“My name is Mercedes Symons, the creator of Hometown Connection Art. I create calming art and art products for women, and to support mothers, I also create art resources for children.”
Mercedes’ journey began in 2015 as a teacher. After having three children of her own, her perspective shifted about how she spent her time and where she used her mental energy. “Goodness, did I realize families, specifically mothers, could use more support — myself included.”
Fast forward to 2025, Mercedes dropped her teaching contract and dove fully into Hometown Connection Art. Her goal is to provide women with beautiful, calming, intentional art, and children with educational, meaningful colouring books — bringing calm to you, and creativity for them.
Her art products include custom floral woodburning and watercolour artworks, greeting cards to help people stay connected, calming sweaters, mantra mugs, children’s colouring books, and affordable PDF resources. All of these offerings are slowly making their way onto her website at www.hometownconnectionart.com.
Mercedes grew up on a farm near Outram and went to school in Estevan, so she always knew she wanted to help here. She was inspired by the children she taught, and later through motherhood — spending time talking with moms about their struggles while at the Estevan Early Years Family Resource Centre. Her children are now 6, 5, and 3.
“I started looking at how I could support women and families through art, and still help the children in our community, while still spending time with my own.” Inspiration, she says, is all around her — from the hardworking women in her family to the many rural women business owners who offered advice or simply a “keep going” speech. “Rural Saskatchewan women are the best supporters.”
The most rewarding part of running her business is the connection. “The conversation with women who can feel and understand why I create what I create.” They know the never-ending to-do lists, the weight of everyone’s schedules, and the joy and exhaustion of motherhood. “When they see an artwork or resource I made for them, and I can see a weight being lifted off their shoulders, it brings me all the joy.”
One challenge has been finding resources on how to move forward and grow the business. Mercedes sought out an art business course, asked questions of women around her, and most recently connected with Community Futures. She is currently part of the Side Hustle program and says Andria from Community Futures has gone above and beyond in helping her with specific goals and resources — support she emphasizes is free. She is also taking Leverage Your Art by Stacie Bloomfield, which focuses on foundations, products, licensing, and teaching.
Giving back to the community is central to her work. Through art and art products, she supports women and children locally. She teaches art classes through the public youth centre, family centre, art gallery, and library, and sets aside time for custom artworks and murals. Recently, she donated her time to paint a floral mural at Fresh Air Fitness. Last year, she brought joy through a series of paintings in long-term care at St. Joseph’s Hospital. One of her favourite initiatives — and one she hopes to expand — is donating $2 from every colouring book made for a local company to a local non-profit of their choice.
Her advice to others thinking about starting a small business in a rural area is simple: “Just start. Ask questions as you go. Really focus on your passion and your why. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone in the community — in my experience, they’ve almost always helped.”
What keeps Mercedes motivated, even on tough days, is her “why”: helping bring calm into a woman’s life, even if it’s just a reminder to breathe, unclench your jaw, and relax your shoulders, and providing children with meaningful, real-life colouring books that create connection. She also credits the unwavering support of her husband, Jay, along with friends and family. “Surround yourself with people who believe in you.”
Some of her most memorable moments came while painting in long-term care. Residents would stop, watch, comment honestly, shake her hand, or even fall asleep nearby. “It was honestly so refreshing and beautifully honest.” One woman, who chatted with her almost every visit, once said, “I forgot how nice you were,” and they got to know each other all over again.
When asked to describe rural entrepreneurship in three words, Mercedes chose: fulfilling, freeing, incline (you know when you set your treadmill to highest incline and walk, it’s slow, but provides a great sweat, and is hard, but makes you realize you can do hard things).
Connect with Mercedes
- Website: www.hometownconnectionart.com
- Facebook & Instagram: @mercedessymonsart
- Email: mercedessymonsart@hotmail.com
