Meet my sweet, beautiful friend, Promise Tangeman. Promise is a fantastically honest artist who was born to create and inspire whimsy! Creating just ebbs from her. She is fanciful and free. Prom is just one of those people that you just want to be around ALL THE TIME. I might monopolize her entire schedule if she lived her in Seattle :) Her design and art are out of this flippin' world and she just has all around MADD skillz. Promise & I were just destined to be friends and we hit it off right away. I adore me some Promise. Please stop in and say hi to her on her blog, she recently did a really sweet interview of Chris and me on there. She is truly a rich soul and was created for greatness. She reminds me of myself in a lot of ways... we are those kind of chicks that let passion drive our feet forward & let our hearts do the thinking. Mark my words, Miss Promise Tangeman will do a great many things in this life and I feel thankful to call her a friend :) Please enjoy a little interview I did with Prom and some photos from a casual shoot we did while she was in Seattle a few weeks ago! Let me know what you think of the interview.. I'm thinking about doing more of these with artists and explorers that I fancy ;)

1. Who are you? What do you do?

Promise Tangeman. I do graphic design and uuhhh... Artsty stuff. Yes, that is my real name. People mix it up all the time calling me patience, precious, passion, paradise, poison. hahaha. o well!

promises' site: http://promisetangemanblog.com

2. Describe your work

Fresh, Passionate, out of the box, mishap, confident

3. What artists do you admire?

I love Andy Warhol aesthetic, his process, his colors, his randomness

I love the work of the INTERNET!! So many random finds.  I love raiding the online sources. Kelli Murray from Jedidiah is really imaginative and her craftsmanship is out of this world.

4. When and how did you start doing art and design? Did you go to School for it?

I started loving art, when I was young and home-schooled.  I was able to play, imagine, build forts, and make play food.  My sister and I would dress up in different costumes and make fools of ourselves. haha. In junior high and high school I took as many art classes as I could.  On snow days I would tear apart my clothes and sew them back together in different ways. I always longed to get my creativity out there.  I went to Northwest College of Art where I graduated with a double major in Graphic Design and Fine Art. I hated computers when I started school, but now I can't live w/o illustrator, photoshop & my i phone

5. Was there a particular moment in which you realized you could do this for a living? 

YES!! It's simple though. I thought if I wanted to do art for a living, I had to be a teacher.  And I did NOT want to be a teacher. In high school someone opened my eyes by telling me that everything I look at has been created//designed; everything from food labels, to cars, to clothing, to advertisements. SOMEONE NEEDS TO DESIGN ALL OF THAT. I then realized that there are sooo many possibilities. 

6. Who really encouraged you to pursue your dream?

My parents. I think I am the only person in the world that has my parents encouraging my art career. EVERY SINGLE kid in art class in h.s. said their parents were not letting them pursue art because it's not practical. OUCH!! SHEESH. I am so thankful for my supportive parents. AND now, Brian Wurzell my fiance is one of my biggest cheerleaders. He believes in me more than I believe in myself. He challenges me and encourages me to take projects that I would normally be too chicken to take. He teaches me how to network, get myself out there, make new friends, and enjoy what I do.

7. What is the ultimate message you want people to get from you and your work?

I want people to be inspired to create. I want people to feel free and liberated. I want people to create with passion and confidence.  When we are created by the ultimate creator, there are no boundaries or barriers, the sky is the limit.

8. What is the thing you enjoy most about design and art?

I love creating visible magic. I enjoy creating something beautiful from nothing. I enjoy the challenge of designing elements to meet the communication needs of people.

9. What is one mistake you wish you could take back?

Every day I wish I could take by being shy, and not confident with my work, and unassertive. I am challenged everyday to grow into who I am and trust that I am made to be doing what I am doing.

10. What challenges in art and design do you enjoy conquering?

I enjoy striving to NAIL a design. It's such a challenge to take people's ideas//themes//directions and make them functional, good looking AND have them LOVE IT!!

11. Where do you shop?

Savers, Value Village, Urban Outfitters (sale rack), any thrift shops

12. Besides design.... what does your heart ache for?

For people to be Free. Freedom from addictions, self doubt, unhappiness, a stuffy life, abuse, day jobs, depression.

13. What do you think of Sarah Rhoads?? Is she AWESOME?? lol

Shara Rhoads is Fab. She lives life, she loves, she strives for excellence. She has confidence that is radiantly refreshing and she cares for people.

14. Anything Else?

Our DNA is creative from inception. You and I have been uniquely designed for a creative purpose. Whether you're a graphic designer, painter, plumber or an aspiring accountant, you have been uniquely made with unending creative possibility. Let the creative process be a part of everything you do and the lens you see life through!