Hi! I’m glad you’re here!

Some of my fondest memories take me back to camping with my best friend. Among the campfires, bike rides, and swimming, we passed our time with arts and crafts, especially when it was rainy. Sometimes we followed how-to-draw books, and other times we made little creatures out of clay. One particularly rainy weekend, we hot-glued rocks together and painted them to look like bugs (This was before the rock painting fad—I know, such a hipster thing to say). Even though I had fun, I knew I would never become a “real” artist.

One summer day, I decided to do something daring and went to the beach by myself (I know, I sound pathetic), and something amazing happened. I met a watercolor artist who just so happened to be painting. He showed me the painting he was working on and gave me a couple tips. I thought, “Hey, I can do that!” Turns out I wasn’t completely awful.

A few years later, I met another influential artist at a farmer’s market. She explained to me how she created and encouraged me to explore various mediums. Hmm… I’ve always envied those people who casually doodled masterpieces in their notebooks. So why not try pen drawings? It wasn’t like I had to be good at it. I was exploring. Nothing more. No expectations. No failures.

Well, something in me clicked. I quit trying to draw how I thought I “should” and started capturing the intricate beauty I saw. I was genuinely surprised and proud of what I could do, and that felt good. It turns out there is no such thing as a “real” artist.