I spent the past twenty-three years working for other people, creating and designing and making their visions and ideas come to life. Since the time I was 12 I started working for Ohio.com and during my free time, I learned how to build websites by reading and deciphering HTML source codes.
I would go to bed and dream of the code and wake up to figure out how I would make a script “work” after writing it in my mind. I remember coming home one day and instead of continuing to work on a project that had a deadline coming up, I was outside gardening. My husband came out and asked me, “Why are you planting tomatoes when you are being paid thousands of dollars to build websites?”
The truth is I was not happy doing something for the benefit of another person and so I stopped creating and designing for several years. I was truly unhappy doing things that were uninspiring regardless of the pay I was getting. I completely stopped creating.
Only until recently last year did I pickup my pen and started writing and drawing and envisioning what I could do with the talent that I had. Out of this came the artwork and the products I created and the e-commerce shop I personally programmed to make my art and clothes available to the world. I have shipped things as far as Australia and continue to grow my little shop every day.
It has been extremely refreshing to be able to work on my own terms, for my own sake. My advice to you, if you’re reading this and you’re unhappy with where you are in life, do what makes you happy. Do what inspires you and your work will shine!
I am so grateful to be able to do what I love and what sparks my creativity and my joy. To see my own ideas come alive is what I crave and live for every day. As a creative person, I can only work and do my best job when I am inspired.