First of all, I never thought an art studio would be in my future. That was back when art was just a hobby for me. Before I started painting, I kept my works-in-progress in an old plastic folder, and my finished drawings in a binder. They didn’t take up space. When I became interested in painting, my art supplies and finished works took up much more space. I put them in closets, spread them out on tables, and stored them in piles in my bedroom. I always took my art seriously— sometimes a bit too seriously. I thought that selling my art would be a bit like selling my soul. Thankfully, my beliefs around art and what it means to be an artist have shifted. It started with an encouraging partner, who was convinced that my art had a message that people needed to hear.