Cricut Contributing Artist series: Erin Wilson

Erin Wilson, a Contributing Artist from Maryland, stumbled into stationery design and hand-lettering, and the rest is history. In this artist spotlight, Erin shares her quirky projects, a secret wish for time-traveling powers, and a deep love for fall’s apple cider donuts. Join us as we explore all that is involved in her creative universe.

Where did your artistic journey begin?   

The bulk of my career has been spent doing stationery design and hand-lettering. I am self-taught and discovered both graphic design and lettering when I was searching for a hobby when my middle child turned two years old nearly ten years ago! My earliest experiences with art were through music (which is what my degree is in!), art, and photography in school. Even though I didn’t ever study art officially, I’ve always enjoyed exploring my creative side. It’s something that genuinely feels like play to me!

How did you discover the Cricut Contributing Artist Program? 

I found Cricut through an old friend and worked for the company for about a year before the launch of the CAP program. I helped beta test the program and have enjoyed watching the growth of such a great program.

What does creativity mean to you?

I’ve thought about this a lot because creativity can wax and wane so much in different seasons of life (or even days of the week…. ok, or hours of the day). I spent years only working from 8 pm to pm-midnight, and I felt so creative during those hours, and now I’m definitely in bed most of those hours. While I’m unsure how to describe creativity, I am very familiar with how it feels. Creativity, for me, is often found in states of flow, where everything else is quiet. I can lose entire hours without realizing it. It feels electric and magical. There’s nothing like stepping back to look at a finished piece and feeling like you didn’t even know you had that in you.

Do you collect anything?

Cards and notes from my family and friends? Whether from birthdays or random notes, I have the most challenging time throwing anything like that away! This is where my love of crafting started– I started making homemade birthday cards as a kid and haven’t ever stopped, even though now my cards are printed and sold through retailers.

Who or what inspires you to create, and why?

I naturally feel creative quite often, and it’s a feeling I’ve devoted a lot of time to nurturing over the years. For better or worse, I seek praise, so I love to create things that will bring joy to the end user. I also feel motivated to develop for kids because they are so delighted by the minor things and are so much less critical than adults or than I am of myself.

What is your favorite type of craft, or what project have you created that you are most proud of?

While I’m not new to art, I am new to crafting! One extraordinary thing I got to make with my son recently was a couple of t-shirts for my husband. He started his own business last year, and for Christmas, my son wanted to make him some “merch” t-shirts with his new logo on them for when he does presentations or goes to conferences. My son did most of the heavy lifting (weeding vinyl for one and coloring in the infusible ink outlines for the other), but it was so fun to work together to make something that my husband was so excited and proud to get.

Favorite season of the year?

Fall for sure. I live for fall. I grew up in upstate NY, where foliage is magical, and there are orchards and pumpkin patches all over. Some of the most unique places in the world are seasonal to autumn and back home, and I miss them every year. I’ll probably get apple cider donuts in the fall at least once a week. And cider slushes. Oh, man. THE BEST!

Describe your artistic style.

This is always so hard for me. I usually design in one of two different modes. Either classic, elegant, detailed, cheerful, fun, and bright. I love experimenting, so I need help sticking to one style! I love to draw leaves, flowers, and letters. Those should be my three words.

If you were a superhero, what power would you have?

The ability to turn back time. Is there anyone who wouldn’t want this power? I need so many more hours in a day! SO MANY MORE.

If you’re eager to see more of Erin’s designs, be sure to visit her artist profile in Design Space. You won’t want to miss out on the world of crafting magic she brings to life.

Show us what you make with Erin’s designs, and make sure to tag #cricut on social.

Interested in seeing more Contributing Artist images and designs? Check out all of our artists in Design Space!