Our Fall Event is on Nov 1st 5-9pm + Nov 2nd from 12-4pm.
VEGA CREATIVE
City prints, Augusta shirts, and hand stamped jewelry.
Meet The Artist
WHO ARE YOU, WHERE ARE YOU FROM, & WHAT DO YOU DO?
My name is Anna Simpson. I’m from Tennessee, but live locally now in Augusta while my husband is finishing up his last bit in dental school. I’m a speech pathologist, but love creating happy, colorful watercolor pieces in my free time.
DESCRIBE YOUR PROCESS.
When I make a new city or design, I really have to be inspired in some way. Usually it’s just through conversations I have with people at markets about their city or by loading up the car on the weekend with Steven and going to a new place. I make sure to ask the locals “where the locals go.” The actual painting process is pretty elementary….No, literally, I use Crayola kids water colors because it’s always the brightest. Normally there’s only one draft even if I “mess up” and I always have candy and a Dr. Pepper nearby to keep my own sugar/happy levels up! The finished product is by no means a masterpiece, but the simple doodles and bumpy lines are special to me. Luckily, other people have appreciated the whimsical and colorful style as well.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
My people – My old people, my new people and the people who may not even know I would consider them as my people. The ones who took a risk on me, the ones who noticed my art before anyone else did, the ones who pulled me aside and said it was something special even when to me, it wasn’t yet. Especially though my mom and dad – they keep me humble. The two people who always taught me how to work hard for what I want, but not to lose sight of the God we serve who will always be more important than any earthly gain.
FUN FACT ABOUT YOU.
My go-to snack is lemons… doused with salt. Did I mention my husband is a dentist?
FAVORITE THING ABOUT DOWNTOWN AUGUSTA.
Just getting out and walking and the wide variety of things you’ll see and people you’ll meet.
WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD SHARE WITH OTHER ARTISTS + MAKERS?
People always ask me, “How did you make a successful overnight Etsy shop?” I just smile and wonder if that’s really what people see. Nothing about being successful in this very competitive and talented art industry comes overnight. The strangers only saw the one thing I finally made that others noticed but the people closest to me know that there was hardly a time past diapers that I wasn’t trying my hand at something new. I was just quick to realize when something wasn’t working and I would revise it and try a new slant – almost before others noticed what I only knew as my “failure”. Turns out, as cliche as it may sound, God was stacking those failures on top of each other and eventually gave life to my business. What I mean: My three biggest pursuits were writing, photography and painting. I feel like they finally all came together in a unique way when Vega Creative was born.