Meet Claire Craven | Landscape Designer & Artist

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

Hi Claire, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
My work-life balance has varied wildly over the course of my life. I grew up in France, where I was raised by a French mother and an American father, before moving to the US for University, where I studied Architecture. The demands of my academic and professional career were very high, and for many years they took precedence over everything else. I did great work alongside great people, but I was never good at setting boundaries; I don’t think my French childhood prepared me too well for the cult of American productivity. Where I grew up, people didn’t seem to care much about what you did for work; they wanted to know what you were doing after. Work was a means to an end, a way to contribute to society and support a lifestyle where things like health, leisure, food and community are valued most. So after becoming an adult in America, I have had to unlearn the idea that your work is an identity, or that my worth is tied to my productivity or career choices. It has taken a long time to reconnect with my French values and to own up to what I want in life – which can’t be found at an office desk.

Now that I am self-employed, when work starts getting in the way of my personal life (or general happiness), I ask myself: “What will I remember, years from now? Making this deadline, or going to dinner with my partner?” (The answer is always dinner.) I have found that clients are more understanding that you think, and that if rescheduling a meeting means that you will bring more joy and energy to their project rather than burnout and resentment, it always is the better choice. When you are a creative professional – whether you run a creative practice, manage artists or designers, or are a designer yourself – it is so easy to forget that inspiration and creativity depend so much on our well-being, and on having the space (and time) to actually create. A balanced life isn’t just better for you, it’s better for your work. (It makes for better memories, too.)

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It took a long time to get where I am now, and I am still going. After working for 10 years in architecture firms, I left a career where I was performing rather well in order to pursue a long-time dream of being a freelance illustrator. Leaving architecture was such a hard decision, and came with a lot of soul-searching. Is it worth doing something just because you’re good at it? Is that enough? I loved my colleagues and got to do great work but, I realized retrospectively, the rhythm of working in an office wasn’t a good fit for me. It took me a long time to realize it, but I think it was the ultimate motivation to leave the field – that, and the fact that I have so many interests, things I want to do and make and try, and I couldn’t do them while working a full-time office job.

So I pursued illustration work, on the side at first, with the support of my employers. I had the chance to work with fantastic local clients, like Scott Crawford, Longleaf Hotel, Guest House Raleigh and (ish) Delicatessen, designing menu illustrations and patterns under the creative direction of talented individuals like Paul Tuorto, Gino Reyes, and Josh Gajovnik. I loved it, and felt I had enough momentum to finally make the leap full time by leaving my architecture job in December of 2019. But, March 2020 rolled around… and with the pandemic, all of my hospitality and small business illustration work went out the window. So I had to pivot. I ended up working in garden centers, where I pursued another passion of mine: plants. I got to deepen my horticultural knowledge and realized it could be combined with my architectural design skills to create gardens. I had spent so much of my career designing beautiful large windows, and now I could finally design what went beyond them. My former employer and his wife, Robby & Ryan Johnston, took a chance on me and asked me to design the landscape for their new house; I will forever be grateful for that chance. It gave me the confidence I needed to make the leap (again!) and start my own business.

I have since learned that the relationships and reputation you build in one part of your life can support you in another, and that sometimes all it takes is one person taking a chance on you. I have also learned that a dream delayed isn’t a dream forfeited, and that there can be many paths to one goal (and it’s good to be flexible). Like so many people, I would be in a very different place if the pandemic hadn’t happened, but I am immensely grateful to be where I am. I now get to work alongside my former architecture colleagues in the area and really love designing landscapes that respond to the beautiful buildings they create. I feel passionately about making outdoor spaces that reconnect people with nature, benefit the environment, and celebrate the seasons. I still use my illustration skills, for presentations and in my design process – and hope to grow my business into a practice that can support my varied creative pursuits.
In the end, I think all of my work is fueled by an endless search for wonder & delight. The work itself takes on many forms and spans various disciplines… but it is all in search of those feelings – and how a nice space, a lovely garden, a thoughtful drawing, can make people feel cared for.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start with breakfast at Boulted Bread, which makes the best croissant this side of the Atlantic. You just can’t have a bad day after that.
For dinner, I would go in search of pizza at one of our numerous fantastic options: Pizzeria del Toro in Durham, Pizzeria Faulisi in Cary, Oakwood Pizza Box, Trophy on Morgan (try their Most Loyal!) or the recently opened Ponysaurus Brewery in Iron Works. (I have a very deep love for pizza). While you’re at it, walk around the Iron Works complex, which in my opinion is the best recent development work in Raleigh. Their landscape is fantastic and brimming with life; you will find all my favorite plants growing there. It’s a pocket of wilderness in a very industrial part of town and gives me hope for the future of urban landscapes.

For an after-work drink & bite I would head to Standard Beer + Food on Franklin street, where the nearby Raleigh City Farm is always lush with flowers and produce, or Neuse River Brewing. Both of their menus are stellar and take pub and brasserie fare to a new level. Person Street Bar is where we meet friends, on purpose or by happenstance, and where we always feel at home. For date nights, Madre is our go-to, along with Stanbury for special occasions.

Lastly, one of my favorite places to go to find inspiration or solace is the NCMA park. Walk past the musical swings, which fill the air with enchanting songs, meander through the sculpture park and the meadow restoration area and listen to pollinators buzzing, or get lost in the woods to find the Cloud Chamber. Attend a concert or an outdoor summer movie, or catch one of their great museum exhibits. My favorite area is actually the stormwater pond, which displays so much biodiversity at all times of year. It is particularly beautiful in winter, where dried grasses and birdsong will make you fall in love with the cold season.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people to thank. Let this be my love letter to Raleigh, and to its generous creative community, who welcomed me with open arms and an even bigger heart: I have visited and lived in many cities where people were always looking for the next thing, but here, people don’t wish they were somewhere else. People are here to stay, and to make this a great place, and they want you to join them. Moving here was the best decision I ever made, and I have met so many kind and talented individuals who have inspired me.
At the top of the list, and of everything, would be my partner: Taylor Medlin. He is the first friend I made in Raleigh and he introduced me to a community of fun and upbeat creatives who have become some of my dearest friends. (He also turned out to be the love of my life and is an endless source of inspiration, support, and laughter!)
The rest of the list is long, and filled with wonderful friends: Nikelle Orellana-Reyes, for believing I could do anything, and the most talented designer I know; Allison Grubbs, for all her support, in all things; Bryan Costello, who is forging his own creative path and always offers great pep-talks and inspiration; Sarah Grace Smith, for all her no-nonsense advice and steadfast friendship; Keith Isaacs & Sara Mingote Mañes, for their inspiring talent, international friendship, and reminders that the American way isn’t the only one; Lauren Woodard, my work-wife for years, and the most fashionable person I know; Tim Lytvinenko, for his art, pizzas, and all our deep conversations about the artistic process… to name only a few.

Website: https://clairecravenstudio.com

Instagram: @clairecravenstudio

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairecravenstudio

Image Credits
Portrait photography by Tim Lytvinenko
Landscape & Architecture photography by Keith Isaacs (where noted)
All other images & photography by Claire Craven