The Journey

This picture is of me on Charlie the rescue horse—he was teaching me trust!

The path my journey has taken me on has been a long one. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has brought me to where I am today: I am able to share part of my story with you. I want you to understand the purpose of what I have begun to build, the values behind it, and how I am moving forward one day at a time.

I have always struggled with anxiety. About four years ago it began to tighten its grip on me. I was having panic attacks two to three times a week that were waking me up in the middle of the night. After these attacks, I wouldn’t be able to start functioning again until the next afternoon. Through changing the environment around me (how I worked and learning to say no to the stuff I was not able to do), therapy, and putting time back into myself, I started my process of healing. I realized that I was letting society and others around me dictate who I was as a person and what my life should look like. That is a lot of pressure for anyone to live up to — and life is messy. Even as a creative, a job where things are expected to get messy, I’ve always struggled with thinking my art pieces have to come out perfectly. With time, though, I’ve started to learn that it’s okay, messes happen! And it’s okay to not be okay, or always in control of it.

The same goes for life. I am a constant work in progress (anxiety does not just disappear overnight, it’s how you start to manage it), but I now hold the brush, and I’m okay when a little paint drips off, or a stroke doesn’t come out quite the way I had initially planned. I have never really allowed myself to experience peace and happiness, without thinking I was constantly being judged by others the entire time. With time, I have begun to choose myself and do what feels right for me—and what I am capable of handling. It has been life changing.

I have been searching hard, over a span of decades, to find a career that truly feels fulfilling to me. I’m now realizing I’ve been searching so hard that I’ve missed it—it’s been in front of me all along. What fulfills me is all the little things I love, all the things that bring me joy:

I have loved antiques since I was a kid, I was known for literally showing up to high school in vintage costume jewelry every day. Antiques have a past. They have imperfections, and a story. There are so many beautiful pieces that need used again, worn, or repurposed. My hope is to find homes for the objects that speak to me, so they will continue to tell a story for years to come, this time with you!

I also love handmade. My favorite definition of the word that comes up when you search the dictionary is, “made by hand, not by machine, and typically made therefore of superior quality.” Any artist or designer is usually their own worst critic, and we don’t usually give ourselves enough credit or value for the work we do. I was not giving my craft value because I could not give myself value. I now see how important this is, and how it has allowed me to move forward and believe in myself and my work.

My brand continues to remind me to embrace these imperfections, give value, tell stories, inspire, continue to grow, and have a purpose again and again, with each new day.

My goal for my website is to move slow. I want to enjoy every minute of creating, finding antiques, and building an experience that I am able to share with you. I am changing the way I work and I hope to inspire you through the process.