“On the Fly” – An Interview with Artist, Pam Baldwin

Pam Baldwin is a Davidson County artist who is best known for her invitation/stationery/art tees Thomasville based business, Paperclutch (paperclutch.com). She also has an Etsy shop, a gifts web site, is a social media and Etsy consultant, and teaches art classes. She recently also became the Director of the High Point, NC, volunteer-led initiative “Women in Motion.” What “can’t” this artist do?

COVID-19 was a shock to us all, but Baldwin, wife and mother of two, managed to successfully maintain her progressive business, adjust to “stay at home” parenting, and found time to continue her creative muses. She works mainly in watercolor combined with graphic arts, but her passion is in creating abstract figure art which combines painting and collage. Having such a busy lifestyle is difficult for many, but Baldwin seems to handle hers very well.

Kanoy: How do you maintain your work/life balance?

Baldwin: Throw away the idea of ‘balance.’ Each day is different, especially for me as an artist, mom, business owner, and director of ‘Women in Motion.’ One day my kids need me more, so I am out of balance with all the other things. […] I may have a deadline I am trying to meet […]. Each area of my life is important, and if I tried to create ‘balance,’ I could give nothing 100% when it’s needed.

Kanoy: Do you have a network of other artists you rely on and what do you do to support each other?

Baldwin: I am a huge believer in community over competition. I have the honor of being mentored by artist Dana Holliday. […] I have a ton of creative business friends that I rely on for support. I call them my instafriends. I have never met most of them, but we encourage and support each other on the social media platform Instagram.” 

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Kanoy: How do you cultivate your audience?

Baldwin: To cultivate your audience, you have to be willing to share, to put yourself out there. Social Media has helped me reach a larger audience […]. I think many artists don’t want to share their work on the internet because they fear getting their work stolen. It happens; it happened to me. It is painful, […] but you have to look at the bigger picture. My mission is to share art with the world, to express myself through color and lines. If I keep that all for myself, that is selfish.

Kanoy: What does generosity mean to you as an artist? How do you emulate this?

Baldwin: […] I believe there is enough business out there for everyone, and community over competition has a greater reward than keeping it all to yourself. If I can help a fellow artist, I am willing to do so, and I coach creative businesses often. What I have learned I want to share and use to help others succeed.

Kanoy: How do you make sure you have time to create? 

Baldwin: I create on the fly. I may walk by my studio and pop in for a few minutes […] or catch the time when my kids are at activities, and I have time to myself. I cannot sit still, so if everyone is busy […] I will escape to my studio for a painting session. I do carry a sketchbook and watercolors almost everywhere I go, so you will often catch me in random places painting like the school pick-up line.”

Baldwin, although having a lot on her palette, juggles her creative art, home life, and community service with a positive attitude and a clear vision. Her art is colorful and vibrant, endearing and whimsical, uniquely abstract, and her personality is absolutely contagious–even when she’s “on the fly!” You can find her art and products at: Paperclutch.com; Paperclutch on Etsy; ; and on Instagram: @pambaldwinart