Wendy Mitchell has a creative spark about her that’s quite contagious. Recently, she has been riding a roller coaster of life changes, so I was eager to catch up over cocktails to find out the latest. For our chat, she made us her version (well two versions!) of a lemon drop martini. She started with two simple syrups; one infused with rosemary and the other with ginger. I went the rosemary route and so she poured about an ounce of that into her ice-filled shaker. Then she added a shot of Ketel One Citroen Vodka and about an ounce of lemon juice. After a rigorous shake (caution, shaker tops may fly!) she poured it into a cold glass.
With a clink of our martinis, we sat down and talked about her path back to college. She had always been creative as a child and felt pulled towards an artistic career path. After earning her Associate’s degree at Florida State, she moved back to Atlanta and was accepted into the Atlanta College of Art. But, like a lot of people on a creative path, doubt began to creep in and she thought, “is it worth it?” She considers it her “sliding door” moment and questioned how her life would be different had she opted to stay in school. Leaning heavily on her Christian faith, she made the big decision to go back to college. She shared some of the intriguing art courses and projects that have helped stretch her creatively. There’s no doubt that she is finally back on the right track.
A few years ago, Wendy fell in love with creating cyanotypes and views this as a “collaboration with the Creator.” Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that doesn’t use a camera. There are elements of the process that she can’t control, like the sun, which have taught her to “let go” and depend on God to fulfill His part. I love hearing her talk about the unique spiritual connection she has with her work. If you’ve wanted to try your hand at Cyanotypes, Wendy shares the required supplies and walks us step-by-step through the process.
I know you are going to be inspired by this interview with Wendy Mitchell and her mindset that it’s never too late to keep learning and evolving. You can watch the full conversation here. Be sure to give Wendy a follow on Instagram, Facebook or visit her website for more info on her artwork.