Cover Artist – Brittany Ragsdale

The Arts Cover Artist – Brittany Ragsdale

By Tracy McCoy

This story is as much about the art of living well as it is about the beautiful artistic soul behind the lens, the brush, the crochet hook, the cookies and the big smile! As corny as this sounds, if sunshine had legs, its name would be Brittany Ragsdale. She is not a professional photographer, rather she is a mom and wife so in love with her family that she captures every moment she can. When I tell you that this crew is living life to the fullest, I seriously mean it. I share her art with you, but I also offer a glimpse at the joy that is so evident through her photos. The first time I met her, she said “It’s my pleasure.” through the drive-thru window at Chick-fil-A. All of their employees are top-notch. They are trained well to be courteous and respectful, but this felt genuine and heartfelt. “I loved working the drive-thru, I saw my regulars each day and I got to know them.” Today, Brittany works at HOMESTAR Financial Company in their Cornelia, Georgia branch. After graduating from Rabun County High School, she went on to earn an Associates degree in Accounting from North Georgia Technical College. Nine times out of ten, people who love numbers don’t love artsy things and visa versa. Not the case here, Brittany loves her job as much as she loves the artistic side of life.

Brittany’s husband, Derick Ragsdale and their two kiddos, Jordan age 14 and Amanda age 12 love adventures. I think I’ve figured it out. I believe that Brittany is a student of life and is interested in learning everything she can while she has the chance. Never wasting a day, she takes her family with her. She loves nature and all of the things that God has created. Her digital photo album has trips to Dollywood, the Aquarium, The World of Coke, the river, family hikes, firework shows, beach vacations and parties of all kinds! They celebrate every holiday with family time and smiles for miles!

“I love to crochet and make animals and blankets. One of my favorites is a temperature blanket. Colors of yarn are assigned to the temperature outside, therefore the colors are all mixed up and it makes a really pretty blanket.” Brittany told me during our visit, “Recently I’ve been making cookies and decorating them. I really enjoy the creativity and they taste delicious too! I just love anything to do with art.” Her crocheting is unique in this day and time, some might say a lost art, yet Brittany enjoys it so much and is very good at it. She is 100% self-taught through YouTube videos. “I am a lot like an old lady who sits on her front porch with a cup of coffee listening to the birds. You could also catch me crocheting an afghan for a friend or

gardening,” she said.

Her photography took on new life when the pandemic began. Brittany found herself spending a lot of time at home and so to keep herself busy she would explore the outdoors with the kids. Her curious mind getting up close and personal with lizards, butterflies, ants, bees and the rare Cicada. She filled her days with artistic endeavors, joy, prayer and family. She made jewelry, painted, baked all shapes of cookies and decorated them with a mix of icing colors. We didn’t talk about specific stitches or what camera she used or art mediums, we talked about how she finds peace through art and finds the joy in every day. We talked about her family and her work. We chatted like old friends because she is comfortable and friendly. If you don’t know the Ragsdales I hope you get to meet them some day. Her digital photo collection contains upwards of 10,000 photos so when I asked for 6 or 8 of her favorites she found that a challenge and I understand why. If there is a photo that interests you here or you’d like to commission Brittany to make a Snuggle blanket or a batch of her beautiful cookies it would, no doubt, truly be her pleasure! If anyone would like to contact Brittany, her e-mail is henderson_145@yahoo.com. She also has a Facebook page for her creations called Britt Berry Designs where you can message her.