We had the good fortune of connecting with katie fowler and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi katie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I decided to start my own business after I self-published a book and began teaching and speaking on a national level. I am a certified creativity coach which means I can ask all the right questions so that clients can find creative sucess on their own terms.
As an empty nester and former classroom teacher CreateCurious, LLC seemed like the next logical step. I was raised by two small business owners and really liked the idea of being an entrepreneur. I have to say that I love the flexibility as well.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I like to call myself a maker. I paint whole cloth paintings and layer and stitch them like a quilt. They are not functional, but meant as art. I enjoy aspects of traditional quilting like piecing and applique and I embroider and use embroidery when hand quilting my quilts. I also enjoy needle felting wool. I am a sucker for anything fabric and colorful.
I think my message of self-acceptance and surrender sets me apart from many teachers and authors. I want to teach a technique, but my main message is that you are enough. How you do things is just right. Follow your own creative path and don’t let others steer you away from that path. I like to “embrace the blob” and show people there can be a pursuit of excellence that is totally different from perfectionism.
Creativity is hard. It’s hard to define and often hard to find. It has taken me decades to overcome perfectionism which translates to “not good enough” in my artwork. My embrace the blob philosophy frees me up to truly enjoy the creative process and let go of the outcome. My focus now is on the process, if I like the outcome it’s icing on the cake.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that to be successful one must be true to oneself. I now have the confidence to be myself with all the quirks and foibles. My style and personality will find students and clients who are a perfect fit. I have stopped fighting myself and embrace who and how I am.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a multi-generation Colorado native on both my mom and dad’s sides of the family. I have a deep love for metro Denver and Colorado.
Denver is a beautiful city full of great things to do. I might start at the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum. Both are wonderful facilities that are a treat in and of themselves. The art in both make them a special experience. We would have to go to Meow Wolf just to say we did. It’s hard to describe and definitely worth a visit. I am a library person and the main Denver Public Library is just fantastic. I could spend the whole week just there!
For a fabric person like me, no visit to Denver would be complete without a trip to Treelotta on South Broadway. The people, inspiration, notions, books, and fabric are the best. Meiningers Art Supply will make any creative’s head explode. It’s a day trip in itself. I think a trip to the REI flagship store is a must. Even if you’re not outdoorsy, the store is located in a “haunted” historic building and is just beautiful. You can grab a cup of coffee and enjoy Confluence Park while you’re there. If you’re hungry walk around the block to My Brother’s Bar, a Denver staple for burgers.
Just up the street you’ll find Little Man Ice Cream in a building shaped like a milk can, possibly the best ice cream on the planet. Both the HiLo and West Colfax location often have really fun live entertainment/activities to enjoy while enjoying your ice cream. Denver has some really unique places to eat and next door to Little Man is Linger in the old Olinger Mortuary building which is said to be haunted. There are a lot of great restaurants in the area.
Moving west, which is the best direction to move from Denver, we would have to see Red Rocks Amphitheater. If we are lucky we will get to see a concert. It is a special place on the planet. We might get to Red Rocks on our bikes as the Denver area has an amazing connected network of bike paths. We really could go anywhere on our bikes. If you like dinosaurs, you can visit the dinosaur footprints just north of Morrison. We might then bike to Golden, the first capitol of Colorado. Golden is an awesome little town with shopping, restaurants, and Clear Creek for kayaking, tubing, river surfing, or just strolling along the river watching. We might trade our bikes for mountain bikes and enjoy the thrills on North Table Mountain. Golden is the home of Coors Beer and a number of small breweries to quench our thirst after the bikeride.
Are you sure we only have a week? We haven’t even gotten to the mountains yet!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am very grateful to have many people in my life I’d like to recognize.
Close to home, I have to start with my husband, Bill, who has tirelessly helped me figure out the business side of things and supported every endeavor, even the crazy ones! Our kids, Kit and Will, offer back wisdom and encouragement and are behind me all the way. My sister Meg is in theater and has been an excellent resource and support. My parents raised us with the belief that we can do anything we put our minds to. They gave me a worldview that goodness wins, I am so grateful for that. I have like minded friends who are always willing to help pack kits, sort and cut fabric, or just be there.
In the industry, I have to thank Alex Anderson who always has my back. She uses her large international audience to promote me and my projects. I have learned so much from her starting before I knew her. As a beginner quilter I watched her on Simply Quilts. I still watch and learn from Alex on The Quilt Show and I am happy and honored to call her a friend.
Website: KatieFowler.net
Instagram: KatieFowlerWonderland
Facebook: Katie Tolin Fowler
Youtube: Katie Fowler
Image Credits
Lauren Herberg, C&T Publishing