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Nursing and the Arts Podcast Ep8: The Nurse Practitioner who is “SEW” creative! Meet Karen Welch, APRN, BSN, Karen’s Sewing and Crafts

Guest: Karen Welch, APRN, BSN

Host: Author, Actor, Photographer, Poet Susan J. Farese, MSN, RN

Nursing and the Arts Podcast

Nursing and the Arts Ep8: Karen Welch, APRN, BSN
Nursing and the Arts Ep8: Karen Welch, APRN, BSN

Audio link above is provided to listen to Ep8: The Nurse Practitioner who is “SEW” creative! Meet Karen Welch, APRN, BSN, Karen’s Sewing and Crafts and Host Susan J. Farese, MSN, RN.

Nursing and the Arts is a podcast devoted to Nurses discussing their diverse artistic passions (or endeavors) such as visual arts/photography, journaling, comedy, podcasting, storytelling, writing/poetry, crafting, cooking, dance, theatre, music, film etc.

Join us on today’s 8th episode of the Nursing and the Arts Podcast for an informative and entertaining discussion with Karen Welch, APRN, BSN.

Watch the Nursing and the Arts Podcast (above)!

Ep8: The Nurse Practitioner who is “SEW” creative! Meet Karen Welch, APRN, BSN, Karen’s Sewing and Crafts

Show Notes

I first met Karen Welch circa 1988 when we were both stationed as Army Nurses in Virginia. I was the Chief of Nursing Education and Staff Development. She was a Med-Surg Nurse at the time. I knew that she had great professional and personal qualities and remember working with her on her career development. I encouraged her to apply for the Army Nurse Practitioner Program and she was accepted in 1989. The rest is history! Karen worked as an NP since graduating with her NP Certificate and retired in 2022 as an Adult Nurse Practitioner in Massachusetts.

Karen learned how to sew from her Mom when she was about 12 or 13 years old (and more in high school back in the day when they taught home economics, cooking and sewing). She also learned some tailoring from her Aunt. Get this- she even sewed her bridesmaid’s gowns 50 years ago! Wow! As a Mom, she sewed clothes and costumes for her family.

Karen was a Candy Striper as a teen and although her Mom encouraged her to be a dressmaker or tailor, she ultimately chose nursing. (We are so glad that she did)!

Her creative passion is quiltmaking, especially the Bargello design style. Karten loves sewing patchwork as well.

Since retiring after over 40 years in nursing in 2020, she has been teaching disabled adults sewing, crafts and health topics. Topics she teaches include areas such as handwashing (singing “Happy Birthday”), first aid (Heimlich, making 911 calls) and sewing/creating ornaments (hand sewing), trick-or-treat bags, vests, tote bags, etc. She teaches them about healthy eating, benefits of exercise, signs of diabetes.

Karen is a graduate of Salem State University, (her BSN class was the 4th class- when it was a college). She became an Adult Nurse Practitioner with the Army Nurse Corps Certification Course in 1989 and worked as an NP until retirement in 2020.

Karen demonstrated some of her home-sewn items, including a beautifully colored Asian style dress, a bucket hat, and several quilts. Regarding the Bargello quilting style (per Karen, in a nutshell- You cut, sew, take apart and sew it back together)!

She recently became the Commander of her local VFW in Ramona, California.She continues to be a service provider for her community of Veterans!

Karen mentions how Nursing is a stressful job, and especially with Covid, losing patients was stressful. Karen stated “If I didn’t have my creative avenue it would be depressing”.

Finally- a very exciting fact about Karen- She and her daughter, the outgoing (and very creative) Alexis were contestants on ‘Let’s Make a Deal” last December! Karen even sewed the Lucy and Ethel costumes! Side note: Here is her daughter Alexis’s Cakery INSTAGRAM page: https://www.instagram.com/alexis_cakery/

Left to right: Karen and her daughter Alexis at “Let’s Make a Deal”
Courtesy Photo – Karen Welch

Some examples of Karen’s Sewing and Crafts – With permission


To contact Karen, Email her at: ktw1955@hotmail.com

Thank you very much Karen! This has been “sew” much fun!

About Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications

Susan J. Farese, MSN, RN, a native of New Jersey, is the owner/ president of  SJF Communications, San Diego, CA.

SJF Communications, originally established in 2002 in San Jose, CA, provides communications services including Public Relations, Publicity, Marketing, Websites, Filmmaking, Acting, Social Media, Writing and Public Speaking, Photography, Mentoring, Coaching and Legal Nurse Consulting services.

Ms. Farese has diversified experience in health care/communications, including clinical nursing practice, management, education/training, research and consulting.

She has a Masters Degree in Nursing in Adult Health from Seton Hall University (NJ) and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Widener University (PA).

Susan has presented numerous continuing education classes, seminars, and keynotes. Susan is the author of the book Poetic Expressions in Nursing…Sharing the Caring (1993 and 2021), currently teaches ‘Capturing Your Creativity with Haiku‘ workshops and has published poetry and articles on a variety of topics.. 

She created and is the Host of the “Nursing and the Arts Podcast” and creator/admin of the Nursing and the Arts Facebook Group.

In addition to her being on the advisory board of San Diego Film Week, Susan is a member of SAG-AFTRA,  American Legion Post 43Veterans in Media & EntertainmentSan Diego Writers Ink , and the Southern California Writers Association.

Since 2017, Susan has been a Volunteer Mentor in the San Diego State University Aztec Mentor Program.

List of clients at https://sjfcommunications.com/list-of-clients/

Contact SJF Communications at:

info@sjfcommunications.com.

Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/Sjfcommo


Thank you for joining us to listen to and/or watch the Nursing and the Arts Podcast! Please feel free to like, comment on, share our episode(s), etc.

Also nurses can join our Facebook Group “Nursing and the Arts

If you are a nurse (or know of a nurse) who would like to be considered for a “Nursing and the Arts” Podcast interview, please reach out to Susan by email: info@sjfcommunications.com.

Driven to the Max: Photo Shoot and Q & A with Max Cadillac

Meet Max Cadillac. I have known Max professionally for the past five years in San Diego. Our paths have crossed with me providing public relations & marketing, and with him either performing in professional theatre productions, choreographing and/or costuming…and most recently modeling as my photography subject for an action-packed, fun editorial shoot, as Max embarks on his new journey – the sky’s the limit – and seize NYC – a.k.a. The Big Apple!

This past September, our photo shoot (for his new modeling “look book”) with Max took place during the day at a cool park as well as a suburban cul-de-sac and street in the Rancho Penasquitos area of San Diego. Max posed. I snapped away.

Take a gander at Max’s photographic versatility (and read our interview Q &A which follows)!

Max Cadillac. Photo by Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications, 2017.

 

Max Cadillac. Photo by Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications, 2017.

 

Max Cadillac. Photo by Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications, 2017.

 

Max Cadillac. Photo by Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications, 2017.

 

Max Cadillac. Photo by Susan J. Farese, SJF Communications, 2017.

Q & A with Max Cadillac

SJF: Max, please give us the run down…tell us where you have performed professionally

MC: I have a true love for musical theatre and have been working hard throughout my field of choice – performing, choreographing, and costuming in San Diego. I’ve performed with Cygnet Theatre (Pageant, Gypsy), Moonlight Stage Productions (The Wizard of Oz, Music Man, Big Fish), San Diego Musical Theatre (White Christmas, Sound of Music, Cats, West Side Story), and most recently in The Tragedy of Carmen with the San Diego Opera.

SJF: Besides being a dancer, you’re also a choreographer. Where have you been the creator of all things dance?

MC: My choreography credits include: Canyon Crest Academy (Zombie Prom, Evita, Sweet Charity), La Jolla High School (Anything Goes), San Diego Junior Theater (Shrek the Musical), as well as other high school, college, and studio performances.

SJF: And your newest venture into costuming?

MC: Over the last year, I have expanded into costuming under the wing of costume designer Janet Pitcher.

SJF: Why NY? Does it have a special meaning for you?

MC: Though I am proud to be a native San Diegian, I’ve always felt like my home town was ‘Broadway to Bloomingdales’ in The Big Apple. My parents and family are from the tri-state area and having growing up bi-coastal going to summer camp in the Poconos, I have always loved New York the most. Not only that, but there are so many more opportunities for theater in New York than Southern California. The fantasy of moving to the city and booking the first audition sounds splendid, but the reality of planning his move to New York has been a long awaited plan since high school.

SJF: Tell us about your performing and where you have studied

MC: The drive to perform has always been there. I have attended performing arts schools since middle school. I first attended Children’s Creative and Performing Arts Academy before transferring to Coronado School of the Arts for high school. It was there I learned his passion could become a career, and I pursued a degree in Theater. I attended a California State University to pursue my degree, but he realized within the first month this was not the right program for me. So within that first semester, I applied, auditioned, and was accepted into AMDA  in Los Angeles for musical theatre. It was a program that mainly focused on acting, singing, dancing, and allowing their students to explore many aspects of the performance world on and off stage.

SJF: What was one of your favorite roles?

MC: Everyday is another chance to create and perform, but I really enjoyed my most recent performance as Lillas Pastia in the San Diego Opera’s The Tragedy of Carmen. The creative team wanted to make a whole new vision for the classic opera, so with only six cast members, sets and costumes spanning many different decades, and direction like no one has seen before, It was a true collaboration of artists working together to feature the best of their talents. And although my character did not have any songs or dialogue, I threw myself into the physicality of the character. To quote the lead of Carmen herself, she wrote me a lighthearted opening night letter saying “Thank you for stealing my show. Now own it” and that is exactly what I did. The recreation of a classic role is something I am extremely invested in, always trying to adapt and tell a relatable story for the audience, and one day I hope to originate a role in a musical, play, opera, or film. Any medium that gives actors the freedom to shape and mold a character like that sounds like a dream role to me, and I would even love to write my own musicals and movies in order to ensure true artistic freedom.

SJF: Dream roles?

MC:  I have many! Aldolpho from The Drowsy Chaperone, Molina in Kiss of The Spiderwoman, Dr. Frank-N-Furter from Rocky Horror Picture Show, and an all time favorite from the first musical I ever saw on Broadway one day playing Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast.

SJF It’s been a pleasure Max. Anything else you’d like to share?

MC: On a personal note, I’d would like to thank you, Susan for all of your support, love, and laughter working together over the past 5 years and would like to leave your readers with this thought; If you love something, Do Not let it go! Hold onto whatever drives your passion, and love what you do. Theater, like the world can seem very small at times, but never limit yourself within your chosen field and always remember it is much more fulfilling to focus on the journey than the finish line.

SJF: Best wishes on your journey to the BIG APPLE!

 

Special thanks to Emmy Farese for photoshoot assistance!

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