Meet Michele Naylor | Painter and Greeting Card Designer

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

Hi Michele, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve been making things ever since I can remember. I have always been creative even if it’s just coming up with a solution to a problem. Although I did not study art, I have always been interested in it. In the past several years I have taken some art workshops which have spurred me to create.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always had an office job of some kind. The last 15 years I worked as a courtroom clerk and loved the job. It is very detail oriented and that’s what I am good at. I retired in 2016.

In the late 1980’s I joined an art cooperative in Cincinnati, Ohio, I was making fabric dolls, and greeting cards. We moved to Arizona in 1996 and I joined another art cooperative and I have since transitioned to hats, mixed media paintings and I design greeting cards. My work is also at a gallery in Sedona, Arizona.

Since I always had a regular job, I have felt to monetary pressure to sell my work, but I want things to move as I don’t have unlimited space to store what I make. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that something you are making is not what people want to buy. So you stop that and change things. In my line of greeting cards, for example, there have been some duds. Something that I think will strike a chord falls flat. So I need to retire that design and make another.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live 10 miles from Sedona so I’m sure they would want to visit there. It is overcrowded and overpriced, but I would take them there nonetheless. Once through that city, we would travel through Oak Creek Canyon. It is a beautiful drive through rugged rocks and pine trees – a breathtaking climb up to Flagstaff. Once in Flag, we would grab a pizza at Fat Olives.

Once back in our town of Cottonwood, we would go to Old Town. This is the original business district of Cottonwood. It’s only about 4 blocks long, but it is filled with charming old buildings, wine shops (selling local wine), restaurants and fun little shops. The Belfry is a relatively new restaurant located in the old recreation center.

Jerome is an old mining town part way up Mingus Mountain where you can shop for art, wine, ice cream and more. On the way back down the mountain, we would stop at Tuzigoot, the ancient Sinagua ruins just outside of Cottonwood. Standing on that hill near the Verde River you can imagine a completely different (and much more difficult) life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Roger Naylor, is a writer. He has always encouraged me in my attempts to sell my art. He has also been invaluable in my greeting card line. Sometimes I have an image that I know is good, but I need some help with the caption. He’s aways been there for me.

Website: http://www.michelecoklnaylor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michele.c.naylor?ref=tn_tnmn