Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Walton.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I have always been creative. While growing up, nothing made me happier than to have a blank piece of paper and a pencil. My father brought me a Letraset font catalog when I was a teenager. I was doodling in school, filling the margins of notebooks with the latest teen fashions and anything else that struck my fancy. Oh, the joy as I discovered a new way to express my creativity, spending many hours trying to recreate some of the fonts found within. Despite all this, I took very few art lessons and none through public school. I did a few drawing and calligraphy projects for school organizations, but most of what I drew was confined to my notebooks or sent to my grandmother in letters. I never seriously considered pursuing and developing my talents.
After becoming a mom, I used my art skills to decorate cakes for them, which evolved into decorating cakes for others. I volunteered as the art teacher at my local elementary school, took a few private art lessons, and sporadically drew and painted. Then came July 6, 2005- the day and the experience that changed my life. A nine-year-old girl and I nearly lost our lives in a mishap at Rainbow Falls in Transylvania County, NC. God miraculously rescued us through the quick actions of several by-lookers who risked their lives for us. In the future, from this experience, I knew that my life would look different. In the first few months afterward, processing what had transpired, I felt that God was speaking to me, and this thought that He had blessed me with some talents and gifts that I wasn’t using very much. I could feel the Holy Spirit saying, “I made you creative-why don’t you do something with it.” That was when the idea of my creative business, River Rock Design, was born in the spring of 2006, and the very personal business logo came from this time of evaluation. It is three waves and an almost complete circle- but not quite. It represents the granite rock banks of the river where my life was spared and my life as I see it. The not quite complete-the circle is still open. I sign every piece of work that I do with it-it is my rock of remembrance, my way of thanking the Lord for sparing my life.
It only took me thirteen years from this point to fully jump out of the boat into a full-time art business! I spent this period juggling creativity with my job in the medical lab profession and as an adjunct instructor of medical laboratory technology at our local technical college. The plates were spinning hard! After several tragic local waterfall deaths during the summer of 2018 (which hit me hard), God reminded me again of his promise to me- not to forget that he made me creative with a new promise. “Keep persevering and watch Me work.” Just a year after that, after the floodgates seemed to open for me with creative opportunities, I dared to jump out of the boat and pursue my art business full-time. As I reflect on my life and the talents I’ve been given, I can see the thread of creativity woven through my life. One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 19:21-“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I am humbled and grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a challenging road! I didn’t even know what it meant to have an art business when I began-I didn’t have a clear direction of what I would do or could offer. Also, I was very hesitant to quit my bread-and-butter job. Having said all that, I’m not sorry for how it unfolded for me over 13 years. I had other opportunities to learn, do different things, and expand my circle of relationships, which I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the queen of miniature paintings! I began by painting custom ornaments for friends and family, then expanded my circle of customers when I started what has turned into a yearly limited series ornament for my alma mater (Clemson University)-now in its eighth season! I’ve become known for my handpainted ornament designs on 2 5/8” and 3 1/4” glass ball ornaments. When I went full-time with my art business in 2019, I made cold calls to SC coastal gift shops and got new opportunities. I began painting custom ornament designs for several local businesses in 2018. My designs were well received, which led to more businesses contacting me. As my art business has grown, I’ve learned that I can have some elements of my art printed on the ornaments for my large repeating orders, which is what allows me to paint hundreds of the same ornament designs.
I take pride in my ability to collaborate with my customers- individuals or businesses- to take their ideas and convert them into designs. My ability to develop a design, attention to detail, and love for good calligraphy that compliments the design set me apart. I have also enjoyed success in having some of my designs printed onto notecards, prints, apparel, and also several of my paintings/drawings converted to a fabulous clay medallion which is attached on a hand-thrown stoneware mug -a collaboration with Sunset Hills Stoneware.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Podcasts I enjoy listening to while I paint:
- “The World and Everything in It”-an unbiased way to keep up with the news
- “How I Built This” by Guy Raz- inspired by the stories of successful entrepreneurs
Apps:
- Sirius XM -music, music, music while I paint!
- The Bible -I’m grounded in my faith in Jesus Christ. Everything else in my life flows from this bedrock truth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.riverrockartist.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/lisawaltonriverrockartist
- Facebook: facebook.com/riverrockdesign
Image Credits
Lisa Walton, Louis Garmendia
