“Say yes, then figure out how. Experiment. Fail. Experiment more. You will find your path and discover new ways of creating that you never considered before.”
Quick Facts
Education: Undergraduate School
Years of Experience: 10 Years
About
Steve’s first experience with glass was an unexpected labor of love. After being asked by his daughter to craft her wedding favors, he agreed and embarked on his adventure with sandblast etch glass sculptures. After experimenting with different styles and attending more weddings, Steve’s work began to garner recognition. Eventually, people started to commission him for custom pieces.
His business has expanded beyond art, as he currently produces custom architectural glass such as shower enclosures, entry doors, and partitions. Steve’s studio is one of few that can handle large and heavy glass, as less than twenty studios nationwide produce such a variety of pieces. Sandblast techniques allow him to craft three-dimensional pieces that cannot be achieved by laser or chemical etching.
When asked about encouraging aspiring creatives, Steve’s words implore hands-on commitment: “Experiment. Fail. Experiment more. You will find your path and discover new ways of creating that you never considered before.”
“If you can’t go to sleep until you have done this thing, you will never rest easy. Be curious, challenge the world and yourself.”
Quick Facts
Education: Some elementary school in Aiken, SC; Self-taught
Years of Experience: 40 Years
About
Jeannie Rounsefell started creating art out of necessity. She was broke, young, a single mother, and had an urge inside of her to create something from her surroundings. Such objects were unlikely materials; unloved items and forgotten things other people had long given up on.
Forty years later, she calls herself a trash pirate (a compliment to her work). Jeannie’s creations are built on humor, irreverence, and a deep love for the absurd. She has a vast working knowledge of tools and processes, almost all of it earned through trial and error. This knowledge establishes a vast pocket of problem-solving skills, to which she implements both into her practice every day.
As for her career, her whole philosophy is that she simply creates. Jeannie follows what interests her, works with what she discovers, and allows the material to speak for itself. It is a practice grounded in freedom and curiosity. She supports herself with her making, which is what she intended and continues to do. For anyone wondering whether to start, her answer is short and clear: “Do it. If it keeps you up at night, you already know you have to.”
“Get a timecard and track the number of hours actively spent making. Being creative is a skill that is improved through lots and lots of practice.”
Quick Facts
Education: Undergraduate
Years of Experience: 23 Years
About
Susan Lenz built her creative life in a familiar way to the arts: a little late, on her own terms, and with complete conviction. She was forty-two years old when she finally let herself say aloud what she wanted to be: a fiber artist.
She rented a studio in a cooperative artist enclave. With no formal degree program and no one to guide her through a process, Susan taught herself everything she needed to work professionally. She figured it out by doing, logging the hours, and treating the crafting process as her full-time job.
What she makes is entirely her own. Every piece is an original, born from a threaded needle, an object, and a specific way of seeing the world. For over two decades, she has built a full working practice of gallery representation, commissions, teaching workshops, and a daily studio habit that has never ceased throughout her artistic journey.
Her advice to anyone starting is to be practical and direct as “being creative is a skill that is improved through lots and lots of practice.” Track the hours. Treat the making like work, because it is work. Creativity is not something to either have or not. It is a skill, and like any other, it only gets better with more time and care invested into it.
“Be your unique self, and let the world catch up.”
Quick Facts
Level of Education: A.C. Flora High School (Columbia); attended 27 schools across 12 years; some college
Years of Experience: 40+ Years
About
C. Michelle Bryant Griffin is an artist, author, and entrepreneur based in the Low Country of South Carolina who has spent more than four decades creating, building, and supporting others in doing the same. Her work today centers on helping dreamers, doers, and entrepreneurs bring their visions to life, transforming ideas into brands that shine and make their mark on the world.
Her path into photography began during a divorce in her late fifties, born out of vulnerability and a desire to rebuild. As she photographed other women navigating similar turning points, she found herself collecting their remarkable, under-sung stories which deserved a wider audience. That impulse became a magazine with a global readership for over a decade, dedicated to showcasing the overlooked and the underestimated. When the pandemic reduced print circulation, she pivoted to a fully online practice. She launched Fabulous Business Solutions, a practice that blends strategy, design, and hands-on support for writers, artists, and entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey.
She expresses her love for her work, saying that “everything I do is done with 100% heart and passion, as if it were my own personal project.”
Michelle describes her abundance of talent as both a blessing and a challenge; the question of how much to use, and in which direction, is one she holds lightly. But the answer she keeps returning to is love. Everything she does, she does because she genuinely loves it. And for her, that has always been enough.
“Nurture your passion with persistence. Embrace the power of your unique voice, and remember that every story you tell is a bridge that unites us all. When we foster love and creativity, we create a world that thrives on connection and resilience. The world needs your art!”
Quick Facts
Education: College of Charleston
Years of Experience: 15 Years of Experience
About
Winnifred Tataw is an author, artist, and book publisher based in the Low Country of South Carolina whose work is rooted in the belief that stories have the power to connect, inspire, and celebrate the full spectrum of human experience. As graduate of the College of Charleston with a background in Studio Art and Writing, she has spent fifteen years crafting work that blends personal narratives with universal truths, creating as she describes, “an inviting tapestry where every reader finds a piece of themselves.”
Her love for art and storytelling grew side by side from childhood, shaped by the joy of listening to her parents’ stories and the richness of her heritage. The two passions are so intertwined that she cannot say which came first, but both have always been essential. Remarkably, Winnifred began publishing her novels during her first year of college, setting an early tone for a creative life defined by courage and momentum. She notes that she aims to, “create stories and art that connect and inspire action while celebrating the beauty of the human journey.”
For emerging creatives, her message is both generous and clear: the world needs your art. Foster your love of craft with persistence, trust the distinctiveness of your voice, and understand that every story you tell is a bridge, one that unites people, builds resilience, and reminds us of our shared humanity.
“The importance of learning the craft, learning the principles and elements of art and design and really understanding how to apply them, cannot be overstated. Design theory ends up being the currency of whether or not you can develop a particular visual way of expressing yourself, whether it’s sculpture, ceramics, architecture or another field.”
Jim Craft, who lives in Greenville, was a studio artist for ten years and then transitioned to academia. He was a professor of art at North Greenville University for 16 years and then moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., teaching at Palm Beach Atlantic University for 10 years. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Bob Jones University and his MFA at Clemson University.
Interview
Transcript
Jim Craft
I’m Jim Craft, and I was a studio artist for 10 years self-supporting. And then I had three kids and a wife. And you know, I think the statistic is less than half a percent of people who actually get degrees in visual art actually ended up being artists; I think it might even be less than that by now. It’s a pretty narrow field, actually. But, you end up doing a lot of other things, you know, you can go into Applied Arts, graphic design, and stage design, and you know.
Haley Hansen
What did your path look like? What did you go into?
Jim Craft
Well, I had my degrees in painting and ceramics, and… but I also had education, degrees in education. So, which was fortunate, I guess, because then I, I got a job as a professor. Well, as an instructor, and then worked my way. And then, when I retired just a few years ago, five years ago, I was a full professor and was granted Professor Emeritus, which just means I can come back and teach if ever I want to. So that’s, that’s what I’ve, what I’ve done. I’ve actually spent most of my life in academia. When you teach, it demands all your time, way too much of your time, and your energy and resources. And…
Haley Hansen
Where were you a professor at?
Jim Craft
Well, I started out, well, first, I started out in public schools and taught two years of Elementary, two years of middle school, and two years of high school, and then I got a job at a little Baptist College in Upstate South Carolina. I just turned…
Haley Hansen
Which kind of Baptist College, I’m guessing Bob Jones.
Jim Craft
Now, actually, I got my undergraduate degree from Bob Jones and a Master’s, an M.A., from Bob Jones. And then I finished my graduate work at Clemson, but I got my first job as a professor at North Greenville University and taught there for 16 years. And then, I took a position down in West Palm Beach, Florida, for 10 years a little longer, actually, at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and sort of headed up the visual art program down there, department down there. And it was kind of a blast, you know, being down in Florida in mind that at all, but it was really fun having a studio and being an artist, you know, getting up every day and making stuff and doing exhibitions, shows, and things like that.
Haley Hansen
Was there ever one specific moment that made you realize you wanted to be a professional studio artist?
Jim Craft
Well, that was always, you know, the goal to be an artist, but it’s just not a realistic goal. I mean, even my friends who were wildly successful had to actually supplement their income with other things. And it’s good to have those kinds of things in your pocket. So, I wouldn’t ever discourage anybody from, you know, getting a degree in, you know, graphic design or advertising or any of the design areas, just because, well, you know, Andy Warhol was a graphic designer and musicians and composers actually did other things. But, it was always the goal to be just an artist. And that was kind of a blast. But it didn’t really take care of everything. Kids were getting bigger. And you know, everybody knows three kids and my wife. So, it was really four against, well, not against, but it was four votes against one vote. And so, I had to go get a job teaching. It’s not terrible. I didn’t mind teaching. It actually turned out, I was okay at it. All of my evaluations were good. It was always in the top percentile and got a number of awards and so on for teaching, because I didn’t mind teaching. I liked people. I like students, and interacting with them, and telling them the truth. And they didn’t always like me, but that’s okay. I guess my evaluations were…. had a big gap in the middle. There were those who really liked me and said I was the best professor they ever had. And there was a big gap in the middle. And then there were those that said, I was awful, and don’t ever take any courses from this man, because he’ll, he’ll make you work.
Haley Hansen
I had a couple of professors like that. Yeah.
Jim Craft
Yeah. Yeah, that’s actually a pretty good, you know, way too, like, let your evaluations fall. You don’t want a bunch in the middle, that just isn’t so great. That way, you kind of, like, you get students that maybe are a little more serious. Are you an art student?
Haley Hansen
I’m an English major.
Jim Craft
Well, and of course, I would always tell people, students, that you know, minor in education or English, because English is good. Because writing is always a valuable skill, it’s always a valuable skill no matter what you do, if you can write, and put together good, you know, sentences and presentations, and if you can read if you can know how to do research, if you actually understand what real research looks like, that will help you it really well, I taught a lot of art history. And a lot of our pre; I had to teach a lot of sections or at a pre all the time, but you know, I don’t miss grading all the, all the research papers, oh, my goodness. When they’d come in, I would have, I’d be gone for a week and a half. I just have to go through them all. And I can never give a student a bad grade, or even a good grade without telling them why, you know, I wanted them to know why they’re getting what they’re getting. Yeah, English is a good, a good minor. And I suppose there’s a number of other areas where you could minor and and that would be well advised. I think it’s probably healthy for students to know that being, being a learning the craft learning the, you know, the principles and elements of art and design. And really understanding how to apply them and not be understated design theory was always something that I think that it can’t really be undervalued. Because, that really ends up being the currency of, of whether or not you can develop a particular visual way of expressing yourself, whether it’s in, you know, sculpture, ceramics or architecture, whatever. They all, they all apply. All those principles and elements. They apply to every one of the arts. Whether, even if, you go into dance or theater, or any of that, it really doesn’t matter. They’re all very similar.
Jim Craft
In fact, I taught a number of courses on the integration of the principles and elements in… and it was teamed up with a dance and theater major, music professor and myself. And it’s all the same language. So all those, I think that’s really valuable because then I’ve had students that have ended up because they heard me, they ended up in, you know, retail and, and um, you know, selling in galleries or auction houses. Traveling internationally, even if you don’t necessarily have to end up in the studio to stay in the arts; I even had a student who ended up being a buyer internationally of fine rugs, and all over the Europe and North Africa, and the Middle East. And she was a painting person she was I mean, she learned the principles and now, so they all fit, it’s all still the same, whether you’re looking at a Persian rug, or if you’re looking at a really nice ceramic vessel, it’s all the same. And I never could quite figure that out. You know, people will say, Oh, this Van Gogh is, real art. But, this Song Dynasty bowl is just a craft? Well, if it’s if it’s well made, well designed, and has beautiful line and balance and unity, and you know, all that, to me, it’s just as breathtaking. And, of course, that’s… that would that always would make for a good discussion. It’s good to be able to tell why each is good. And, I’ve had students end up in stage design, and you know, theater design, and even going into product design. And it’s very much all kind of related.
Haley Hansen
Very, broadly applicable skill set.
Jim Craft
Sure. It really…
Haley Hansen
Sort of like English.
Jim Craft
Yeah, like English. And the the kind of core I would say in English is hopefully that you can read well, and understand what good research and a real you know what a good sentence is, and good paper is, and good presentations, all those kinds of things are incredibly widely applicable.
Haley Hansen
Are there any specific programs or organizations around the state that you would recommend for someone interested in pursuing a career in the arts?
Jim Craft
Well, there’s certainly, you know, you can become members of, you know, artists and crafts societies or artists.
Haley Hansen
I think I’ve seen a couple of galleries run by like artists and guilds and stuff like that.
Jim Craft
Yeah. And then members of both, like um, Co-ops and just commercial galleries, and there’s upsides to both, you know, they, it’s nice to be able to keep, you know, 75-80% of your sales prices. It’s also nice not to have to worry about advertising and promotion, not having to coordinate an exhibition, it’s all done for you. But then they, you know, they keep 50 or 60 or 70 present in a gallery, but that’s what they do. Of course, galleries are gone now. I mean, galleries are not completely gone, but just about it’s, it’s just a completely changed situation because you have online galleries and, you know digital media and promotion, all that kind of thing. And that’s a completely different kind of thing, now.
Haley Hansen
At least in Greenville, there’s still plenty of physical ones to wander into.
Jim Craft
Oh, yeah, it’s true. It’s it, you know, I just, I just, I’ve done I’ve done those. And I’ve done I’ve made production type runs and things like that, for commercial entities, design houses that make accessories and things like that, that would be called Object art, you know. And I’ve produced for them, and then I’ve also done sub wholesaling for houses that, you know, they like I have sold to the furniture market, in High Point North Planet, and selling to especially tabletop accessories, and lamp companies and things like that. It’s all very fashion-oriented, and you go, you know, you submit a bunch of pieces to put in a furniture market twice a year. And then you might get $20,000 of orders selling your stuff suppose sale, but with minimum quantity. And that was that I felt like, Whoa, I might be able to make it doing this. But everything is always changing; it was always very fashion-oriented. And then, as soon as you would start selling something successfully, they would, you know, find another supplier, usually out of Asia, and then all of a sudden they discontinue that item. And that’s that’s kind of brutal. But that’s, that was that. I didn’t mind being a teacher, though. It was okay. It’s not a; it’s not a… I mean, it’s an honorable profession.
Haley Hansen
You have a very big impact in a lot of people’s lives that way.
Jim Craft
Well, some would say, you know, some, some, some, some would say that. The best thing about teaching is it gets easier. I mean, I don’t know if anybody’s told you that. But it’s it’s when you teach it gets easier. Because you learn your stuff. You always have to keep up and stay abreast of important improvements and changes in contributions. But it does get easier. I mean, toward the end there, I wasn’t using my notes hardly at all; I would just go into lecture and just go for a couple of hours at a time and not… and it just gets easier, which is which was nice.
Haley Hansen
As we’re wrapping up. Do you have any final advice for students who are pursuing a creative career?
Jim Craft
I would say keep your alternatives lined up and be realistic about a career in the arts. Don’t fall in love with the idea that you must be just a studio person only. But you know, you can focus on that and keep that. It’s not like you lose that, but, you know, keep keep a number. A number of alternatives in your pocket just to be more widely marketable.
“The importance of learning the craft, learning the principles and elements of art and design and really understanding how to apply them, cannot be overstated. Design theory ends up being the currency of whether or not you can develop a particular visual way of expressing yourself, whether it’s sculpture, ceramics, architecture or another field.”
Jim Craft, who lives in Greenville, was a studio artist for ten years and then transitioned to academia. He was a professor of art at North Greenville University for 16 years and then moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., teaching at Palm Beach Atlantic University for 10 years. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Bob Jones University and his MFA at Clemson University.
About
As a studio artist, Craft worked in nearly all traditional media, including drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, and printmaking. He marketed ceramics, sculpture, and art to galleries and designed and produced ceramics for the High Point, N.C., furniture market. Craft secured commissions for paintings, murals, and architectural installations, including one at Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville, S.C.
“It was really fun having a studio and being an artist, getting up every day and making stuff, showing my work at exhibitions,” said Craft. “But, it’s just not a realistic long-term goal. Even my friends who were wildly successful as artists had to supplement their income with other things, and it’s good to have those kinds of things in your pocket. So, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from getting a degree in graphic design or advertising or any of the design areas.”
Craft had also earned a degree in education, and making the move to academia was the best fit for him and his family. Teaching allowed him to mentor and guide aspiring artists, and the range of their career journeys was vast.
“I had students who have ended up in retail and selling in galleries or auction houses, traveling internationally even. Keep your alternatives lined up and be realistic about a career in the arts. You don’t have end up in a studio to stay in the arts. I had a student who ended up being an international buyer of fine rugs from all over Europe and North Africa and the Middle East. She was a painter, and she understood artistic principles and elements. You can focus on that and keep that, but keep a number of alternatives in your pocket just to be more widely marketable. It’s all the same – whether you’re looking at a Persian rug or a really nice ceramic vessel.”
