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

Hi Karen, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Shortly after the birth of my first child, I realized that I needed a creative outlet in order for me to be the best version of myself for my son. It was too easy to get sucked into the needs of my newborn and forget all about myself. I decided to learn calligraphy and started my social media page (then called A Basic Stroke). I had studied Public Health in college so I didn’t really think of myself as an artist. After the birth of my second son, I decided to learn how to draw flowers and that is when my page took off! People were so excited about my drawings and started asking me for custom work and such. So I started an Etsy shop with little stickers and prints and continued to do custom work via social media. It was just a little side hustle at the time. However, as I neared the birth of my 3rd son (can you tell my children have fed my creativity?), I decided to get serious and truly try to make this a true creative business. I rebranded to Karen B Creations in January 2022 and my focus and mission is to inspire others to pick up a pen and learn to draw flowers. I still have my Etsy shop but i know include practice guides and have an ebook in the works. I am working on building a thriving community on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest by sharing easy to follow tutorials and inspiring others to pick up a pen and try! So I guess in summary, my children made me creative and I followed the path.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
-My biggest muse and subject of my art is flowers. I am absolutely obsessed with flowers. While I am not the only floral artist out there, I would say the thing that sets me apart is my passion for teaching. I have spent the last 3 years learning how to draw flowers and have cultivated my own unique style of drawing. However, my focus now is not to simply share my own work but to share videos and tutorials to help others along their art journey. -I am most proud of the community I have built on my Instagram page. People love to learn and aren’t afraid to send me a message and ask questions.
-It was definitely not easy to get to where I am. Growth takes time and effort. For years, my social media page only had 100 followers but through consistent effort and work, I now have over 82k followers. My business is mostly social media based so having loyal followers and new eyes coming and going helps boost my sales and growth. There were definitely challenges in the middle of my growth. I have very hard pregnancies, so while I credit my children with fostering my creativity, it was hard to create during months and months of sickness which only tanked my engagement. And on top of that, my second son was born with a heart defect and almost passed away. However, I have interlaced my art with my children so much that some of my best pieces have stemmed from those hard moments. I have been able to create many meaningful pieces for Congenital Heart Disease Awareness and that has touched a lot of people.
-The biggest lesson that I have learned and like to share with other artists/creatives is that practice makes progress. Improving your work, growing your business, and so much more requires effort and that effort pays off slowly but surely.
-What I want people to know about my brand/story is that I am just like them. I am a normal human mom who wanted to learn something so I taught myself. And therefore, my passion for teaching others is genuine because I know what it is like to learn something new. Especially drawing flowers!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Utah is best known for its mountains and national parks. Provo (my city) is a college town so it is alive and well. The food here is amazing with a variety of different cuisines. On the first day, I would take them to eat Indian food and then get ice cream at the BYU creamery becuase it is the best ice cream. We would definitely plan some hikes and maybe take a little day trip to swim at Pineview Reservoir. And if we had plenty of time, go to Zion’s National park, especially because it was recently voted one of the most beautiful parks in the nation. We would camp and enjoy some smores, do more hikes, and send them off to do some mountain biking with my husband.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Definitely my husband and 3 sons. Becoming a mom unlocked the creative side of me and made me a better person. My husband, a passionate entrepreneur, pushed me to make my art a business and has been the best mentor and friend during this journey.

Website: KarenBCreationsShop.Etsy.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/KarenB.Creations

Youtube: Youtube.com/@karenb.creations

Image Credits
Andrea Brionne Photography (all the ones from the photoshoot)

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