Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Hunt.
Hi Camille, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My path to becoming a full-time artist really began around the start of COVID. I had closed the business I was running at the time, and around then I had painted a portrait of my own dogs. People seemed to really connect with it, and I had this internal voice telling me, “Paint the pet portraits.” So I listened.
I started offering custom pet portraits, and the commissions began coming in much faster than I expected. I never went to art school and I don’t have any formal training. I’m completely self-taught. I learned through thousands of hours of simply painting, experimenting, making mistakes, and painting some more. Eventually, what started as taking a chance on something I loved became a full-time business.
Along the way, I became an artist for Chewy, where I painted pet portraits for several years. Today, I work as a contracted artist for STAUD, an LA-based contemporary fashion brand, painting custom pet portraits on their leather bags. I also continue to take commissions. At this point, I’ve painted more than 3,000 pet portraits throughout my career, which is still a little surreal to think about.
More recently, I’ve felt myself entering a new chapter creatively. After spending years primarily painting pets, I’ve started exploring other subjects and allowing myself to create simply because something interests me. I’ve also begun sharing my one-line drawings through a series I call Line to Unwind, which has opened up an entirely new creative direction for me.
I’m currently working toward creating more original artwork and prints, expanding Line to Unwind, and developing my first coloring book. I think the biggest theme throughout my career has been following those little creative nudges, even when I don’t know exactly where they’re going to lead. Painting that first pet portrait changed the entire direction of my life, so I’ve learned to pay attention when that little voice tells me to try something.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is definitely no smooth path to becoming an artist or to building a life centered around creativity. There are incredible highs and equally difficult lows.
One of the biggest challenges is that when your creativity becomes your livelihood, there is suddenly a tremendous amount of pressure attached to it. You’re relying on your ability to create to support yourself, and ironically, that pressure can sometimes be the very thing that makes creativity harder. Learning how to balance the business side of being an artist with the part of me that simply needs to create has been an ongoing process.
There are also natural highs and lows financially. You can have months where the work and sales are incredible, followed by months when things suddenly slow down. Learning not to panic during those quieter periods, and instead continuing to create, evolve, and look for the next opportunity, has been one of the biggest lessons for me.
I’ve also learned that if you want opportunities, you often have to pursue them. Some of the biggest opportunities of my career came because I put myself out there and approached companies I wanted to work with. Making a living from your artwork requires a surprising amount of courage and perseverance. You have to be willing to hear no, keep going when things are slow, and continue putting your work in front of people.
Through all of that, one of the most important things I’ve learned is to listen to my inner voice and follow those creative nudges. Some of the best things in my career have happened because something inside me said, “Try this,” even when I didn’t know where it would lead.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m probably best known for my pet portraits. Over the years, I’ve painted more than 3,000 animals, and I think what sets my work apart is that I’m never just trying to paint what a pet looks like. I’m trying to capture who they are. Their expression, their personality, their energy, and that little something their person immediately recognizes as them.
I’m a huge animal lover myself and have pets of my own that I love dearly, so I understand just how deeply we can love these animals and how much they become a part of our families. That shared love of animals has also allowed me to connect with so many wonderful people online over the years. In many ways, pets have created this whole community around my artwork.
Because of that, I never take it lightly when someone trusts me to paint an animal they love, especially one they’ve lost. I want someone to look at the finished portrait and feel like I captured a little piece of their pet’s essence and soul, not just created a technically accurate painting.
I’m incredibly proud that I’ve been able to build a career around that connection. I’ve had the opportunity to paint thousands of pets for people all over the country, and today I also work as a contracted artist for STAUD, painting custom pet portraits on their leather bags.
More recently, I’ve been exploring another side of my work through my Line to Unwind drawings. They’re spontaneous, free flowing line drawings that I create without sketching beforehand, and sharing them has unexpectedly connected my work with millions of people online. It’s been exciting to discover that people connect not only with the finished artwork, but also with watching the process of creating it.
I think the common thread through everything I make is connection. Whether I’m painting someone’s beloved pet or creating a drawing from a single continuous line, I want the work to feel alive and personal. I’m most proud that I’ve been able to create art that makes people feel something.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think the quality that has been most important to my success is learning to trust my inner voice and follow my creative nudges. So many of the biggest shifts in my career started with a feeling that I should try something, even when I had no idea where it would lead.
But I also think that intuition has to be paired with perseverance and motivation. Being a working artist means continuing to create when you’re inspired, but also when you’re not. It means putting yourself and your work out there, pursuing opportunities, adapting when something isn’t working, and being willing to keep going through the quieter seasons.
Connection is also incredibly important to me. Art is such a personal thing, both for the person creating it and the person experiencing it. Some of the most meaningful parts of my career have come from connecting with people through something I’ve created.
I’ve learned that I don’t always need to know exactly where I’m going. Sometimes I just need to listen to that little voice telling me what to try next, be brave enough to follow it, and work hard enough to see where it takes me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.camillemhunt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camillemhunt?stkn=ZThzYmJ1eWRlNXNi&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1YoNbBZ7c8/?mibextid=wwXIfr
