Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Cooke Ketterman.
Hi Carrie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My career in the arts has been all over the place, and I’ve always known I’m more interested in the unusual creative lifestyle. I grew up loving to draw, arrange, and entertain. There were always art classes every step of the way in school and finally what a I studied with an emphasis in painting. A career in theatre came along with the painting, and they ended up blending very nicely.
I had a career in the non-profit world, being in the development department at a local theatre, an executive assistant at our local science museum and while they were great experiences, they weren’t me and what I felt I was called to do.
Telling people you have a career in the arts – painter and performing arts in most cases will get some interesting feedback. I am so thankful for the arts because they make you think more creatively; you have to see and experience things in different views both to paint and to act.
I met my husband in theatre, and we have since performed in over 30 productions together and countless other tribute and musical concerts and festivals over the years. Our love of theatre inspired everything that we do now.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a learning curve across the board of what works and what doesn’t. I’m a firm believer that you can research something and study it until a point before you have to just dive in and see what comes up. You’ll never learn anything until you try, and then you can learn from what worked and even more so from what didn’t work. The tearoom has been trial and error in the first few years as has our tribute shows. We figured out what worked, what didn’t, adapted, got feedback, made adjustments, and we are far better off having been willing to work through the obstacles and adapt than sit on our heels and wonder what could happen. For example, when we first opened the tearoom we didn’t have enough draw for people to come and have a sit-down tea party, so we started theming the events. As theatre people, we have years of experience with putting on shows by way of sets, costumes, ambiance, music, and entertainment, so we paired that with our tea parties, and now that’s what we are known for.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a full-time creative, splitting the majority of my time between running our tearoom and painting. Our vintage-style tearoom, where we create “tea-tre” is a combination of my passion for theatre and hosting tea parties. The tea parties at The Old Capitol Tea Room are more than your average tea party; we host themed tea events hosted by characters to provide a fully immersive and unique experience. We have story times, sing-alongs, Murder Mysteries, or host our tribute shows – Lucy & Desi Tribute Show and The Music That Helped Win the War Tribute to WW2 Music,
I also run an arts business with Maiden Kentucky, the art channel in our umbrella brand of Our Technicolor Life. I am a painter, illustrator, author, and I specialize in creating murals, & canvas paintings. I am most proud of this creative lifestyle; my husband and I have built for ourselves. I studied fine art in school and have always been involved in the arts in general, and we’ve truly made it into a career and lifestyle.
All of the components our Our Technicolor Life embraces the arts and being creative. We host themed tea parties out of their historic home at The Old Capitol Tea Room, travel to festivals and vacation in The Not So Long Trailer, and have two bands, a 1950s-style band, Rosie & the Rockabillies, and a 1920s-style band, The Tin Pan Alley Cats. Each of these channels makes up our Technicolor Life.
A friend of ours once described our lives as being lived in Technicolor. Bold, rich, and colorful moments. We’ve embraced life and marching to our own drum with our many projects, businesses, and adventures that we take on, and do so in our own colorful, retro-loving way.
What matters most to you? Why?
The freedom to be creative. If you listen too much to the doubts of others, especially if you are pursuing careers in the arts, most will tell you it’s foolish. Art and theatre inspire people, and especially after the past three years, where would we be without art, movies, books, & magazines. I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, and while it’s not been a smooth journey, it’s been full of adventures and experiences to learn from.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ourtechnicolorlife.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thenotsolongtrailer?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OurTechnicolorLife
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ourtechnicolorlife4148
- Other: https://etsy.me/3GTIdq7
Image Credits
Jeff Ketterman
Carrie Ketterman
