Becoming

About My Journey

Early Life 

I've used creativity to process my inner world for as long as I can remember. Since I was a kid, I have been creating art to process my reality. It became a dream world where I could escape. A living sanctuary full of my dreams where imagination, intuition, and emotion could be free. I grew up in a coastal community in Florida with the ocean being one of my main influences and loves. Wonder has always been a source of creativity for me, in awe of nature and the world around me, I feel drawn to seek meaning. Appreciation for natural beauty has always led my life. 

 

Finding My Path

In high school, I was a recipient of a few Scholastic Art Awards, which led me to go to a liberal arts college. In 2021, I decided to create an Etsy business, partially inspired by the trend of painted vinyl records, as a means to finally make money from my art. After deciding to pursue my own dreams of being an artist, I decided to learn everything I could about social media and how to make an impact, dedicating myself to learning how I could truly live the life I wanted. I have always processed the world differently, so it made sense to me that my path would be alternative.

 

Creation of Sol Grown 

In 2023, I quit Etsy completely and decided to focus on creating art that didn’t feel draining or commercial. I wanted to create art that felt like it belonged to me. So, I started Sol Grown as a way to share my art—but also to spread hope. I believe the antithesis to the worlds pain and destruction is hope. So, I created art that is meant to uplift people and remind them of their true selves with hope. My purpose is for people to return back to themselves and recognize that their soul is beautiful. I wanted Sol Grown's name to reflect the ties to nature that have always led my life as well as the dedication of continuous evolution of my soul. 

 

What I Stand For

I earned my degree in Social Entrepreneurship with a track in Arts for Social Change, alongside a minor in Fine Arts and Arts Administration. That means I studied how to build businesses that prioritize people and the planet over profit while learning how to use art as a tool for liberation, wellness, and social justice. I am so grateful for that experience. I’m also a certified Changemaker through B Lab, the nonprofit behind the global B Corp movement. I completed their sustainability and systems change program, which is rooted in regenerative business practices and hosted out of Switzerland. 

I worked on creating Sol Grown throughout my undergraduate degree. After graduating, I chose to go all-in on my small business, which has grown into a creative movement focused on radical love, inner peace, and community transformation. Since Sol Grown started, it has evolved into such a beautiful, empowering place.

 

 

Creative Process

I'm a multidisciplinary artist. Spanning across many mediums. Art for me is a exploration of the unknown world. My creative process encompasses more than just how I create physical items. It is a direct reflection of how I live my life and what I believe in. My own art is a mirror to see my inner world. Creation is an exploration of the universe, my own spirituality and self growth.

 

My art is made through a mostly intuitive space in my subconscious mind, a space where preverbal thoughts find form. Rather than planning and imposing structure when I begin making art I use automatic drawing techniques to use art as meditation rather than an act of control. I often try to remove control by beginning my art with layers of seemingly random textures and shapes. I let my hands move faster than my head and submit to the process of art instead of controlling where it goes.

 

The seemingly random imagery in the beginning of my process often reflects universal organic shapes and systems that I notice around me and within the universe. My own emotions often come out in this process through subconscious exploration, a conversation with both my subconscious mind and the unknown. I like to manipulate and work with randomness using the already existing shapes and structures to transform it into something else. Transformation is a huge aspect of my work allowing something new to emerge as a living creation. It allows a safe place to emerge to process my own transformation through life.

 

When creating I have no clear end point, I just continue to play and manipulate the piece continuously evolving. I make artistic choices based on emotional resonance rather than congruent imagery. Allowing myself to make free artistic choices is a radical act of self-return. Through every brushstroke, line or mark I am in conversation with something larger than myself. My art is living because it's a collection of my lived experiences and my exploration of higher consciousness. Once my work is finished it becomes alive.

 

Art allows me to hold the contradictions of life inside of myself and in my work. It allows me to capture a small moment in the vastness we exist in. It not only allows me to transmute my pain, my beauty, my joy and sorrow but keep it alive forever, rooted in our shared humanity. Art allows me to understand within the chaos there is beauty. Art is my dedication to softness and beauty as a rebellion against this harsh world.

Philosophy & Intent

Artistic Philosophy

My artistic philosophy is rooted in radical honesty, emotional clarity, and a belief in creative expression as a tool for social healing. I don't view art as a commodity but as a living transmission and a catalyst for creating change. Art is a mirror, a map, and a method for collective transformation.

 

Art connects us on a soul level, it is our universal language. It’s a reminder that we are not alone, that there is beauty even within chaos. I believe that art can hold duality without conflict, in the coexistence of softness and strength. I believe that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a source of power and that art is a bridge between personal healing and collective awakening.

 

Intent

True impact begins within. My intent is to create a safe space for others to express themselves through my work, my words, and the energy behind them. By making my art a space for reflection and internal growth, I hope to show that there is a more hopeful, magical way of life. Through Sol Grown and everything I create, I want to offer something different: not just art, but refuge. A glimpse into a kinder, more luminous world. I want people to feel something when they look at my work seen, safe, and stirred. I’m not here to perfect anything. I’m here to feel it all. To reflect truth. To build a life where creativity, soul, and justice aren’t separate, but intertwined.

 

Art as Resistance & Hope

I believe art can be a catalyst for social change and a message to the world.

I believe that creativity is a portal for transformation and a mirror for the soul.  In a seemingly unfeeling world art reminds us that life, in all its contradictions, is worth feeling fully.

 

Chloe Carlin - Founder of Sol Grown 

Sol Grown a Soul-Driven Artist Brand

In creating this brand I asked myself, what can I give the world? What is the change I would like to see and how can I make it happen? My goal is to create a brand that makes you feel, with art that resonates with your soul. It’s focused on uplifting and supporting others through radical kindness and acceptance.

I think the world needs some kindness and everyone needs a safe space. I hope to continue to evolve Sol Grown into something more than myself, something that can be a tool for change.