I was full-up with being mom and working part-time
We both lived and worked in the Presidio National Park in San Francisco. I had what I had always wanted - a baby and a toddler. I loved the sense of purpose, the clarity I felt in meeting their needs. I was also enjoying supporting my husband's work, helping him out with contracts and the office administration. My husband's office was in a separate building a short walk away, but most of my work I did from home on the computer. With two kids under four and my husband busy with his own architecture studio, my days were full.
We were happy, but I felt a bit isolated
The routine of meals, bath, stories, bedtime ran on a perpetual and beautiful loop. On the weekends, our family spent endless hours at the beach, in the woods, and at the playground. One weekdays, during those early years, my husband worked long hours at his office and I often found myself being a bit lonely (just me) but not alone (with two kids requiring constant attention). I really wanted to connect with other people, other moms about daily life.
Their school gave me time to start drawing again
Then, one day, for the first time, both kids were in school, which gave me real, reliable time that was wholly my own for the first time in years. With that time, I started to make again. I had worked as a textile designer in NYC and part of my job was making drawings still feel handmade on the computer. So I dusted off my old tablet, which didn't even have a screen, and I began to draw. I didn't fuss much about the subject, I was just so thrilled to be drawing again. So I drew the first thing that came into my field of view, a bouquet of flowers in our kitchen. I drew it and then I posted it online.
That's when I got my first message about a piece of my art from an old friend. It felt so good to have shared something real from the day with my community. I wanted more.
I drew everyday, shared it online, and began to sell
The next day, and then the next, I drew a moment from my day and posted it online. It felt meaningful to create and share. Then I made my first sale, and then another.
As I started to build momentum, I wanted a workspace of my own. I took over a bedroom as a studio - convincing myself that my kids actually preferred sharing a room. I still worked at my husband's architecture firm, but as the kids' school days got longer, I began to do a little more each day.
After a few years of this, I got my first book deal - Nest - a book about a baby bird, inspired by a plum tree in our backyard. Things were starting to happen.
When everyone was at home, my art took on a whole new meaning
Professionally and personally, Covid transformed my life. With everyone at home, looking at their blank walls, sales of my art prints went through the roof. Personally, it gave me and my husband some time to think. We had been in San Francisco, and before that New York, just going, going, going for more than a decade. What were we doing this all for? How could we make a more family-focused life? Wasn't our family the reason we worked so hard? We realized that we had a unique opportunity, to make a business of selling art about the little moments in life that matter a lot. We had a lot to figure out, but I knew my future was making art for people's homes.
Today I work on my business full-time, connecting with families everywhere through my art.
I still draw everyday but my now I work full-time on growing my business - creating systems that allow me to have more art in more homes. My husband also works here part-time, the business has given us the opportunity to focus on what matters most - those little moments with our family, capturing them before they slip away.
