I’ve always thought of my journey through life as something similar to the way a book is organized. As I grow and learn, a new chapter appears. Sometimes I can’t wait to get to the end of the chapter to see how things turn out. But in reality, we can’t skip ahead to see what happens. We have to take each word, each second as it comes. 

For my first studio post, I think it’s fitting to title this “Foreword,” but what I really mean is Forward. Forward from feeling stuck. Forward to a life we’ve always dreamed of. Forward to new adventures. Forward to evolving into the best humans we can be. Forward to making new connections with people and places, and forward to inspiring others. 

Since I was a little kid, I knew what I wanted to be - an artist. But sometimes our dreams don’t come easily. (And if they did, would we appreciate the journey it took us to get there as much?) Things got in the way for me, lots of side roads and wrong turns. Lots of time was spent knowing things weren’t quite right or that I was doing something that didn’t fulfill me or give me purpose. On paper things were good, but I was ignoring my core values. 

Finally a string of experiences snapped me into focus. I chose to do some very hard things a few years ago that I now use as a gauge to achieve my goals. Overcoming those challenges gave me confidence and rewired how I think. I’ll be sharing more about this with you as the chapters of this studio story unfold.

And here I am. I work hard every day to mold what I want in my mind into a reality. It may not be perfect and it may take some time, but it’s mine and it’s me. Coming back to my values and purpose has brought a lot of peace. 

I know I’m not alone out there. We all are looking for ways to be more fulfilled. Some days it’s easier than others to achieve that. 

A good friend once told me that everyone has a gift to share, and if we don’t share it, we’re doing a disservice to everyone out there. It’s our duty to pass along good energy because it will keep transferring to others more than we’ll ever know. 

The gift I was given was artistic creativity, and I want to share it with you. I want you to be inspired to be the best YOU ever. I want to hand out smiles and pass along good vibes. I want you to discover and share your gifts. I want to help you continue your journey forward.