Meet Evelyn Coleman | Illustrator

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

Hi Evelyn, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always loved studying and drawing plants of different ecosystems. My first job out of college was a naturalist in the California Redwoods. I led hikes through the coastal redwoods and taught school children all about the ecosystem where they live and thrive. When I wanted to learn the plants and leaves I was teaching about, I spent time outside drawing and painting them to commit them to memory. Botanical State of Mind was originally born when my best childhood friend from California was getting married to a man from North Carolina. I wanted to create a unique gift for them, so I made two peices of art featuring the state flower, tree leaf, and bird feather from their respective home states. I made these in the same ink-on-watercolor style that I had developed for nature-journaling in the redwoods. I put these up on an Etsy shop, and soon people were requesting state flower/ bird/ tree prints for their own home state. Since them, I’ve completed all 50 state prints, and I’ve expanded by diving deeper into California native plants, butterflies, and ecosystems. I think people are so connected to the flowers and plants that make their home unique, just like I am. One of my most popular art prints has been my “California Wildflowers” print, I think because these wldflowers feel personal and nostalgic to so many people who have grown up seeing these blooming each spring.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My moto in my journey as an artist and small business owner has been “slow growth is good growth.” Since I started Botanical State of Mind, I’ve also been teaching kindergarten full time at my local elementary school. I love working with kindergartners, absolutely adore 5-year-olds, and it takes up a LOT of my time. It’s easy to look around at fellow small business owners and see everything they are doing and accomplishing, and feel like I need to dedicate every spare minute to growing Botanical State of Mind. It can feel frustrating to feel like my business is growing SO slowly, but letting go of that urgency has helped me to grow at a rate that feels fun, inspired, and enjoyable for me. It leaves space and time to enjoy creating and to take my time and balance my life until I’m ready to (maybe some day) take my art full time.

In the past 2 years, I’ve been most proud of settling into my personal style as an artist. I create my art primarily with watercolors and digitally. I use a combination of watercolor and ink to portray local native plants and flora. The style I have isn’t completely realistic, I try to leave some imaginative whimsy when I draw my ink lines. Digitally, I have been creating maps of local California counties.I try to capture the “feel” of a place with the maps by including illustrations and local quirks. Their inclusion means they aren’t always “perfect” or to scale. Most recently, I’ve been really excited to create two bandana designs that feature flowers, plants, and fungi that I love.

When people see my work, my hope is that they can feel connected to it with a sense of recognition. I hope they can say: “Oh! A California poppy– that reminds me of taking walks with my grandma when I was young, reminds me of my college years when summer was around the corner, reminds me of home and spring and new beginnings.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting Sonoma County, they would be guarenteed a beautiful weekend. I would start by taking them for the BEST pateries for breakfast at Quail & Condor in my town of Healdsburg. Every single pastry they serve is amazing and they rotate their flavors to reflect what’s in season. Next, we would head toward the coast. We could collect seaglass and shells or look for seals at Goat Rock Beach. For lunch, we’d go to the taco truck in the parking lot at the Safeway in Guerneville. We might spend the afternoon exploring Armstrong Redwoods or floating down the Russian River in Monte Rio. For dinner, we would loop back to Healdsburg and enjoy some tapas and Sangria at Bravas.

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 and my parents have been instrumental in the growth of Botanical State of Mind. My parents really encouraged me to put myself out there and open up my shop originally, my mom even helped me come up with the name “Botanical State of Mind!” My husband has listened to me endlessly talk about my business and helps me brainstorm, supports me at the in-person shows I participate in, and let’s me dedicate 1/4 of our tiny studio to inventory and packing supplies. Their encouragment and support has been instrumental to my growth.

Website: botanicalsom.com

Instagram: botanical.state.of.mind

Other: Etsy: etsy.com/shop/botanicalstateofmind

Image Credits
Sarah Montano of Sarah Renee Photography, Botanical State of Mind