About Robin ...

Robin Norgren - Artist. Writer. Mama.
"Chase down your passion like it's the last bus of the night." Glade Byron Addams
1. What's the story behind my art?
My journey into a life of creativity began a little over 2 years ago. I am a military wife who is a also stay at home mom. I did not really have to contend with the FULL WEIGHT of those identities until the time frame mentioned when my husband was deployed and I found myself alone and unable to really convey to friends the depth of that loneliness. Our family did not live close. I had a two year old at the time and was unable to afford any kind of child care to help with her care and to allow for me to have some kind of break. 
So, one day I found myself perusing a local craft store desperate for some sort of outlet that I could do at home. I glanced at a “crochet a scarf” kit and since I vaguely remembered some instructions my mother gave me when I was a girl, I purchased it. It took a while for me to warm up to it and then suddenly, I opened up to the value of art and the meditative rewards that helped in motherhood and in personhood.
2. Where am I most inspired to create?
I am most inspired in the children’s section of the library. Books have always felt like friends to me. One of the biggest blessings I have experienced being a mommy again (I have two grown sons) is having the “excuse” to go through the children’s library and check out TONS of books.
3. What hinders my creativity, and how do I work my way out of it?
Isolation is a double edge sword for me. I HATE IT yet I find my most inspired work comes during that time when I need to deal with the ramifications of that alone time and the emotions I am experieincing. I truly would like to be that “happy art” person and I am at times. But mostly it happens in the down times.


4. How do I balance color in my work?
I am a HUGE fan of color. But I believe in moderation the colors are able to hold their own as well as excite the senses. This balance is what I strive for in my pieces.
5. How did creativity become a integral part of my life?
Before 2009, I would have never described myself as a creative type, let alone a designer and mixed media artist. But as life tends to do, some circumstances came into play that forced me to look for a deeper sense of my identity as a woman. My husband and I had a little one about 5 years ago. We both agreed that we would attempt to live on one income and I would stay home to do the majority of the raising of the little one. ENTER MAJOR LIFE CHANGE. I had worked since I was 15 years old and now at 37 I was home. Alone. With a baby. I enrolled in school to kind of ease the need for outside connection. And then my husband-who is in the Navy, deployed not once BUT TWICE in 2 years. 
By this time school was completed but I felt like I could not allow Josey to face not one but two of her parents pulling away suddenly. So there I was living in a city with no family around caring for a two year old. I went into a big box craft store desperate for a hobby of some kind. I found one of those “crochet a scarf” kits and thought this might be an option for me, hoping to draw on vague memories of my mother teaching me a stitch or two. Four months later, the scarf was finished. But the seed was planted… 
From there, I reconnected with an old girlfriend who was trying to find something to occupy her time in her new status as a stay at home mom. She is an artist and I had heard about etsy from another friend so I began encouraging her to give it a shot. Once she got her shop up and running, she looked at me and said, “ok your turn.” 

6. When did Well of Creations begin?
Well of Creations was born March 2009 and offered crocheted scarves and beanies and some mosaic frames. And I just kept at it. I had started a blog earlier so I began connecting with other artists that way and then Twitter and Facebook were thrown in the mix and I began to gain confidence and kept moving forward. But the biggest boost for me was participating in holiday craft fairs in 2009. I was hooked. The friendships and community I experienced sealed the deal on this type of creative life. 
In January 2010 our family relocated to Germany. The isolation was a hub for me to pray and rethink the direction I would go business wise.  Though we have since moved back to the United States, I can honestly say I am becoming more “me” through this wonderful experiment.
Education: 
Masters of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2007
Bachelor of Science, Business Arizona State University, 2000
Certifications:
C-YT 200 Hour, Holy Yoga, 2008