Interview with DeMaris Gill from Demarisanne Designs
Here is the story of how DeMaris Gill of Demarisanne Designs made a bold move in midlife by using her passion to start a creative business. But first, you get a glimpse of my personal history with DeMaris.
What do you do when you find that perfect friend that has almost all of the same hobbies and interests as you do and our husbands are sports fanatics? You spend almost every weekend together pursuing those interests and going along with the husbands to sporting events. You talk every day after work, you compare work stories, pray for each other, craft together, shop together….you get the picture. That is what I found in DeMaris when we were both new to the DFW metroplex, and new at this thing called “marriage”. We met at church in an adult couples class and the rest is history.
Life took us in different directions
Work and life took us down different paths and it was heart breaking to have distance between us. Even though we tried to keep up, life just kept throwing us curves. But everytime we talked it was just like picking up where we left off. That’s a true sign of a lifelong friend. You know that bond is there no matter how long it is between chats or visits. That is how we find our friendship now. But because of the magic of the internet we have found a brand new interest and our relationship has been energized because of it! We are both building an online business based on our passion for new, creative interests. Seems like we are almost full circle! We have both always had a strong desire to create things.
When I realized that DeMaris had developed her artistic skills and built a business, I knew I just had to talk to her and find out all of the details! She has made some BOLD moves by pursuing her passion for watercolor painting and turning it into a creative business. And guess what? She made this BOLD move after she retired from a career in education.
Here’s what DeMaris had to say in a recent interview about how to use your passion to start a creative business in midlife.
Introduce yourself:
Hello, I am DeMaris Gill, an “old” friend of Stacia’s! We both lived in the Dallas metroplex, went to the same church, had the same occupation of teaching, enjoyed many of the same hobbies, but Stacia was much more talented and creative. I have learned a lot from her in all areas of life. I am so excited and proud of her for inspiring others with her creativity in developing Originally Southern and I look forward to every post, knowing I will glean some clever idea or some super cool practical advice!
It is humbling to be asked to share a little bit about how I used my passion to start a creative business in midlife.
How did you get started with watercolor painting?
My daughter had given me a set of watercolors several years ago, I dabbled with the paint a couple of times and was so inspired by the color and freedom to create but ended up packing them away until I had more “time”. I have always been attracted to watercolor art. I often thought, someday, I would like to try that!
Close to a year of being retired, we moved. This proved to be a difficult transition. After all the home renovations were completed, I felt a bit lost. I prayed God would give me something new to do. Time passed by as I thought about different options I wanted to investigate. Perhaps I would enjoy working at the library, flower shop or Bookworm Gardens. I might still do one of those at some point but those options did not seem to be “it” at the time.
A Creative Turning Point
One day, a friend asked if I would be interested in taking a watercolor class at the SENIOR CENTER! I’m not going to lie, at first, I thought, I am NOT a senior! Long story, short, I eagerly went to the watercolor classes at the SENIOR CENTER! After 3 classes, much to my surprise, I was hooked. I bought my own paint supplies, watched tutorials, and explored for hours. Painting flowers brought joy to my soul!
I guess I learned to watercolor paint through classes, observing others, experimenting and not giving up.
As we all know, the pandemic arrived! Since I had more time at home, I began to immerse myself in this newly found interest. I painted almost every day.
After giving several of my pieces as gifts, I started to get some requests for various originals. Subsequently, I realized, I needed to make prints. This is where it all began….suddenly, I had developed products.
I believe God gave me this gift of art in the middle of a desert situation. Ultimately, my passion for painting developed into a website, online store offering greeting cards, prints and gifts with options to customize. I hope that encourages somebody to not feel like they need formal training or a degree to try something new.
What fuels your creativity? Is there a creative process that gets you going?
God’s creation, His beautiful, colorful nature fuels my creativity. My favorite thing to do is color-mixing by creating just the right color palette and combo! Next, I love to loosely add color to a blank page with different brushes and color choices. I have learned that all practice is beneficial in learning new things for subsequent pieces.
One day a friend sent me a picture of a bouquet of tulips her husband had just given her and said, “Here, paint this!” I used it as an opportunity to practice and to create what someone else requests. Since my artistic style is more impressionistic than realistic I was reluctant but jumped in without too much thought. Utimately, that experience was fun and I learned a lot about shading, painting the lighter wash first, adding shadows and mixing colors to get the right green for tulip leaves. I divided that bouquet into 2 compositions and framed one for a friend.
I have learned that all practice is beneficial in learning new things for subsequent pieces.
DeMaris Gill, Demarisanne Designs
Read more about developing your creativity:
What are your favorite resources to use?
My favorite resources are:
- Color wheel
- Arches Cold-press, 140lb, 100% cotton paper
- Princeton Snap brushes
- Princeton Neptune Brushes
- Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolors
- Mungyo Professional Watercolors
- Color Code Map for each watercolor set
Describe a typical painting session for you.
A typical painting session consists of selecting some music in the background, deciding if I want to plan the practice session or jump in freely. I prefer to jump in freely! 😉
Universally speaking, I always begin with a table filled with:
- 3 Clean water jars
- One for cool colors
- One for warm colors
- One clean one if I need to lift any paint or need a clean brush for lighter colors
- Paper Towel for water control
- Specific sized brushes needed for the piece
- Hair dryer near to dry a part to save time
Processes for planned session:
- May have a picture or image for inspiration
- Mixing desired colors and having them ready for the composition.
- Cut the appropriate sized paper desired for the piece
- May loosely sketch simple shapes for size and placement
What encouragement/advice would you give to someone else wanting to make a BOLD move in midlife?
I would like to encourage your readers to take a risk. We don’t have to be perfect, we will make mistakes, and we will learn from them. Think about daydreams, interests and desires you have had in the past and present. I believe there is a purpose and something new for each of us that God wants to give in different seasons of our lives. He is the giver of good things. Just ask Him, get ready, pull up your boot straps and feel that spring in your step!
Would you like to add anything else?
One thing that has encouraged me in my lifetime is to ask a trusted friend what strengths they observe in me.
Ask yourself, “What am I passionate about?” Then ask yourself, “What is the first step I can take to learn more about it?”
I believe there is a purpose and something new for each of us that God wants to give in different seasons of our lives.
DeMaris Gill, Demarisanne Designs
Some key points we can learn from DeMaris about using our passion to start a creative business:
We can gain a lot of wisdom from DeMaris’ journey to creativity.
- taking classes in something that interests you gives you a chance to develop skills
- sometimes we find a beautiful oasis in a desert situation
- BOLD moves may involve taking a risk
- it takes time to find and develop your passion
- practice is an integral part of developing your passion and gifts
- sharing your gifts and talents with others reveals new opportunities
Be sure to head over to DeMaris’ beautiful onine shop. I know you will find something beautiful to add to your life!
