What do I need to say?  Why do I need to say it?  What is it that makes my voice important? 

I have been waiting for years for the opportunity to explore those questions. This year, I plunged headlong into my art.  I painted, I searched, and I returned with renewed gratitude for my husband and supportive family. I found my way with the light of a newfound faith in God.

At the beginning of 2018 I told myself and my family that I would give myself to my art for a year. 

I’ve kept a real job - a full-time job - ever since I graduated college.  It was with trepidation that I took the steps to work for myself after our family’s move to Anderson. I told myself that if I could make it work, I would proceed.  If I could get something off the ground and find a sustainable path forward, I would continue. 

If not, I would * deep sigh *..... I would find a "real job."

The first few months of the year I painted flowers.  I painted wildly experimental pieces and a few commissions. I bought more than a thousand dollars in art supplies - I tried things that I had wanted to try for years.

I booked a show. I got rejected from a lot of other shows. I watched jealously as other artists in Anderson and on Instagram showed in galleries, craft shows, and art markets. I created 20 pieces - mostly experimental works - in three months.  

In the next three months, I created 20 more.  I took workshops.  I booked more commissions. I rebuilt my websites. I met other artists. What do I have to say?  Why is it important?  I asked myself those questions over and over again as I worked maniacally and my message found a sharper focus.

In the next three months, I painted less for me.  I booked even more commissions.  I raised my prices and bought more software.  I created a content marketing program.  I put that program on pause when I realized I didn’t have time to implement it and complete my commissions.

Now I have more projects than I really meant to take, but there is a plan for each of them.  God has brought me to this amazing place and he will be in my fingers as I complete the work. I am meant to be here and I am meant to do this work.