Hi Christina, what role has risk played in your life or career? Risk taking has been the primary driver of career choices throughout my entire adult life. I’ve never been one for accepting status quo, and always take it upon myself to push limits, ask questions, and continuously challenge decisions & ideas to ensure we’re providing the best possible strategy, product, or service to customers. I also believe that in life, if you’re afraid of taking risks, you’ll remain in the same spot far too long. Comfort may be a great choice for some, but for me, getting uncomfortable for the purpose of pursuing my passion is the only choice. Only a short couple years ago, I had a cushiony job – which I’d worked very hard at over the course of a decade. I probably could have retired early had I stuck around, but the job had become mundane and it was difficult to deal with the continuous office politics & lack-of support I had for upward advancement or share of voice. When you’re put in your place (on the ladder) over and over and not allowed to ‘sing,’ so to speak – well, that’s pretty much soul crushing. Around this time, my artwork was simultaneously beginning to develop and receive notoriety from a variety of new customers, press outlets, and vendor partnerships. Although financially, my artwork was still considered a ‘hobby,’ I just knew I needed to take the risk to leap into my passions full-time – no matter the major financial losses we’d immediately experience. As we grow our business, we’re faced with making budget-conscious decisions like downsizing our home, not dining out, not taking extravagant vacations, or buying new outfits, etc. The majority of our money now goes into art, tools, & furniture-making supplies – which quite honestly, we really enjoy. My husband Bobby also began delving into his own entrepreneurial artistic efforts merging the earth’s gifts of live-edge slabs & crosscuts with resin to create absolutely gorgeous pieces of furniture and sculptures. Together, we’ve both decided we’d rather take drastic risks now vs. waiting 10+ years when we just might not have the same energy and gusto to make our dreams come true…which we’re doing our best to do! Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community? My artwork tends to draw lots of inspiration from earth-elements, and I absolutely love utilizing blues, teals, turquoises, greys, black+white and metallic hues throughout my works. Over the years, I’ve been developing a few different collections, our newest being our ocean resin artworks. My husband and I just completed a very large 30″ x 72″ x 1″ deep resin artwork with no backing, so it’s completely translucent – therefore, the multitude of layers of waves can be seen all the way though. We’d like to continue building this series, exploring a range of colors and textures of waves. I think what set’s me apart from other resin artists is my continuous focus to create new original works that each look quite different. I try not to put myself in a box, or limit my creative aspirations – and I always have a dozen plus new ideas in my mind I want to try. Unfortunately we are just limited in space in our studio, and, of course, materials are quite expensive so we can only tackle a couple new projects at a time. I always love when we get new commissions from customers who want us to ‘try something new’…it’s my absolute favorite ask! In getting to where we are today in the art world, well, it was not ‘easy’ per say – however, it has definitely been a fun & rewarding challenge. In that respect, we still have a long way to go as well. I’d say, we are just getting started! The art world is very competitive and highly saturated with talent. So, it’s quite difficult to stand-out and make a name for yourself. We’ve just continued to do our best to create valuable partnerships and great relationships with our clients, so positive word-of-mouth has been very beneficial to our business. What I’d love the world to know about our brand and story, is that I am part of a two-part team, with my husband Bobby Marsden. He’s my right arm in all of this, and I couldn’t do any of it without him. It’s beyond rewarding to work hand-in-hand with my husband and build something all on our own. We’ve both always wanted to leave a wonderful legacy behind – and find it absolutely awesome our artworks, furniture and sculptures are now in hundreds of homes around the world, touching so many lives! We are beyond grateful for that. If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We have a few favorite spots in the city: FOOD: Jones Hollywood for dinner. Electric Owl for happy hour. Conservatory WeHO for brunch. COMEDY: Laugh Factory HIKING: Fryman Canyon, Runyon Canyon, Nichols Canyon Astral Trail, Griffith Park. BEACH: Malibu – there is a dog beach far up the coast, where we love bringing our recue pup Kazan too often MUSEUMS: The Broad. LACMA. The Getty. FAB NIGHT OUT: The Magic Castle. DAYTIME: The Fairfax Farmers Market at the Grove. CONCERTS: Hollywood Bowl. UNIQUE DATE NIGHT: Hollywood Forever Cemetery Summer Movie Nights BEST OUT OF TOWN SPOTS: Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Lake Tahoe, Big Sur, Napa/Sonoma. Who else deserves some credit and recognition? Yes! I’d love to give a shoutout to my husband Bobby Marsden, who has just incorporated his own business, Marsden Designs. I’m so proud of him! He’s been an integral asset to me with my artworks, and I’ve just been loving watching his own furniture & sculpture lines take off. Website: www.ChristinaTwomey.com Instagram: @twomey_marsden_art_design Facebook: @christinatwomeyart YouTube: Christina Twomey Art Image Credits Anouk Morgan Bobby Marsden
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