AnnaMarie Armstrong is from Sweet Home, Alabama and is a full-time artist and homemaker. She is the Editor-in-Chief of ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) Magazine. This is an interview-style article about her and her creativity.



Susan: Do you remember your first creative activity?

AnnaMarie: I remember spending my summers with my grandparents in Historic Lewiston, New York. My grandmother and I would do decoupage together. She was very encouraging. Through her I realized I had a strong streak of creativity in me.

Susan: Was your creativity encouraged in school?

AnnaMarie: At times it was, but it wasn’t a strong thread through my education.

Susan: Did you have formal art training?

AnnaMarie: No, although I’ve taken a few craft classes.

Susan: As an adult has your creativity always been encouraged, or have you had setbacks?

AnnaMarie: I’ve always been encouraged to do what makes me happy, which is partly why I’m so keen to make a success of ACEO Magazine, so that I can encourage others in the same way.

Susan: Do you ever need to boost your creativity? If so, how do you do that?

AnnaMarie: Oh yes, sometimes it's hard to find inspiration! When I'm in a creative rut, I look to the World Wide Web for something to get my creative juices flowing again. There’s so much diversity on there that just browsing around can often find something to spark me off again.

Susan: What do you do to protect your creativity time - for example, against waste-of-time phone calls and uninvited visitors?

AnnaMarie: I try to do something creative every day. Phone calls don't inhibit me from creating because I use a hands-free phone :)

Susan: How do you deal with it when life gets in the way?

AnnaMarie: I take it one day at a time.

Susan: What attracted you to ACEOs?

AnnaMarie: I'll answer this as a collector - being so compact, I can have a large collection of ACEOs without taking up the whole house like they would if they were large works. The second attraction was the multitude of styles and mediums ACEO artists use - which is great because I collect what speaks to me.

And here is one of AnnaMarie’s own ACEOs – a young conure:


Susan: What made you take up the ACEO magazine? That’s quite a challenge you’ve taken on…

AnnaMarie: As an artist and collector of ACEOs, I couldn’t think of a better way to promote the wonderful world of these small masterpieces. I was already a walking billboard for ACEOs. It has been quite a task getting set-up, but the first issue was well worth the sleepless nights.

Susan: What do you hope to achieve by publishing the ACEO magazine?

AnnaMarie: I hope to achieve a good publication for the enjoyment of ACEO lovers around the world. I have no dreams of getting rich off this undertaking. I just love ACEOs and want to spread the word about the art form that makes me happy.

Susan: What response have you had to the first issue?

AnnaMarie: In taking over the magazine, I honored all past subscribers and everyone has received the magazine now. I’ve had much positive feedback concerning the Summer issue, and a great deal of support, which is very encouraging!

Susan: Let’s have some info on the magazine…

AnnaMarie: ACEO Magazine is published four times a year for a subscription of just $20 per year. You can also buy single issues for $5.50 each.

Here’s the home page for the ACEO Magazine:

Susan: I hope the magazine is wildly successful for AnnaMarie. What a great enterprise to encourage the spread of ACEOs!

Creatively yours

Susan
and click here to see my own ACEO blog