January 11, 2023

Friends—can you believe that it has been 5 years since I started this little art business of mine?

I always assumed (perhaps naively) that I'd make it to this point. But considering that most businesses fail during this timeframe, I'm pretty humbled and proud.

When you start something like this, you truly have no idea where it will lead you, and I am so thankful to be here, 5 years later, still bringing emboldening art and words into your home.

Seriously, wow.

It’s been so fun to reminisce and look back on all that has happened and how much (or how little?) my art has changed over these last 5 years.

To celebrate, I’ve compiled a brief history of where I’ve been and my best explanation for how it’s all connected. Ready? Let’s look back on 5 years!

Pre-Business (Briefly)

I grew up with chalk and paint on my hands. So it wasn’t surprising when I added art as a second major in college. Never having studied art before, I was fascinated. I experimented with all kinds of mediums and styles.

In my first painting class, I fell in love with painting’s forgiveness. That is, I realized I couldn’t mess up—because I could wipe away any stray brushstroke and just start over. In that same class, I got my first taste of abstract landscapes, and something in me sparked.

My senior year, I revisited the landscape and ended my collegiate career making a series of abstract paintings influencing much of the style and subject matter you see today. This is where my history begins.

2018

After graduating from college and painting intermittently, this was my first year of making art seriously again. I missed it after taking a multi-year break, and I kept thinking about the high school students who I taught in a low-income, segregated school the year after I graduated from college.

I knew teaching wasn’t my calling, but I so desperately wanted to make the world a more just and equitable place. Not exactly thrilled with the state of affairs in 2017, something told me that art and creativity was my answer. So, I went for it and haven’t looked back since.

2018 was marked by a whole lot of joy, experimentation, getting back into the swing of things, and an awe-inspiring trip to France, which would influence my work the following year. My word for the year was “gumption”—to remind myself to channel my inner leading lady and create the work I wanted to see in the world.

2019

This was a year of refinement and focus. I released my first official painting collection, the Provence Collection, inspired by my travels to France. I also explored and hiked Glacier National Park in northern Montana, gathering inspiration for what would become my next collection.

Did I know where all of this painting was headed? Hardly. But I kept going and figured it out, little by little, learning how to create a cohesive body of work—and learning how to connect my art with others.

2020, Part 1

The year started normal enough, with me organizing a really great two-person art show in my hometown, as well as beginning work on my Glacier Collection.

And then, everything fell apart—the world shut down, millions of people died, and protests filled the streets. I thought a lot about the importance and meaning of art. And, thinking once again about my students, I wrote a poem that changed me.

I also got honest about the question, “What would you do if you were on your deathbed, tomorrow?” My answer was clear: I would write and paint—so I re-committed to doing more of both.

2020, Part 2

The latter half of 2020 was all about healing and expanding. I went on a two-week road trip out West, which nourished my soul. I moved homes and got a bigger studio. I was invited to curate my work in a solo show. I started graduate school and then promptly quit graduate school, realizing the limitations of academia.

I spent a lot of time healing in the woods—journaling endlessly and painting whatever came out of me. Namely, a series of paintings very much influenced by the autumnal palette around me, which would become a marker of my work—palette and mood influenced by season.

I read Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness, and I realized the connecting thread of my art is “daring greatly.” I worked on some dream commissions, and I healed—getting ready for the big and bold work that would await me in the coming year.

2021

I read Glendon Doyle’s Untamed and spent more time in the woods—soaking up the more muted and purplish tones I was noticing in the bark, rocks, and trampled leaves of winter.

I began to connect the landscape and my brushstrokes to deeper emotions—worthiness, confidence, honesty, and bravery.

My work got bolder and less literal. I painted a mural. I created a podcast. I felt a surge of confidence and purpose, and I had a blast. And, slowly, I started seeing a new painting collection emerge with each brushstroke that hit the canvas.

At the end of the year, I released my boldest and most honest work to date—the Unapologetic Collection, and it changed me. I had spent the year exploring authenticity and alignment, and I had found it—thanks in large part to art.

2022

2022—my fifth year of calling myself an artist. I joined a year-long mastermind and went on my first artist retreat in Arizona. I released a collection of abstract florals that I’d been dreaming about for years, and I hosted my second solo show. I took some time off to write the novel that’s been on my heart for decades.

I crossed off two, big bucket-list items—seeing my favorite artist Joan Mitchell’s retrospective exhibit, and visiting Claude Monet’s gardens in Giverny.

I poured out my heart about how Instagram isn’t what it used to be. I went on my second artist retreat, in Paris, and got really close with my fellow artists and creatives while there.

I hiked in autumn (as I do), and I leaned into the burnout and quietness I was feeling. I took things slow, and I trusted that everything would work out—and it did.

I was gifted my best year in business yet—I sent my largest painting sold to date to New York City, got accepted into the largest art show in the Southeast, and found out that my work will be featured in a magazine in early 2023. AND I ended the year with my highest revenue and profit yet.

2023 & Beyond

My word for 2021 was “alignment.” My word for 2022 was “growth.” I haven’t quite settled on a word for 2023 yet, but I know that big things are ahead.

My mind is circling around phrases like “show up fully,” “honor my creative work,” and “go all in.”

I’m excited to see what 2023 has in store!

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