I’ve been drawing pictures for my friends and family since I was a kid. It never occurred to me that I should pursue art as a career, I just loved it so I never stopped creating.

A decade ago, I worked my way through a Bachelors of Science in Nursing with scribbled sketches in my patient care plans. I landed a nursing job in the Cardiovascular ICU fresh outta nursing school, and I loved my team and my patients, and I was proud of the work I was doing. I still loved making art, and I found myself taking on a lot of commissions in between Nursing shifts. Art was a thriving side hustle, but I couldn’t imagine it becoming more than that.

After all, No one quits their nursing job to become an artist.

Fast Forward: two babies later and 2020 hits.

For whatever reason (I blame the Lord) I decided to try my hand at live wedding painting. And for whatever reason (IE: the LORD) a girl from South Carolina (shoutout to Chloe Campbell) brought me on as a contract painter with a team of live wedding painters across the country. Chloe called the painting team “Cloud Studio Agency” and I anticipated to work maybe one wedding per month.

It escalated quickly.

Wedding painting on the weekends got so busy that I found myself at a crossroads: I loved Nursing and I loved Art, but I couldn’t do both. I wanted to be the best at everything and I felt like I was failing at all of it. After about six months of praying and counseling, I quit my awesome nursing job and jumped into art full time in November of 2021.

I promised God (and my family) that I didn’t have much, but I swore to take every creative opportunity that came my way and throw my whole heart into it.

And God answered “Ok buckle up.”

I’m sincerely grateful for every art client and friend that I’ve made on this journey.

I couldn’t do this without Derek King, Desmond, Aiden, and all my family and friends who never gave up on me.

I honestly feel like this is just the beginning.