Some backstory about my life:

I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, I remember always wanting to become an artist. Every assignment had doodles and scribbles, cheap art sets were the holy grail of Christmas presents, and no white paper could be protected from crayons or colored pencils.

Once I entered middle school, however, I began thinking of my future in art. Graphic design was the most obvious option everyone told me about, although it disinterested me at the time. Graphic design made me think of logos and slogans and several other things that are boring. Additionally, art on its own wasn’t very reliable, or easily defined. So, to have a clearer plan, I attached myself to another interest of mine: wildlife. Indeed, reader, I was on a new path now. A path that smelled like rainforests, muddy boots, and sneeze-inducing animal fur. Zookeeper, marine biologist, wildlife conservationist, aquarium worker, you name it. The natural world is a mind-boggling place, and to have a part in protecting its mind-boggling-ness sounded amazing.

By the end of my senior year of high school, I applied to NC State University for a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation with a minor in Marine Science.

To sum up, my four years of college went by quickly (except the last semester, which was quite agonizing and long-winded), and the next thing I knew I had graduated. During that four years time, I started therapy (which was much needed), I met my husband and a lot of other cool people, gained some valuable critical thinking skills, and went back and forth about a million times on the “do I want to do art or not” seesaw.

And now, dearest reader, I am in the current day, starting up my art business. Sometimes I wonder what I take from my years of college, that was mainly spent working towards a goal I no longer want. I mean, I have a bachelor’s degree that I’m not even using. What exactly did I get out of that experience, if it isn’t a career?

Well, I have a lot more confidence (shout out to my therapist). I have an amazing husband that I’m planning a life with. I have new perspectives, beliefs, and ideas I call my own. I have a greater understanding of the earth and my own place in it. And my love of animals has evolved into my love of birding, hiking, and exploring.

I’m so happy you can be on this journey with me in the next chapter of my life.

Much love, Zoe.