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As I continue on this wild journey as an artist, I decided to take a moment today to reflect on how I got here. There's something therapeutic and satisfying about cracking open all the old sketchbooks and running through the story.
Everyone's journey is unique. No two paths are the same. We all start from unequal levels in life with varying degrees of resources, intellect, and wit, which we can use to better our situations if we so desire.
I hope that my story can serve as a source of inspiration or at least entertainment for those interested enough to read. What I will provide in this article is a brief glimpse into the journey and circumstances that paved the way for me to become the artist that I am.
I know I am weird and perhaps something in here will give some context to why that is...
1994-2004: Age 0-10: Pulaski County, Virginia
My journey starts in the Appalachian Mountains, right off the New River in Hiwassee, Virginia. According to a census taken in 2010, the population of Hiwassee is about 264... very remote.
My family didn't have much, but we were taught to make the most of what we had. My father worked for the pigment mine, and my mother was a nurse at the Pulaski County Hospital. They didn't get along well... Arguing and fighting were normal in the home. Child services visited our home a couple of times. It was chaos.
The beautiful and serene Appalachian mountains outside always provided some much-needed peace.
As I bounced between a bunch of different homes, I lost all art that I may have made in these early years. I had attended 4 different elementary schools by the time I was in 5th grade.
Each new school that I went to, I quickly became known as the 'weird art girl'. Ask anyone, this is what they will remember of me. A feral and strange child with a drawing habit that couldn't be stopped. Art provided me a way in. A to make friends with all the other art kids that I could find. This became a positive feedback loop where I would draw more because of the attention, which made me a better artist, which encouraged the artistic habit to fester.
A lot of kids draw when they are young, but I was always the best artist in the class and I took pride in that.
2005-2008: Age 10-13: Middle School Years
My parents picked up and moved us across Virginia to Hanover County, just north of the state capital, Richmond. We lived in income-restricted housing, but a good area for schooling. It was intensely important to my mom that my brother and I get a good education. She wanted better for us. We did our best.
Just as things started to look a bit brighter, tragedy struck again. This time, a big one. When I was 10 years old, my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer... she lost her job as a nurse about a year and a half later, and then the 2008 market crash happened. We lost our home and once again had to move. I switched schools twice more during this period.
At this point, I sorta disappeared completely into comics and cartoons. My mom would take me to the local library, where I would check out all of the comic books I could get my hands on.
I could copy the art on the pages almost perfectly. Dogs and art were the two things I loved most. I am fortunate that I have always had a ton of access to both.
2009-2012: Age 14-17: High School
It was my senior year of high school, right before prom, when I decided to cut off all my hair and dye it orange... You know, normal behavior.
I got my drivers license as soon as I could when I was 16. I was lucky to inherit a 1999 Chevy Prizm from my great-grandfather when he passed away. This car became my second home as my household was completely broken at this time. I bounced between several houses, sleeping on the floors of anyone who could take me. I started working at a grocery store and was more independent than most my age.
Through all of this, the artistic habit continued to grow... It was the thing that I could maintain through all of it. Pencils and paper are easily accessible. I was gifted an oil painting set from an elderly woman who was unable to use any of it anymore. Her vision was going. She gave me everything she had. This was my introduction to painting. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had some brushes, paint, and canvases. I just went for it.
This is also the time period when I found my first figure drawing group in the city. My drawings were bad, but I loved the challenge. I had never timed my drawings before. It was so hard to keep up! I wanted to learn more.
Suddenly, I was not the best artist in the room. I wasn't even supposed to be in that room... I was 16 and the class was 18+. Nudity did not bother me at all, and I walked in there with a confidence that no one questioned.
2013-2017: Age 18-22: Post High School Years of Degeneracy
I was the girl who would show up to the party with a sketchbook, consume whatever drugs or alcohol were available, and then chill in the corner and draw.
My mom lost her decade-long battle with brain cancer and passed away in 2015. I was her primary hospice care nurse for the final 2 months. I saw the complete deterioration of her life, and I think that likely affected my mental state. I'm not sure if what I did in the following few years was healthy, but I got a lot out of my system, and I drew A TON.
I got my first exposure to Jeff Watts and Steve Huston at this time. Went to university, dropped out after one semester. It wasn't for me. I wanted to learn on my own.
I found a boy... who I am still with and love deeply. He and his family provided me with the stability and support that I needed to really grow.
It was difficult to narrow it all down for this post. I would fill whole sketchbooks in a week or two. Thousands of drawings on the tablet. I had a lot to process I guess. It's all a blur... Here's a sample of the art I created at this time...
2018-2020: Age 24-26: Professional Artist
Welp, what do you know? I worked my ass off and it shows. Waitress/Delivery Driver by day, artist by night. Plus, an exciting social life. I didn't sleep much at this time...
I learned as much as I could using free or cheap online resources and books. Proko, Patrick J Jones, and Steve Huston were huge inspirations.
I quit waitressing and started working full-time illustrating children's workbooks for a few years, which felt like a dream. I was getting PAID to draw DRAGONS!! ... of course, that all came crashing down in 2020 when the lockdowns wiped out the company I was working for... Something that feels like a blessing in disguise. I was working so hard for my boss. I would come home and be too worn out to draw on my own most nights. Something that I was fine with when I was waitressing, but when I was already steady drawing 50+ hours a week, I didn't feel like working on much personal stuff afterwards. I developed tennis elbow. It was painful. I gained weight. I powered through and increased my workload more and more. I was an unstoppable train with so much momentum... until I had a complete mental break in early 2021...
I went through a couple of years of intense therapy to piece myself back together. I was never taught how to grieve my mother's death until then. I learned that what I experienced is not so uncommon for folks who come from a broken home. We learn to thrive in 'fight or flight'. We work and work and work and work until we hit a wall, and then our nervous system shuts down. Our brain and body stop working together correctly. Some people use drugs to deal with this. Some people pursue athletic endeavors. For me, I used art. Art became a therapy for me.
2021-2025: Age 30: Current: The Journey Continues...
If you want to see my art from the past four years, just look around this website. Everything here was created after 2020. I learned to manage my schedule in a healthier way, and I am more productive as a result.
I've been working between a few farms to support myself, and I love it. I love that feeling of being a part of something larger than myself. Nature is the ultimate form of that. Nothing is more powerful than the sun and Earth. Farm work keeps me humble.
I've also started working for the artists who inspired me many years back.
I've talked to so many master artists on The Art Agents Podcast. Something that we started with the help of the great Patrick J Jones and my dear friend Melanie.
I have so many wonderful projects in the works at the moment, and great friends to support me along the way. I am grateful for so much. I couldn't have imagined my life would look so bright when I crawled out of Hiwassee all those years ago.
I still have a long way to go. I am only 30 years old. I have been through so much... and I have met so many interesting and amazing people along my path. I still always find the artists everywhere I go.
The world is a crazy place, and life can be so funny at times. I can't wait to see what else I find as I continue to march forward on this path of an artist.
What am I after?
Just to be the best artist that I can possibly be... (and some money would be nice too...)
Thanks for reading. I wish you all luck on your own unique journeys. You guys are great!
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