The Juxtaposition of Artist and Entrepreneur

Hard work is lonely. It asks for your attention, your time, and your belief long before it offers any proof of a payoff.

For years I felt like I was planting seeds in dry ground. For years I carried the same question: “Is this ever going to work?” For years I cried myself to sleep, desperately wanting to be self-employed with abundance. For years I lived with less than enough.

My life began to shift when I stopped doing everything myself and I started adding people to my dream.

My sister Jen in 2012 — willing to work without benefits because she loved this idea of making for a living.

Jill in 2015 — willing to work with me and build on a vision of self employment.

Craig in 2016 — helping us build a pop up trailer that paved the way for our brick n mortar.

Kathleen in 2018 — willing to let us build a store within her store, The Country Rose.

Wayne in 2020 — willing to take me on as a student and share his knowledge and tools.

Rob in 2022 — willing to help us solve, build, fix, a variety of things.

As the years have rolled along, strangers have became loyal customers, Landlords have became protectors. New opportunities have appeared that we hadn’t seen coming, and people kept raising their hands, saying: “I believe in this. I want to support what you’re building.”

There is a juxtaposition between artist and entrepreneur. As an artist, I work in solitude, thinking, dreaming, creating. But as an entrepreneur, I stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who surround me — those who choose to believe in my vision and help carry it forward.