Daily Inspiration: Meet Carley Baker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carley Baker.

Hi Carley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in a small Oklahoma town called Bridge Creek. I have always been really into painting and anything creative. However, I never saw myself pursuing art as a career. My parents were always very supportive of me chasing dreams, but I think society and school made me think that becoming an artist wasn’t what I was “supposed” to do and I was very much the kid that did what I was supposed to do. I made straight A’s, was in all the clubs, participated in most sports, graduated Valedictorian, went to college at Oklahoma State where I cheered on Small Coed and then Graduated with a degree in Education. Once I was out of school, I felt kind of lost honestly but didn’t know why.… Stony and I got married when we were 24 and we started living our life together. I got a job in the Cheer industry working as a Varsity Uniform Rep. We were content, but both just felt like we were missing out on some life experience.

So then without ever even visiting, we took a big risk and moved to Hawaii for Stony’s new job. I had to resign from mine to make the move. About six months after we moved to Hawaii, we found out I was pregnant with our daughter… I started painting and crafting more consistently again. I was making little baby mobiles and art for our daughter’s nursery and for some friends and family. I started thinking maybe I can do this? Then we had our daughter, and I really started thinking about how she would see me and look up to me. I knew I couldn’t tell her to pursue her dreams fearlessly and wholeheartedly if I wasn’t doing the same thing. So I started, but I don’t think I was 100% in yet. More life happened and we moved to Colorado when our daughter was just four months old. Then Covid happened- and we were stuck at home A LOT.

So one night, I decided to launch some of my art on Etsy and create an Instagram page. It kind of evolved organically from there. I started by just selling paintings and commissioned pieces. I knew I wanted to sell my art, but I didn’t want to be limited to just my original paintings. Then from there, I decided to offer some Christmas ornaments that I made from old paint pallets. Those sold really well and sparked the urge to mess with more than just paintings on canvas. I realized not everyone wants or needs a painting or a print to hang on the wall. Some people might want a shirt, coffee cup, or a hand-painted tote. I remember one time I had a good friend of mine tell me that this Santa painting I did would look great on a pillow. Yes, Great idea! So then I realized I needed to offer more merchandise! And here we are. Wailana Art Collective. Paintings, Home Decor, and Apparel. Still growing and evolving every day. My most recent new project is a mural, so I’m excited to see where that road goes.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I would venture to say the road is always bumpy and challenging. Like four-wheel drive has always been required to drive down this road. However, I think that is what makes it so special. From the beginning, there have been so many different obstacles. Some expected and many I never thought about. Even just the decision to start this career was one of the biggest struggles. I really had a hard time saying, “I’m an artist”. I didn’t feel deserving of that title and just felt like it was not true or people wouldn’t take me seriously. I had a lot of self-doubt. Overcoming that has been a big step for me. I think you can really tell by the art that I have created when I did start believing it. Another struggle is time management and trying to fulfill all the other “hats” you have to wear as a small business owner. There are so many other things you have to manage outside of creating and painting that you don’t think about or realize is part of the deal until your in it.

Then you combine that with the work/life balance. Especially being a parent and working from home. It never feels like there are enough hours in the days! We also have been moving so much in the last five years and while it has been a great adventure, it just adds more challenges to the mix. I have had to set up three different art studios/work spaces in the last four years. It has been a little hectic to say the least and definitely adds to the whole work/life balance challenge list. However many of these challenges life brings for my art business also bring so much inspiration for my paintings so there is no way I would be creating some of the pieces that I have without the life that I have experienced.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Artist. I enjoy creating so many types of art, but I would say I am known for creating very colorful abstract realism pieces. I love painting people and animals, but I do some landscapes or places that have special meaning to me. I have also been putting my art on t-shirts and home decor items the last few years which has opened up an opportunity for people to buy art in a little different way. I want my art to put beautiful, positive, good feelings into the world. I think we all need more of that and that’s what I want to provide with what I create.

I think there are a few things that set my business apart. Relatability is one. I think people are really drawn to my art because it sparks a good memory or feeling. I love to paint people and animals mostly. Right now most of the people I have painted are musicians that I grew up listening to. Music just does something to your memory and I think when people order a painting, print, or T-shirt with that musician they are buying a feeling. I get a lot of requests to paint pets as well. We all know that feeling that our best fur friends give us. So who wouldn’t want a piece of art that looks cool and has their favorite furry face on it?!

Customer Service is the second. I try to provide great customer service to anyone buying art from me! I want to take care of everyone that purchases from Wailana Art Collective like they are my friends. I genuinely hope everyone that I have had the chance to work with feels that way. Especially people I get to work with on commission pieces. It is so hard to find good customer service in today’s world and it is something that I HIGHLY value as a customer myself.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I am finally settling into a routine again at home and am in love with my lululemon Mirror/ Studio App. I try to start every day by doing one of the yoga videos on there. I can definitely tell a difference for the better if I start my day with yoga. By body feels better, my stress level is definitely better, and I just function better. I love that I can still use the app to access the workouts even if I’m traveling.

Podcasts:
Honestly, I do find myself tuning into the JRE podcast a lot. Joe Rogan has so many guests from different walks of life. I appreciate the wide range of content on there.

I also really like Sleep Magic with Jessica Porter. Sometimes my mind races at night even though I’m exhausted and her podcast has been a GAME CHANGER for getting good sleep at night!

One other app that I just downloaded is Lemon8. I know some other artists/creatives are moving some content over and I have heard it is an Instagram meets Pinterest so I’m excited to mess with it a bit!

Books: My daughter loves for us to read to her before bed. These are really the only books I’m reading at the moment so I guess this one is for those of you with little ones in your lives… Anyways… My daughter LOVES the Claris books by Megan Hess. They are so adorable and all have a good life lesson behind the story.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.wailanaartcollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wailanaartco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=wailana%20art%20co