Meet Cassie Crawley | Abstract/Psychedelic Acrylic Painter and Digital Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cassie Crawley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cassie, why did you pursue a creative career?
I chose an artistic or creative career for many reasons, but the biggest reason is because I knew ever since I was a child – that I was meant to be a soul to create and spread the magic of art. Art has been something that has been apart of my life for as long as I can remember. I had used art as a method to cope with all of the negativity in my life. For the longest time, art was the only thing that kept me going.

I’ve always known my love and passion for art was going to run strongly through me for the rest of my life, so I knew I had to do something with it as an adult. I had started off in graphic design, because I was always told that I wouldn’t “make it as an artist” or “art isn’t a real job”. I had figured that with graphic design, I still had the art aspect – while maintaining a “real job”.

Once I got to college, I went for graphic media management – which was putting me on more of the print path. I was good at it, but it wasn’t something I was passionate about. I then started working on campus as a graphic designer, still holding onto the art aspect. There, I was able to create designs for the University, while experimenting with printing my own designs on items such as stickers and apparel.

This all evolved into me creating a freelance art business. Doing freelance graphic design for different businesses, and creating one of a kind paintings that I sell online and at shows and festivals!

Long story short, I do it because I am madly in love with it. Creating art is my world and I don’t think I could ever stop!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I first started getting serious about my art, I thought I was going to get into realism portraits. Quickly, I learned that I didn’t have the patience to focus on all of the small details that made a drawing look realistic. I also, really loved the abstract concept, creating things that may not necessarily be real and creating color palletes that catch the eye. Eventually, I had transitioned from drawing/sketching to painting. As much as I had enjoyed sketching, I also really wanted to bring my art to life with bright colors.

My style is still evolving, and my skills are still enhancing – but I would say that I have an abstract/psychedelic style. I am learning that I do have my very own style, and it is one that people are starting to recognize. That feeling, is incredible. I like to use very vibrant, bright colors! I will also include special paint to give extra emphasis and depth to the painting such as: blacklight reactive paint, glitter paint, metallic paint and more. I love to create pieces that are vibrant, come to life, and take you to another world that you never thought you’d experience. I remember as a child, my adoptive mom always said, “Cassie, you need to stop living in your fantasy world, and come back to reality.” Although, it hurt as a child, I giggle at it now. I now get to create art that is my fantasy world and I get to bring people into it. I have the ability to show that fantasy world on canvas and allow others to take it and hopefully inspire their own fantasy world.

I am most proud of the evolving journey I’ve had as an artist – specifically, the community I have been able to build with my art. Every time I am at an event, I always have a moment of feeling proud and grateful when I have a group of people just hanging out at my booth – enjoying the art, the vibes, the music, seeing everyone laugh and come together. Those moments will never get old. Some personal achievements I am proud of would include: having a painting in ArtPrize 2021 (art competition/exhibit throughout Grand Rapids, MI), hosting art classes at Rozland Music Festival, showcasing my art at DreamPirate Gallery for the month of January 2023 (my birthday month), getting accepted to GridLife (music festival) as a vendor, giving Subtronics (EDM artist) some pendants that I’ve made, and selling my art a Peekaboo (EDM artist) two night show.

The journey that I have been on, has been a rollercoaster – to put it lightly. I’ve learned that nothing easy in life is worth chasing, and without the feeling of discomfort – we would never grow. As an artist, you hear A LOT of negative comments from individuals, saying “you’ll never make it”, or “only the good artist are known when they have passed, or ” I can get something like that cheaper at the store.” As an artist, you’ll have weeks where you make consistent money, and weeks that you’ll make none. As a female artist, you’ll have individuals (in my experience, men), will try and take advantage of you and your art services. The challenges may go on, but the feeling of creating surpasses those challenges. I’ve learned to embrace the unknown, embrace the discomfort, and embrace the growth that comes with it all. To overcome those challenges, I’ve learned to be grateful for where I am now. I’ve learned to acknowledge the challenges I’ve faced and the success that I’ve gained. I’ve learned to give myself grace, and trust in myself and in the process. The most important lesson I have learned throughout this journey is to always believe in yourself and to always chase those dreams.

If you were to take anything from my journey, my story, my art – it is that no matter the challenges you end up facing through your journey, you can do anything you set your heart to. It may seem scary, but scary can be good. With my brand and my story, I just want people to feel inspired. Life can throw some incredibly tough obstacles at us, and sometimes it makes us want to give up, but I am telling you – you can absolutely chase your dreams and follow your heart. I do still struggle with imposter syndrome as an artist, and find myself questioning my style and if it’s good enough. But, i’ve found that it is good enough. My style is good enough because I love creating and I am expressing every aspect of myself with each brush stroke, with each vibrant color. My art is my passion, it’s my drive, it’s the way I get to express my happiness for life. My art brings people together, and it makes people smile. I want to spread love and positivity through my art and create an experience that one will cherish forever. When you purchase art from me, you aren’t getting just a piece of art – you are getting piece of me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Grand Rapids is a small city that is rapidly growing. We have fun city activities such as: shopping, art museums, food, music and LOTS of breweries. With our location, we aren’t too far from Lake Michigan and the Upper Peninsula is only a mini road trip away! With all of that accessible, there is so much available to do.

The list of things to do in Grand Rapids, definitely depends on the weather and season. Michigan can give you all four seasons in a time span of a week, which keeps us on our toes!

Monday: Monday would be a perfect day for my absolute favorite place in Grand Rapids: Frederik Meijer Gardens. This place is a GIANT greenhouse that includes an indoor and outdoor nature exhibit, featuring different themed areas and LOTS of beautiful art. I usually get lost for hours at this place. My favorite area (without giving away too much of the magical experience), is the rain forest room. There is so much to look at, the air is so refreshing, and I’ve always wanted to go to a rain forest – so it’s my mini rain forest experience, near home!

Tuesday: Usually on Tuesday’s, you can catch me at Turnstiles Bar – to attend Open Mic Night and sell my art and live paint with other artists! I would definitely bring my best friend to Turnstiles Bar because it is always a great time with amazing people and even better vibes. Everyone is so supportive there, and the creativity BLOSSOMS with art, music, and poetry. They also have amazing food and I love the bartenders who work there!

Wednesday: Another great place to explore in Grand Rapids is the Grand Rapids Public Museum. That place is truly incredible, with SO much to see! It is a historic and science museum that has three different flows with lots of different exhibits – some even interactive. It’s also has a carousel from 1928 and a planetarium that puts on the most beautiful experiences! I could seriously stay in that place forever and just watch history and science do it’s thing.

Thursday: Downtown Grand Rapids has LOTS to see and do. There are so many local bars, restaurants, art galleries and shops – it’s hard to not want to go and explore it all! With the electric scooters, its never been easier to explore downtown. Grand Rapids usually is hosting some kind of event downtown starting Thursday’s, so I would take my best friend downtown to explore all of the activities. The first must when going downtown is finding boba tea. There are so many great places to buy boba tea, but my personal favorite would have to be Sunny Boba Tea. The place is incredibly adorable and the boba tea is amazing! While sipping on our boba tea, I would then take my best friend to one of the many beautiful art galleries downtown – DreamPirate Gallery. This gallery is owned by my very talented artist friend Abram Sudan. His artwork is like nothing I’ve seen before, and his gallery is incredible. He also, host different events in his gallery and displays other artist work in his gallery. DreamPirate Gallery is a MUST! After exploring the gallery, we would then go to explore some of the cute shops and get lunch at one of my favorite sandwich shops -Two Beards Deli (which includes sandwiches named after famous people with beards and have SO many delicious vegetarian/vegan options!) Lastly, we would take our scooters over the the Blue Bridge – enjoying the scenery of the river and the city, while different people walk by laughing, biking, taking photos, and so much more. The Blue Bridge is always a great way way to end a day out, exploring the city!

Friday: Friday’s are for fun! There is quite the night scene in Grand Rapids – bars, venues, and usually some kind of event going on downtown. Before going out for some drinks, I would take my best friend to Stella’s Lounge – a retro arcade restaurant. They have some of the best vegetarian/vegan options, the energy is unmatched, and who can turn down an arcade restaurant?! After Stella’s Lounge, we would head to The Grands Woods Lounge to start out our dancing endeavors and finish up at Rumors Nightclub – the local gay nightclub!

Saturday: Usually, Friday’s and Saturday’s have some kind of show going on. My best friend and I are really into the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene, and the Intersection (music venue) has LOTS of that! If there is a show going on, you can best believe that my best friend and I will be there. We love to head bang, vibe out with our friends, and create memories that will last a life time.

Sunday: Sunday is always a great day for disc golfing, which is an activity that my best friend and I share. It’s a great way to get outside, connect with nature, and enjoy each other’s company – while throwing some discs. My favorite course is just on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, called Grand Isle Park Rotary Disc Golf Course. This is my favorite course because it gets you out of the city, away from the cars, and can easily connect with nature. A course with mostly open fields with nature preserves all around, and a river flowing on the side of the course – what’s not to love?! Every time I leave from that disc golf course, I leave feeling refreshed, revived and happy from having a good time!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my success and dedication to my mom. Watching her as a child, seeing the magic that she could create with just a pencil – I knew I wanted to be just like her. She had always believed in me, always encouraged me to be the artist I wanted to be. She knew I could do it.

Although, the world lost her way too soon – I will forever dedicate this to her.

I’d also like to dedicate this to my best friend, Monica. She has been my best friend now for about 5 years and has definitely become one of my biggest supporters. I really don’t know where I would be on this journey without her love and support. Thank you Monica for being my best friend and supporter, love you forever!

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