I’ve always known I would lead a creative life. It started as a love for drawing my favorite characters out of books as a child and led to the pursuit of an artistic career that took a few turns along the way. I spent a year at UW Stevens Point studying Interior Design, moved on to receive my BFA in Print, Paper, Book from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (2009) and then finally my AA in Graphic Design and Illustration from the Madison Area Technical College (2015). After getting my design degree I landed a dream role as a graphic designer at a company I adored. Long story short, my husband and I had our first child and made the decision to relocate to be closer to family. I was able to work remotely for 8 months until I unfortunately lost my job in a round of layoffs. I was heartbroken. I let myself grieve this loss for a while but then decided it was time to pick up the pieces and focus on a new dream; my own. I’ve always wanted to be an artist and to work for myself. To create beautiful things for others to enjoy. It’s what makes my heart feel full. I realized that the entire 3 years I was working for this company, I stopped making art that was for me. Sure I got to be creative at work, but it wasn’t my own artwork. I had stopped listening to that little voice inside that was begging me to make things. Fast forward a bit more and I now have 2 beautiful daughters and my amazing husband works really hard so that I can try to build my own business. It’s not always easy. I squeeze in work time during naps, after bedtime in the evenings and on weekends. It’s never enough time. I love being with my girls but my head is full of creative ideas for projects that I can’t wait to work on and bring to life. It’s what fuels me. It’s my purpose.
