publishing from Rachel Harrison-Sund, Dale L. Roberts, and Sean Dollwet- they really own their online presence and offer so much value in their content! I’ve loved learning from them specifically.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brightbirdstudios.com
- Instagram: @bright_bird_studios
Image Credits:
Paige Carlson
