Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Carroll.
Tim, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was on a 2009 trip to New Orleans when a thunderstorm changed my life. After spending a day walking around the French Quarter and visiting as many galleries and boutiques as we could, a thunderstorm forced us to cut the day short. We walked into a convenience store and I flipped through a magazine that was on the rack. A small 1/4 page blurb mentioned it was the 100th anniversary of the million-dollar T206 Honus Wagner baseball card. I showed my wife and jokingly asked if I could trade all of my childhood junk common cards that were collecting dust in the closet for one of those Wagners. The wheels continued to turn after we returned from New Orleans. I pulled out all of those cards I had saved from the late 80’s/early 90’s and started overlapping the ones I felt could make the image of that Honus. I realized to achieve the effect I wanted, I was going to have to cut the cards. I began cutting and gluing over the course of several nights and weekends until I had finally “traded” my commons for a large copy of that Wagner. I posted my trade project online to get some laughs and was stunned to see the reaction to it. My messages filled up fast, asking me to create various other cards. I began to supplement my regular income with that insane idea of cutting junk baseball cards and the waitlist for clients continued to grow. Over the next few years, I taught elementary math during the day and spent whatever extra time I had at night and on weekends working on art. After much consideration and planning in 2016, I left teaching to create cut card artwork full time. In 2019, my work was added to the permanent Shoebox Treasures exhibit of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Today, I continue to wake up daily with the opportunity to create iconic sportscards from smaller pieces of other cards…and that opportunity is not something I take for granted.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh, absolutely not! As with anything in life, there are bumps and detours along the way. It’s all a part of the journey! I’m a big believer in “whatever you do is preparing you for what you are going to do next.” When I was still teaching, trying to find a balance between how I spend my time at night and on weekends was extremely difficult Family always comes first, but when commitments are made to getting a project done in a specific window of time, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Fortunately, I have the greatest family on Earth. It would be cliche to simply say they are supportive; they have always gone above and beyond to encourage my creativity. The move away from the classroom in 2016 was helpful in giving me extra time at night and on the weekends. That move was critical in giving me more opportunities to spend quality time with my family while still doing my work. One big struggle I still face daily is not having the opportunity to be as social as I was when I was teaching. My oldest children have moved out, and my youngest is in high school. My wife teaches. Being at home alone during the day gives me the opportunity to complete some work without interruption. However, I love talking to people face-to-face daily, and I miss being part of a team (ex. school staff). So in that way, the road is still not completely smooth…..but I know I’ll be able to draw strength from that struggle as time goes on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a mixed media artist that specializes in creating large replicas of iconic sportscards completely from the cut pieces of common cards. In other words, I am known for trading cards that nobody cares about for artwork of some of the most desirable cards in the hobby. My work explores the term “value” in relation to cards and collectibles. Professionally, I am most proud of my work (a 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax) hanging on the wall of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. For almost 14 years, my work has been set apart from other artists due to the non-traditional medium that I use.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.timcarrollart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timcarrollart/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timcarrollart
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/timcarrollart
