Meet Cara Franson | Cara F. Franson | Artist & Letterpress Printer

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

Hi Cara, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
One of the most important approaches to letterpress printing and my art in general is a grounding in curiosity. As a designer and printer, the process is fluid and yet also rigid. There is a lot of preparation and conceptualization that takes places before the “brush hits the paper.” So unlike a painter, the art of printmaking is less about spontaneity and more about improvisation. Curiosity seems to be the magical ingredient that holds space for pivot, recreation, and more simply “happy accidents.”

I’d say that same is true about knowing when to keep going and when to give up in business. The pandemic halted my main source of business for nearly two years as I had been creating alongside many renown event designers. With the suspension of events, I was forced to ask many questions about my business in the latent time that was afforded. I think it’s easy to think about decision-making in black and white terms and to have simply given up on the endeavor. The harder, perhaps more sophisticated task is getting comfortable with the gray area, getting comfortable maintaining curiosity about the unknown.

The result of that pandemic-induced sabbatical was that I knew I wanted to continue to let my art unfold and evolve, but that my main business engagements weren’t fulfilling the potential impact I know exists in me. I decided to pivot to a new focus, namely working alongside leaders, artists and benefactors and with that, have begun to develop a new narrative around my art and my contribution. I’ve found new notes of expression, a kind of fifth dimension result where concept, idea, physical expression and form communicate more than their parts. It’s been rewarding and challenging at the same time. And this is how I know to keep going–when the curiosity leads to more curiosity and the fluidity and improvisation work in tandem.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was first exposed to letterpress printing while studying art history and bookmaking. Having been drawn to art my entire life, this was the first art form that really stunned me. I had dabbled in ceramics, painting and drawing, but printing was unlike these. It somehow met every need in me, it mirrored the core of my person. I’ve never left the press since discovering it and developed my craft over the last 15 years. It remained a side hobby as I explored other areas professionally — I traveled and worked in African arts early on and later obtained a masters degree in public policy, working alongside benefactors of art and other social causes. I developed a more global understanding of the frameworks and political design of the social sector. I supported philanthropists who were creatively trying to solve social problems or invest in social and artistic efforts by partnering with public agencies. The work was creative and forward focuses which ultimately was a gift to my own journey. All along, I had continued to foster my art and when I finally decided to pivot to the art full time, I was bursting with world experience, a love of hard work and an entrepreneurial mindset. These early professional experiences live on in the way that I create. I draw from different cultural backgrounds and art expressions in my materials and process as an example. I’ve also had experience working with groups and individuals who have an agenda of progress and creating an impact, sometimes on a national or global stage. I understand the value in aligning the art with the greater story, as well as the value of subtlety and movement when in a position of leadership or influence.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I give a big shoutout to my Italian grandmother, lovingly known as “Nonie.” Without her guidance, I wouldn’t have known how to break through convention, see potential in lost treasures and always show up as the queen you are. A child of the depression, she was raised in an immigrant family and had a knack for seeing value in the most minimal, often unnoticed wares. She refurbished old furniture, repaired vintage porcelain and glass and repurposed every container, bag and rubber band in her possession. She was an expression of true elegance and alchemized what others might regard as unusable in to gorgeous pieces of decor. I observed her approach to creating as a young girl and soaked in her scrappy, fearless and artistic ingenuity.

Website: https://www.carafranson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cara.f.franson/

Image Credits
Ryan Chard Smith