I don’t believe in coincidences;
I believe in callings.
Art had always been a part of my life, but almost no one knew of my secret hobby. For years, it was a way for me to express emotions and ideas I couldn’t figure out how to express in any other way. It was extremely hard to share my art at first. I was overly critical of the quality, knowing it was either very personal to me and the things I had been going through, or it was just flat-out weird—I didn’t think anyone else would be interested in it.
When my husband and I moved into our first apartment together at 21 and 23, we shared the second bedroom as a studio space for his music and my art. It was such a close space that Steve could stand up from his drum set and look over my shoulder at whatever I was working on.
At the time, it was the 40 different variations of the creatures in the creature collection. He said, “You know, these are getting pretty good. I bet you could sell these or, like, do something with them if you wanted to. I’m just saying.” That was all it took for me to give it a go. His vote of confidence and encouragement toward my creations boosted my confidence to open up my art world to others.
A few weeks later, I signed up for a very small local art pop-up. It went so well, I couldn’t believe it. My art was very well received, I got compliments on my booth, and even won an award of some sort. To top it off, I made almost as much money as I would have on my waitress shift that day, but selling my very own art instead! This made me reconsider what it meant to be successful and happy with how you make a living, and it also disproved the stereotype, “You can’t make a living as an artist.” This was the first “hmm, maybe this could work” moment that made me consider pursuing art.
Travel and art continued to help me heal, teach me things I could never learn in a classroom, and provided so much good for my soul! All along the way, I was developing a stronger sense of self and what I wanted my life to reflect.
When COVID came to town, it gave me unheard-of amounts of time to dive deep into my creativity since it stripped me of my job and my ability to travel overnight. I spent 90% of the quarantine doing art. Hours passed by without me even noticing. I was completely submerged in my own world, and it felt good. Seeing so many people experience darkness through this time made it even more apparent that I needed to do more with my art when the world reopened.
Things I couldn’t explain came out in vibrant color. Messages I couldn’t speak revealed themselves through art. I realized my art had provided so much healing, many life lessons, unlimited inspiration, positivity, and light through my own darkness. People need that, and someone has to be willing to give that. How selfish would it have been if I continued to keep my art hidden away for myself when it could have such a positive impact on others who needed confirmation and encouragement in pursuit of their dreams?
In the past two years, Imaginables has grown from a six-foot table selling art prints into a full-blown clothing line that embodies inspiration, light, encouragement, and tenacity.
If there is one thing that has consistently been cast against me throughout my life, it’s doubt. Almost everyone doubted my ability to survive as an artist. This is why I create art—because there are other young “me’s” who feel their spirit being crushed every day but still fight for their callings, no matter how crazy and unattainable it may seem to others. My greatest achievement is that I have experienced my art serve as a tool to help others heal and walk a path true to their own callings.