Meet Cara Cummings | Artist, surface designer, gardener, and educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cara Cummings and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cara, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I have a tendency to do things out of order. I went back to college when my kids went to school, I finished graduate school when I was 40, and I decided to completely switch careers when I was 50. All of these decisions seemed risky when I made them, but they also seemed impossible not to do. These decisions came at times that did not make sense, and very easily could have been filed in the impossible ideas department, but I also know that time passes whether we do the things we are called to do or not. So over the years I have learned to shorten the thinking time and just jump.

The only reason I am doing what I love right now is because I took a risk. At the end of 2019 I was burned out on nonprofit work, and had a decision to make, start a job search or start a business. I decided I would start an art business in 2020. Things (for obvious reasons) did not go as planned that first year. But I realized that there was no one else I would rather depend on to be creative in a difficult time than myself. So I stuck with it. One of the things I have learned about taking risks is that it is so tempting to quit too soon. The scary unknown is so uncomfortable, and the temptation to relieve the discomfort is strong. The thing that has worked for me is to focus on the target and keep going – don’t get distracted.

For a long time I had this idea that having a “regular job” was somehow safer than being in business for myself. But I know now that is not true. I am now much more comfortable taking the risks that keep me moving forward – sometimes the path is circuitous, but at least I am the one making the decisions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been painting plants for 25 years. I had started school as an art major, then switched to biology after taking botany as my required science class – the plants hooked me. When I was going through the course catalog I saw a class called scientific illustration, and my head almost exploded with excitement – my worlds were colliding in a way I did not know existed.

I finished my degree in biology, and then a master’s in environmental science and policy, but always painted as both a hobby and a side hustle. I think being a botanist and an artist has allowed me to develop a style of my own – I am so inspired by how beautiful plants are, and by learning more about them – and our dependence on them. Over the years my style has relaxed a little bit and I don’t really do true scientific illustration anymore, but I do consider myself a botanical painter, which has allowed me to try all kinds of interesting things.

I have been making art prints and stationery for years, and I recently learned how to use my art to create repeating patterns with Bonnie Christine. I love to learn new things, it provides me with so much freedom. I am playing with new ideas all the time – for new products, new art, and new ways to connect people to botanical beauty.

The thing I am most excited about right now is my botanical arts membership, Flora. It has allowed me to bring all of the things I love together and share it with people who also love plants, art, and community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Straight to the water. My favorite thing about moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan 5 years ago was that I was near water again (I’m originally from the coast of California). In the summer, kayak trips down the Huron river or a drive to the west side of the state to Lake Michigan are my favorite things to do – so if you are coming to visit, be prepared to swim!

After a dip, we would head to Matthaei Botanical Gardens to see the peonies (in spring), or take a walk through the garden grounds. And on the off chance that you are visiting in the winter, we would head straight for the conservatory (and would swap the swimming with cross country skiing).

Next up would be food and drinks – either a brewery, my favorite is HOMES or The Corner Brewery, both also have good food. Or if we were thinking wine, then we would head to York for wine and cheese, or Aventura for wine and tapas. Of course we could go the cocktail route, in which case we would head to Detroit Street Filling Station for cocktails and vegan food. So many choices.

Evening entertainment could be sitting on the porch at home enjoying the scent of mosquito incense – those late Michigan summer nights are prime time, or maybe a concert at the Ark.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
On the other side of my willingness to take risks are the people who supported and cheered me on along the way. My partner, John, has been instrumental in making this recent career shift possible. The reality of starting any business is that it takes time, and over the past couple of years, even more time…so it helps to have someone to remind me that I’m always the one to say don’t quit too soon.

Being an artist can be very isolating, so it is so important to find people to talk to, who understand the challenges and frustrations – and how vulnerable it feels to be an artist in public. For the past three years (and the nearly 30 years before that..), that person has been my dear friend Karin Shelton. Karin is an incredible, successful artist who has been my biggest cheerleader. She is the one who I talked to about my ideas when I was getting started, and we have talked on the phone every week during the pandemic. I would definitely not be where I am today without her.

And really this whole idea started brewing in my mind about 25 years ago when I took my first scientific illustration class at Santa Barbara City College with Stephanie McCann. I was a biology student, and although I did not change my major to scientific illustration (I sure thought about it), that is the class that ultimately landed me where I am today..

Website: https://www.carasgarden.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carasgarden/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carasgarden

Other: https://learn.carasgarden.com

Image Credits
Kari Paine Cara Cummings John Schulenburg