My story
Like most millennials, my story begins with mental illness. I was always a very anxious kid growing up. I remember having this internal struggle of excitement and dread when my friends came to my house to play because while I DID want to play with them, I usually ended up cleaning up behind them because all my toys had to be set up a certain way. Looking back, I think I might have had some control issues lol. This led to me developing a hair pulling disorder known as Trichotillomania. So, for most of my adolescence and into my teenage years, I did not have eyebrows. This is where art comes in.
Identity: the art kid
Drawing and painting became my saving grace. If my hands were busy, then I couldn’t pull my hair. My senior year of high school, almost half of my classes were in art. My bedroom walls were adorned with all my artwork. I loved exploring new creative outlets and getting lost in my work. I loved it…until the real world came knocking and I had to choose a major that would ACTUALLY make me money. Because even to this day, I struggle to believe that I’m good enough to make a living as an artist.
Cut to —> me getting fired from the “safe” job I took at a museum. Broke and lost in life, I returned home to move back in with my parents. What comes next would change the whole trajectory of my freaking life y’all.
Living life like Mulan
What do you do when you get fired? You apply to teach English in China of course! The opportunity popped up on the job board I was on. I never in a million years thought I would really go, but I applied. I had a skype interview, got hired and then started the visa process. In the 6 months it took to get all that done, I still wasn’t convinced I was actually moving to China. Like come on, be real?? It wasn’t until the plane landed in Beijing that I thought to myself…” What in the heck did I get myself into???”
It turned into the most amazing experience of my life. I met so many interesting people from all different walks of life. I got to visit a few cities in China and 5 other countries. I tried so many different foods! Including a worm, chicken feet, and pig’s brain. Would I eat them again, absolutely not, but they are still stories I love to tell.
Learning how to navigate a completely new environment where I couldn’t speak or read the language gave me the confidence I had so desperately been lacking. Nobody knew me so I got to truly be myself for the first time in my life.
Just a girl and her dog
Truth be told, if it wasn’t for the dog waiting for me back home, I might not have come back. So, it was Mosby and Covid who ultimately brought me back to Ohio. The universe has its ways of making you confront the obstacles in your life that you tend to avoid. I came home in February of 2020. Turned 25 in July and broke off an engagement to a guy I had been with for 5 years. Because I wanted to travel, I was going to let him have the dog. As I was about to pull away, Mosby jumped in my car and wouldn’t get out. He must have known I would need him. I moved out to live alone for the first time in my adult life. Having Mosby gave me a reason to get out of bed because he needed to go outside. It was on those walks that I began to heal and explore my place in the universe. I am here to share my lived experiences in the hopes that it might help another soul. I am here to see as much of our beautiful planet as I can before I become one with it again. I am here to pet ALL THE DOGS and no I’m not exaggerating lol.
I hope this site helps you in your travels, that my art makes you feel seen and not so alone, and that sometimes all we can do is pet a dog and remind ourselves to not take life so seriously and live like dogs do. Present and grateful for every moment.