Meet Shonlisa Bonner: Author & Artist

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

Hi Shonlisa, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always loved arts & crafts since I was a kid. It’s something I still do to cope with anxiety and adulthood. I knew I wanted to be a creative entrepreneur but wasn’t sure which area to go into. I never thought my art was good enough and that led to a dark period of doubt and feeling lost. I kept comparing my art and progress to other creative entrepreneurs who had been established for years. But then I started thinking about ways to encourage myself. I knew I couldn’t keep comparing myself to others and had to embrace the journey I was on. Eventually these affirmations developed into a book idea. Before long I had a whole world of characters that were based on my family and the people in my neighborhood. These stories pretty much saved me from a dark place, and I hope my books inspire the creativity in kids. I have some many stories to tell and that’s what drives me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m currently a government analyst but it’s my dream to become a full time creative. I recently published my 2nd book for my Crafty Carlisha book series. It’s a book series about a crafty girl who solves problems with creative solutions. She loves helping her family and the people in her community. Each book includes a fun craft project and some inspirational Black history. I would have to credit YouTube for helping get to this point. I learned a lot about self publishing and the best drawing apps to use by scouring YouTube for hours. And I’m still learning and overcoming a lot of challenges like anxiety and doubt. Sometimes I try to use my self doubt in a constructive way. For example, I might feel my book idea is stupid and that know would read it. But then I ask myself questions about the audience I want and what I want them to take away from the story. Sometimes this process is really helpful with fleshing out ideas and thinking outside the box. This process isn’t always the easiest but it actually sparked the idea for my book series. It feels good knowing that something bright came out of a dark moment in my life. I hope the kids who read my books enjoy the projects and that it inspires them to create.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would probably be the worst hostess because I honestly don’t know much about Sacramento. I’ve lived here for a few years but I don’t much about the fun spots because I’m such a homebody. Sacramento does have a lot of great food festivals during the summer, so I would hope my friend came during the wing festival or the Farm to Fork event. There’s also a lot of great parks, so if there was nothing else going on, we could have a picnic at the park. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Of course, my family always supports me but I want to shoutout my boyfriend, Jonathan. He’s always there to listen to me rant about my struggles. He keeps me calm when I’m overwhelmed and he reminds of all the amazing things I’ve done when I start to doubt myself. He even bought me a phone so I could sketch anytime or anywhere. He’s my best friend and truly believes in me.

Website: https://www.craftycarlisha.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftycarlisha

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftyCarlisha

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugk9VNbQ4S4Vx6TviX9-dQ

Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyCarlisha