Meet Rose Hood | Artist

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

Hi Rose, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
The true amount of time, research, and effort that goes into creating art. It’s not just the production time but it’s also finding crochet patterns, or researching a new skill and practicing that new skill, learning how to use a new material, etc. There is also a lot of emotional effort that goes into creating art that I don’t think most people are aware of.

A crochet plushy can easily take a week to make but only 2-3 days is actually spent on the making of it. Papermache sculpting can take 2 weeks due to the need to let layers dry. Mixed media pieces can take 2 days because sometimes glue or sculpting putty has to set.

There are many steps from researching the idea to final product but I think most people think all art only takes a couple hours.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m not sure what sets me apart. I’m a stay home mom who homeschools and tries to make as much of each day as I can. I create art because I enjoy it, it’s a passion for me, it’s as essential as breathing. I have always made things for myself and others, I am the go to friend if someone needs something made, and it brings me so much joy to see them happy because of something I made.

I’m definitely proud of myself for taking the risk of putting myself and my work out there for others to see. It’s exciting to see how people react and compliments are always awesome, but the flip side of that is the judgement and negative comments which can definitely be hard to deal with sometimes.
I’m also proud that my work is now featured in a couple of local family owned smoke shops. When I first started this journey I never thought I’d have my work in a store so that is a big accomplishment for me.

It certainly hasn’t been easy to get where I am today. The art world is never easy. It’s easy to get caught up in the “what will sell” mentality and forget why I create art in the first place. Ultimately I try to always make art that makes me happy and that I have fun making because if I don’t it shows in the final product and I loose my motivation to create.

I’ve definitely learned not to take the negative comments personally. Art is so subjective, what I love someone else may hate and I have to remember that it’s ok if not everyone loves my work, it doesn’t mean I’m a bad artist. Being an artist definitely requires me to have a thick skin so the negatively doesn’t get to me.

If I have a message it would to the artist moms who feel like they get lost in just being mom. I felt like that when my son was a baby. I felt like I stopped being Rose and became just mom, without anything outside of that.
Then I realized I’m still an artist and it’s important that I make time to create. I use art to teach my son all sorts of things and I think it benefits my son to see that I am an individual that isn’t defined by the word mom.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Wow, DFW has such a wide variety of things to see and do it’s hard to choose. For someone not familiar with the area I’d say the Fort Worth stock yards are a must see, especially when they heard the cattle through. It’s a living connection to the history of the area. Downtown Grapevine has some great restaurants and shops and Montgomery Street Antique Mall is a huge antique mall and tea room in Ft Worth that I can easily spend hours in.
The Rattlesnake Ballroom is a great live music venue, the North Texas Irish Festival in March, and Scarborough Renaissance Faire in April-May are all top on my list.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Three people stand out when it comes to supporting and encouraging me. One is my husband Chris. He deals with my art supplies being all over the place.
He gives up weekends to help me haul everything to shows and get it all setup, he talks to guests at my booth or keeps our son occupied while I talk to guests. He encourages me when I’m feeling down on myself.
The other two are my best friends Tori and Justin. They let my bounce ideas off them when I’m struggling to clarify an idea. They help me learn new skills or give me tips about materials I’m not familiar with. They listen to me cry or vent after a disappointing show and they remind me that I’m not a failure as an artist.

Without the support of my husband and best friends I don’t know that I’d still be selling my art because it can be mentally and emotionally draining.

Instagram: @rosehoodart

Other: The best way to contact me is through my email tipsymouse83@gmail.com I will answer messages on Instagram as well, I’m just not as quick at it.

Image Credits
Spark Smoke Shop Stuart Jones