Meet Karen Thompson | Artist and Owner of Transitions by Design LLC

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

Hi Karen, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I come from a background in Interior Design and worked for a large corporation. I built my life around getting a regular paycheck and for a while the work was fulfilling. As I began practicing my creativity more and opening up to the canvas, my interests and passion shifted more into that direction.

It was such a hard decision, and actually came after my position was nationally dissolved. I was at a crossroad and every direction felt like a big risk. Deciding to become an entrepreneur was incredibly scary!
Now that I have been working for myself for six years I can say it was the best decision I have ever made. Now I make it a practice to say “yes” if at all possible even if the road feels risky. Risk taking has taught me so much about myself and led me to meeting so many incredible people.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Today my art has become what I would call my spiritual practice. It’s what makes me feel alive!
I believe that the practice of art can open anyone up to connection to the universe. I hear messages from the canvas, from my dreams, and from my body that guide me in what to paint. I look at the canvas as a portal into other worlds; my dreamworld; into my soul.
Three years ago I took a class on Intentional Creativity out of a group from Sonoma California. It was during Covid and I was not working much. I focused for a year on getting my certification for Intentional Creativity Teacher with this company. During this time I opened up to mediation, journeying, journaling, and expressing layers and layers of inner work on the canvas. It was sometimes messy. I often judged myself for what I was painting. I learned that messy is ok and keep working at it.
I learned to talk to my Inner Critic gently and let them know that they have always been there but that I could not be held back any longer. I learned to meet my Inner Muse and dance, and sing and journey and paint with them.
All of these things opened me up to my creativity. Hopefully this is shown in my work.
Learning to share and teach others to open up to their own creativity has been an incredible blessing. I volunteer in a Senior Community in Decatur to teach a Mindfulness Art Class. It’s joyous to watch people who have never sketched anything open up and find beauty from inside.

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?
I love music, so I frequent Eddies Attic in Decatur, In the summer there are many outdoor free concerts around Atlanta that I enjoy. If my friend were coming to visit me and had not been here before, I would definitely take them to the High Museum and to the Hammonds House Museum. I would take them Hiking up Stone Mountain and on the many trails here in Decatur. For Dinner we would go to Chai Panni in downtown Decatur or Apres Diem Restaurant in Midtown. I would take them to one of the Art Festivals that are every weekend around Atlanta. We would visit the Carter Center and the King Center. For fun we would go down the Chattahoochee river on river rafts.

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 recognize my international Dream Lodge group who know me and love me in such a whole way and support me to be my best self. Without these friends who walk with me through the storm I would not be who I am today.

Website: https://breathingunderwaterart.com

Image Credits
Karen Thompson took all photos and gives permission to publish