“Life is a tapestry. I’m trying to pull all the beautiful threads I see, feel and experience into a coherent, perfect painting called my life.”

Carla Christina Contreras’ tapestry began taking shape very early. Growing up in Los Angeles, she acted in commercials from the age of three, adding the title of Miss America, Tiny Tot to her credits the same year. “Acting was a natural outlet for my creativity. I was in Los Angeles; my father was a Key Grip. Spending days on various movie sets as a child, I fell in love with all aspects of film.” By the time she was 11, she had a recurring role in the popular TV series, The Waltons.

Blessed with both a practical as well as creative side, she earned a degree in Finance from California State University Long Beach. She briefly entertained the idea of law school. Thinking that courtroom drama would fulfill her dramatic vent, she even took her LSATs and was accepted to Law School. Acting won the day however and instead of 3 years of law school, she spent 3 years at the world renowned Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Followed variety shows, student films, TV pilots and several more years of study with various well-respected acting coaches.

One of those coaches unwittingly sent her on her next life’s adventure. “Choose a style of music you would be least likely to perform and work up a routine,” he said. Contreras chose country music and as with any other project she embraces, she researched, studied, became an aficionado of country music and fell in love with the songs of Roseanne Cash. Her performance was a hit and she quickly incorporated her new country self into her variety act. Almost a cliché, but yes, someone saw her act and asked her to record their song demos, and invited Carla on their next trip to Nashville.

“I fell in love with this countryside!” she says from her home outside Nashville. “And the people were so welcoming.” Delighted to find a community of actors, she quickly found an agent and, dividing her time between Nashville and Los Angeles, roles in TV and film followed, including a principal part in “America’s Most Wanted” and a co-starring part in the Ann-Margret, Brenda Vaccaro, George Segal movie-of-the-week, “Following Her Heart.” “I had wonderful, respected agents who sent me out for some great parts. I was sent out for some of the same roles as Debra Winger. I was up for the role that went to Rosie O’Donnell in “A League of Their Own.” I was ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride.’” she laughs. “I decided that acting had been an easy choice for me but that creativity is about designing a life, putting beauty and meaning into everything you do. I decided that acting certainly wasn’t the only way I could add beauty and meaning to my life.”

Now living in Nashville, she found a job with Northern Telecom, a telecommunications giant with corporate headquarters in Nashville. Northern Telecom initially hired her because of her degree in finance but quickly recognized and utilized her innate marketing and creative skills. Her nine years at the company were interesting and rewarding. Projects in graphic and web design, producing the companies first and succeeding web pages led to a position as head of Nortel’s information design team. Digital photography, a rarity outside of corporate environments at the time, became one of Carla’s specialties. Using her own photos in lieu of stock photography gave Nortel’s projects a special verve and style not always present in corporate presentations. And, whenever a host or emcee was needed for special projects at Nortel, Contreras became the logical choice.

While at Nortel Contreras also volunteered her time with Metro Pencil Pal Foundation, a nonprofit agency that partnered with corporations and their employees and elementary schools. Employees volunteered their time to tutor students, judge science fairs, be part of the children’s field days. Corporations provided supplies for the school while the volunteer employees provided assistance and encouragement to students. Working at Pennington Elementary School with creative K- 4th graders and finding herself adopted by a charming and territorial black cat, Contreras had the idea of collaborating with her young protégées. They would provide the illustrations for her story about Clint her fearless hunter and friend. “Clint the Black Cat™” is now a beautiful children’s book and has grown into a television show concept for PBS – “Empowering Children to be Creative!” Carla also performs with Clint (the character) at universities, conventions and elementary schools. Also in the works for Clint are music and songs, a DVD teaching series, a trading card series, an online interactive community for children and their families, an A to Z empowerment book series staring of course, “Clint the Black Cat™,” and an entire line of merchandising.

“Life is a composition to me. Defining and recording the experiences of life give it meaning. I look and I compose. I wish I could paint, act, photograph or write as fast as my mind can create.”

Like so many companies of the 90s, Nortel “downsized.” For a year, Contreras worked for a company that outsourced for Nortel. “That was very nice because I could work from home. It also allowed me a transition period both financially and mentally. It allowed me to prepare for the next stage of my life, of spending my time doing the things I love and hopefully, making a living at them.

“It was still a scary transition. There were times I didn’t quite know how I was going to pay the mortgage. But nature hates a void. By freeing up my time and energy, nature’s open to filling it with new things.”

Contreras quickly found her time filled with freelance web and graphic design. The mortgage got paid and she was able to spend time mapping out her new career plan. “It’s still not a linear plan. I just can’t do it that way. There are so many things I am intent on accomplishing.” Her plan for the present is to concentrate on Clint the Black Cat™ – “this is my calling, this is my ministry.”

Contreras set about honing her entrepreneurial skills with classes and networking forums. She attended a world-renowned networking and entrepreneurial training series, and soon found herself as part of the staff. Contreras is the type of person who has to be behind the scenes as well as in front – learning how to run the show.

“I have taken the energy and spontaneity of acting and improvisation into the way I approach other areas of business. Networking comes easy to me – no one is a stranger at any event I attend!”

In Contreras’ new, more visual world, she has also pulled out the canvas and the paints. “I had about 30 canvases stashed that had been screaming to be filled. One day I just went through all the closets, pulled them all out, stood them all around and began answering their call.” In 2004 and 2005 she was commissioned and completed three murals for the Los Angeles school district. The past few years have brought more mural paintings, photography, and private collector commissions. She has created a dynamic line of cards with her floral, butterfly, and landscape photographs. Her cards are in several gift and garden shops in the Nashville area. Carla’s paintings and photographs are in galleries in Nashville and in Los Angeles. Several openings are scheduled through 2008.

“People tell me I’m lucky to be able to do so many things. I do feel extremely fortunate and blessed. I feel even more fortunate to have the ability to follow each project to its conclusion. I think my honors speak well of this ability.”

Acknowledged and awarded in all of her fields of endeavor, Carla continues to think outside the box, to push the limits of what’s possible in one life. “While my work with Clint the Black Cat™ and acting are in the forefront of my projects, the future looks brighter than ever before, I can’t give up on any of it. It’s all there to be done.” She smiles and looks off into the middle distance, pleased with all the possibilities she sees there.