One of our newest lines is a collaboration with Cash Color — a project by Caitlin Shirock, a lifelong artist and designer. Having the artist’s touch on our cards has been amazing and we loved hearing about Caitlin’s path to starting Cash Color. Read on and check out the line! Click here to order.
Breathless Paper Co: How long have you been an artist?
Caitlin: Since I can remember! My mom always tells this story about how I would comment on the colors of the leaves during fall time and how beautiful they were and she just knew someday I would do something creative.
BPC: Tell us a little about the scope of what you do and how it all began.
C: I’ve always loved creating beautiful things. I studied fine art and then design, and went on to work in the apparel industry for a few years designing t-shirt graphics for Abercrombie & Fitch. That job was the perfect mix of graphic design and art because we did a lot of work with different typefaces which I loved and then we would also paint beach scenes and sailboats which I also loved. It was there that I fell in love with the medium, Gouache. I had never used it before but now it’s what I create 90% of my work with. I then moved to Nashville (and shortly after married my high school best bud/crush) and started freelancing here doing everything from logos, branding and identity to custom illustrated invitations for brides and other events.
I launched Cash Color last year when I realized how badly I needed to really focus in on one thing rather than trying to master them all. So thats when I started to put the time into really thinking about what I love to paint most and how I can create a brand around that. It has always been this far fetched dream to run my own business and sell my own happy, bright, fun artwork. Although extremely challenging at times, I just love learning the ins and outs of running a small biz and being the artist behind it all. It makes me so happy knowing my artwork sits in peoples beloved homes and hopefully brings them joy every single day when they look at it. I have dreams to grow into putting the art on fabrics, wallpapers, and continuing to do more fine art in the years to come!
BPC: What do you love most about your job?
C: I love that every day is different. I love that I can do business tasks and then use the other side of my brain and be weird, get messy and be creative :)
BPC: How did you begin working with Breathless Paper Co. (BPC)?
C: I met Jessica at a WeWork event, I loved her cards and introduced myself — little did I know we would soon work together and partner up! She is such a sincere person and I could just tell that from the first minute of speaking with her. We later did a pop up together and got to connect even more, exchange information, supported one another and made a coffee date! I was so excited to get to know her story and how she established her amazing brand of over 10 years.
I’m so impressed by BPC, her office is adorable, her kids of course are too, and I just love how she collabs with so many different brands and creates fun products. She gets stuff done. I totally look up to her and feel blessed to have crossed paths with her.
BPC: Describe to us a little bit about the line you designed with BPC.
C: The art is taken from my Neutral Abstract Letter Art collection. Her husband does Graphic Design and I have that in me too, so I think that’s what caught their attention to the line… It’s a very well balanced, yet artful collection of all 26 letters painting in an abstract way. I grew up surrounded by monograms and have always wanted to make them more funky! This is my interpretation of that.
BPC: If you weren't an artist, what would you be doing?
C: I’ve honestly never really given this much thought because being an artist was just always my passion... I have always said I wanted to be an interior designer, but instead of put rooms together I get to work with designers who style my art in their gorgeous homes and rooms — so thats even more fun for me! I am a really good organizer, it comes naturally and I oddly enjoy it, so sometimes I think I should be going into homes and reorganizing peoples spaces!
BPC: BPC believes in the importance of a handwritten note and sending snail mail -- what are your thoughts on this?
C: I am a huge advocate of this. I have in the past created personal stationery and I absolutely believe in the power of a handwritten letter. I have one in particular that has changed my life. It’s from my (now) husband and it is probably my top 5 most favorite things I own — a piece of paper with words that he took the time to thoughtfully write to me, from his heart and then mail it out! Changed my life and I hold it so dear. I love the feeling of writing a card, putting it in the mail, and sending it off to make someones day. Something so magical about it and it really works.
BPC: Do you have a favorite type of client / project?
C: I love working with women that just love decorating their homes and have fun with it. It is so so fun and I feel honored every time I can help bring brightness and joy into their homes by adding art to make their house a home. What's your favorite BPC card in the Cash Color line? What's your favorite BPC card not in the line? I honestly love the “L” haha, I don’t know why but there is something so soothing about it and my eye just loves it! A lot of people buy they letter art just for abstract art or for the color, so I hang the L in my home for that reason, that and to me, it stands for Love.
In the BPC lines: I love the Heartward collection and specifically the “Grow through what you Go through”. Need I explain? It’s so good and so true and a good reminder everyday! But they’re all so good!!