About Michelle

A little about my art beginnings

I was not always the artist I am now. My journey began way back in third grade.

I remember being in class and it was art time and I had my blue piece of construction paper and some colored chalk. At the ripe old age of 8, I didn’t have any special skills and knew little about art.

But when I handed that paper to the teacher she made a huge fuss over it. I had taken my time in creating this wooded winter scene and there was a squirrel in there as well. To my eight year old self it was a masterpiece.

I remember having so much fun painting it and her reaction stayed with me for many years to come.

The desire had been born I wanted to be an artist.

Fast forward to 10 years old and that was the year my mother taught me how to sew. I remember that simple yellow A-line summer shift I made. I was so proud of it and that summer I fell in love with making.

These two passions would follow me my entire life.

I spent the next several years learning and making anything I could.

My grandmother taught me to crochet and embroider and I was always busy making something. My friends in my high school years called me grandma moses because I was always busy making things. There was no stopping me as I continued to feed my creative beast inside throughout my whole life.

The later years

Now there are some people who are born with some amazing talents and I was not one of them, especially when it came to art.

During my high school years, I remember a classmate who could just sit and draw anything. It was amazing to watch her but I was also a bit envious. I wanted that ability so much and I was not born with it.

I spent many years making many different kinds of things. I was a hungry maker and always ready to learn something new.

I even had a couple of successful online businesses I ran for quite a few years. I was a good maker and a good business person.

Despite good success having home-based businesses that paid for my life inside I was still longing to be that artist.

Even though I had spent many years feeding the artist within, my life was full of stress and chaos and making and running the business took front and center. After all it supported my life and I had a family to raise.

During that stressful time these creative pursuits and kept the maker in me fairly content.

I dabbled here and there in art, but never really rose to the level of artist I desired. Years passed and I continued to learn and feed that hungry art beast inside while dabbling in things along the way.

Present Day

Whenever we look back we can always see things clearer.  There is always a why didn’t I do that back then. We can’t go back but we can use the here and now to make that dream come true.

My life is in a better place and I have peace and harmony in my space. I have a hubby who supports me and my art and now the artist in my has arrived.

And she is still hungry to create art and to learn. 

What is the point of this story? Well I spent my whole life with a strong desire, a passion to be an artist. I never gave up on it. Feeding the artist inside knowledge and keeping that passion alive all those years. Making and using my creativity in any way I could to nourish my spirit.

And what did that get me you may wonder?

It got me the artist I am today! 

I kept my passion alive, I fed it whatever I could all those years, I created, I taught myself, I never let it die, and most of all because of all that I am the artist you see here today.

Don’t ever give up, don’t ever think it’s too late, don’t ever think it’s not worth it. Art is something you do for yourself, because of a burning passion.

I am beginning this new era of the artist within at 60 years old. There is joy in everything I paint and in everything I learn. I am still hungry to learn more. Find a way the artist within you will thank you with amazing things if you feed it and allow it to thrive.