Conversations with Shelly Turner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Turner.

Hi Shelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, let’s see. Born to wonderful parents in the wildness of Alaska, I came into the world a bit impatiently, at 4 weeks early. But this is not a chapter book, so let’s skip ahead, shall we? Growing up, we moved quite a few times, not as a military family, but as a forest service family, with a stay-at-home Mom. My brother, Adam, and I had a wonderful childhood filled with imagination. We didn’t know we weren’t wealthy, Mom made homemade bread every week, sewed some of our clothes (many of my dresses), and Dad brought us home candy bars from fire camp after he would be away for weeks at a time-fighting wildfire. We held toad races in the driveway by setting up tracks with scraps of wood from Dad’s projects, and playing outside was an everyday thing. I loved exploring as a kid and would often daydream about the woodsy worlds in my imagination, where the animals talked, and magical creatures came out of hiding to play.

The imagination of my youth stalled once I reached middle school, and the awkwardness of teenage years ensued. I always felt like I needed to fit in. I could have improved at sports and wasn’t the prettiest or very popular. I was taller than the boys, skinny as a twig, and (eventually) full of acne and angst. What I DID have, though, was an ability to draw. And so I drew and sketched, painted, and created; often by myself, in my bedroom, listening to music. I enjoyed the solitude and comfort of being in a cozy space that allowed me to dream big.

After surviving high school, a first year of classes at the local University, and being introduced to horses and riding, I decided to move back to California to live with my Grandparents and figure out what to do with my life. Being fiercely independent and wanting to do the opposite of what my parents ‘thought’ I should do, I forged ahead to vet tech school. Don’t get me wrong. This is a fine choice of profession, but not for a girl who isn’t naturally inclined towards studying, or science, or mathematics. Despite my shortcomings, I received decent grades and enjoyed the freedom of living on campus in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

But everything changed in what felt like an instant. While at work on the school’s farm, I had an incident that landed me in the emergency room. The Doctors were a bit perplexed and scheduled a colonoscopy. I was just 21. The night before the procedure, drinking God-awful pre-procedure syrupy stuff, I saw a commercial on local TV for Endometriosis. How strange; I had never even heard of this before, but all of the symptoms rattled off, I was experiencing! As the Dr. and his nurses wheeled me into the procedure room, I told him what I thought, that perhaps I had Endometriosis. He agreed, and recommended further procedures.

I waved goodbye to Glenwood Springs and Colorado Mountain College and headed back home with my folks to have my first of many, Endometriosis surgeries. The next handful of years is almost a blur. So much of ‘life’ happened during this time. Much of it desperate attempts to hold onto something stable and unchanging. My body was utterly defying me at every turn. I lost jobs because of too many sick days, couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and felt utterly overwhelmed. I longed to be around horses again, loved animals as much as a crazy cat lady, and wanted to make money, get married, and live life! You know, like the fairytales with the ‘happily ever after’ and such. And so, feeling impatient as always, I moved back to Colorado, this time to attend CSU, moved in with a boyfriend, got married, bought my first horse, joined the equestrian team (having zero clue what I was doing of course), and enrolled in Equine science classes. But life has a funny way of correcting your course when you least expect it. Average to poor grades were becoming the norm, especially once I entered physics class and fell behind within the first two weeks. My heart wasn’t in this, and I knew it. God’s plan for me wasn’t ‘this.’

Next up was a change of major in school, a divorce (because we honestly shouldn’t have gotten married in the first place), many more medical procedures and surgeries, many terrible decisions, and learning the hard way. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of GOOD happened during this time. I went to Interior Design school at CSU. Despite my horrible GPA at the time. I made it into the program on my first attempt (at that time, there was a multi-day ‘mock’ scenario, drawing, writing, timed, the process you had to go through to be accepted into the design program. This was because the same group of students, capped at 40-ish, spent the next few years until graduation together). I was finally in my element. During design school, I wound up back in surgery, this time to remove my left ovary and appendix, which had both become smothered in scar tissue; the ovary was no longer viable, and the appendix was about to burst. The recovery landed me a semester behind everyone else. Still, my gracious instructors allowed me to walk with my class at graduation and then finish up classes for my actual diploma. My love life was a mess. I was a broke college student and a late bloomer, going through it all at 28. But everyone’s journey is different, right?

And since this still needs to be a chapter book, let’s fast forward again. My first job out of school was with a small engineering firm in Denver. I lived in Aurora, on Colfax Avenue, once named the country’s most dangerous road by Playboy Magazine (weird and terrifying). Gang violence plagued the area, but I found that most of the folks living there just wanted a better situation and did their best – like myself.

In 2008, just before changing jobs and moving to Oregon, I had a total abdominal hysterectomy. My Endo had worsened and would never stop until it engulfed the organs around my pelvis. Dr. Leonard LoSasso, a hero in my eyes, performed the surgery. It changed my life. I could now begin to live again.

From 2008 to 2015, I worked in the commercial design industry, designing quick-service restaurants like McDonald’s for parts of California and Nevada. I had wonderful experiences and made many friends along the way. But towards the end, I was burnt out and ready for a change. I’m sure my bosses knew it too, and I fell into a round of layoffs in 2015. Scary but also free, it gave me the breathing room to finish up the last few classes I needed for my diploma and figure out my next adventure. I finally received that diploma in 2015. A huge achievement, despite all of the setbacks I’d gone through. In October 2016, I moved to North Carolina to begin again. My best friends had helped pave the way by hiring me to design their horse farm. And for the next 5 years, I ran my own design business and worked on residential projects. What a treasure to have worked with many wonderful people and helped them enjoy their homes through design. Much to my surprise, I even won awards for my work and was published in a few magazines.

Healthwise, I was doing pretty well. But balancing hormones and the inner workings of a body plagued with Endometriosis is no walk in the park. By the time the pandemic hit, I was overweight, exhausted, and living on caffeine. I’d also been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Psoriasis, IBS, and Anxiety. The fibro diagnoses came after bloodwork and a groundbreaking FM/a test; the FM/a ® Test analyzes your immune system’s white blood cells for their chemokine and cytokine protein patterns. Those who have fibromyalgia will show an abnormal pattern of these protective proteins. The degree of abnormality is scored from 1 to 100. My score was 98. This explained a lot. I’d met my wonderful husband, Lawrence, two years before the pandemic hit. We decided to get married in December 2019 and spent our honeymoon at Disney World (two big kids). That January, Covid shut everything down. My work stalled, and along with it, my income. Terrified at what Covid was doing to immunocompromised individuals, I decided to shutter my business. Canter Lane Interiors will be closed indefinitely.

Once again, it was time to make a fresh start. Knowing that my health was a top priority, I hunkered down and began focusing on drawing again. I’d come full circle. After creating illustrative portraits and drawings for a while, I haphazardly landed into surface pattern design. I’d had a Spoonflower account for several years but had yet to do much with it. So, I started adding designs to the platform. Eventually, things began to take off, and to my complete surprise, I was starting to make a living at it.

I didn’t give up on interior design completely, and I still create drawings for a few special designer friends in California and here in NC. I also consult for the clients of a few great General Contractors.  And with my surface pattern work ending up on the set of an Apple TV show, in restaurants, veterinary offices, barns, and the like, it makes me giggle to think that I am intertwining all of my life’s experiences via my drawings. As for my equine and furry friend passions, I met my soulmate horse in Gordon, a Moravian Warmblood from Slovakia, despite having to sell past horses due to medical or financial reasons. My husband and I have three pups, Geddy, Lola, and Cooper (the namesake of Cooper and Craft, my Spoonflower shop name). Life is still sometimes wild and crazy. And I still have to watch my health, but with the help of incredible doctors and friends, I lost 70 pounds and gained back ‘me.’ I’m learning to live more authentically and less ‘status quo.’ These days, life is more about being quiet and peaceful; and less about ‘keeping up with the Jones’s). Being part of the community here in Pinehurst and Moore county is an honor and privilege. The state of North Carolina is the first that truly felt like ‘home’ to me. After doing some family history research, I discovered that I have a deeply rooted connection to our state; family members who lived and thrived in the Abolitionist Quaker communities around Greensboro. Yep, this is home.

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?
Endometriosis Fibromyalgia
Lots of surgeries and medical procedures
Job losses
Moving
Aye Carumba! haha

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I create surface pattern designs and outstanding work. My work can be seen on the likes of clothing from Romfh Equestrian to Ariat (coming spring 24), Apple TV, HGTV online, and in many homes across the globe, thanks to Spoonflower, the amazing print-on-demand wallpaper, and fabric company out of Durham. I’m working on a children’s picture book and my third Painted Pony to benefit the Carolina Horse Park. I’m also launching with Limitless Walls soon, and I hope to find a publisher for my children’s book (first of many, I hope). My work brings joy to others and becomes a catalyst of inspiration and encouragement so that everyone can shine in the light of their calling.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Oh gosh, so many! I loved spending time at the little babbling brook behind our Springville, California home. It was like a magical fairy forest down a hill from our backyard.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shellyturnerdesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cooperandcraft/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cooperandcraft/

Image Credits
Carmen Jacobson Photography (main photo) Spoonflower (magazine clippings) The Pilot Newspaper (Ribbon Glory Painted Pony Photo)