In this episode of The Stories That Form Us, I sit down with Candice, the painter and creative behind C.C. Rose Art. Her story isn’t just about painting florals. It’s about creative reclamation, healing through expression, and choosing to honor the most unshakeable part of who you are—your essence.
We talk about how art became medicine after grief, how burlesque unlocked parts of her that had been silenced, and why she returns again and again to the metaphor of the flower: not just for its beauty, but for everything it had to survive to bloom.
If you’ve ever felt like your identity had to be earned or explained, this one’s for you. It’s a powerful reminder that wholeness doesn’t always come from arrival—sometimes it comes from remembering.
In this episode of The Stories That Form Us, I sit down with Chelsea Combe, founder of Lady Folk, a copywriting studio for electric brands and women who give a damn. Chelsea’s work is all about creating messaging that clients can step into fully, so they can live and act from that voice in every part of their brand.
“Brand messaging isn’t just words. It’s truly an experience and an expression — how you speak, how you think, and how you attach onto an idea.”
We talk about creating from lived experience, why embodiment matters more than branding trends, and how the line between “work” and “life” dissolves when you allow your business to be a reflection of your fullest self.
By the way, hi, I’m Amy — founder of Unbridled Form, where I work with boudoir, creative, and wellness brands to help you tell the story only you can tell. Through brand design, web design, and strategy sessions, I create intentional, story-led experiences that reflect both your artistry and your evolution. The Stories That Form Us podcast is one way I explore that, by sitting down with people whose lives remind us that story is always alive, shaping the way we move, work, and create.
Meet Candice of C.C. Rose Art
Candice is a self-taught artist and storyteller whose work lives at the intersection of vulnerability and resilience. Under the name C.C. Rose, she creates abstract floral and nature-inspired paintings that explore what it means to bloom through personal transformation. With roots in hairstyling, performance, and healing, Candice’s creative journey spans mediums and identities, but always circles back to one thing: celebrating life after the storm.
A Few Themes That Rose to the Surface
The Flower Is the Celebration
Candice paints florals not just for their beauty, but because they represent the culmination of everything the seed endured. Her art is a celebration of growth, survival, and the quiet decision to bloom anyway.
Burlesque as Self-Reclamation
Her time in the burlesque world taught her how to be seen in a new way—not for the performance, but for the permission. Through movement, character work, and slow reveals, Candice began to unravel internalized shame and embody her wholeness.
Saying No as a Sacred Act
One of her most profound lessons has been the power of saying no. Whether it was protecting her energy, her time, or her truth, Candice spoke about the spiritual liberation of choosing herself over obligation.
Creative Identity as a Becoming
From painting over the same canvas ten times to shifting her name from Candice to C.C. Rose, her journey has been one of experimentation, devotion, and reinvention. She reminds us that the identity we express through our art is not a fixed point, but a living reflection.
The Marilyn Card Candice’s first greeting card design was inspired by Marilyn Monroe—not just the icon, but the woman who crafted herself from the inside out. It was her way of saying: we can all become who we want to be. And we can do it with beauty, with intention, and with power.
“The flower is the celebration of all the seed has gone through.”
“I’m not tethered to the shame of the past. I’m the artist who paints celebration and keeps daring to bloom.”
Through the Lens of Story At Unbridled Form, we believe branding is a form of becoming. And Candice’s story is a reflection of what happens when you don’t just share your story, you live it.
Her paintings hold stories of healing. Her cards carry the energy of celebration. Her performances were rituals of self-liberation. And through all of it, she’s been honoring the essence within—the part untouched by shame, unchanged by trauma, and always worthy of expression.
Because we don’t become whole by chasing arrival. We become whole by choosing to be who we already are.
What We Loved Most
- The symbolism of florals as lived resilience
- Her take on boundaries as liberation
- The stories behind her greeting cards
- The way she crafts identity through art and naming
- Her vulnerability around grief, growth, and being seen
