I got laid off from my government job… and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
At 18, I joined the Air Force as an intelligence analyst. Everything was rigid and structured, and I wasn’t able to express myself as much as I would have liked…being in uniform is all!
After ten years, PTSD and other injuries forced me out. I landed back in government work because that's what most veterans end up doing. And the stress was KILLING me! I felt lost.
The military life had made all the big decisions for me, and now here I am in a job I can physically leave, but mentally, I’m stuck. Aside from choosing my career focus in intel, everything else was out of my hands. I’ve never chosen my own path.
Last August I hit my breaking point. I turned 31, and I was not happy with where I was in life. I told my art followers I was giving myself 12 months to go full-time by my next birthday.
Then boom! I was laid off in March.
Now I’m a full-time artist, painting almost every single day. I paint whatever lights me up: Texas scenes, animals, and especially cats. Cats are my favorite! They’re playful, sassy, and ridiculously fun to bring to life.
This jump taught me something powerful… You’re never ready. You just have to force yourself to become ready. I wasted years planning instead of doing. But now? I’m finally living my childhood dream.
I make my living selling original paintings, prints, custom commission work, and murals. Every piece feeds my family as well as my creative inner child.
