December 6th was the anniversary of the beginning of my art career.
 

It all began in September of 2005. I received an email from my friend Kaebel who had just opened a new gallery, Sequential Art in Downtown Portland. He wanted to know if I was up for a solo show there during December. I had developed a definite ‘style’ with my design, but truth be told, I didn’t really make fine art. I had always known that I wanted to be an artist (it was my standard answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” since I was four), but somewhere along the way, I had been convinced that it was more of a hobby than a way to make a decent living.

Fresh out of school with a business degree and newly home from a stint in New York at 23, I was ready to be creative again; I accepted the challenge. The next three months were engulfed in a flurry of activity and I was able to produce a collection of about thirteen pieces of art. Pouring resin was the hardest part, but I managed to master it well enough to get my show hung on time.

The interesting part about doing a solo show is that it was my first real art show — ever. I didn’t have a list of group shows I’d participated in, I didn’t have anything. It was like I went from 0 to 60 overnight, but it didn’t seem to matter. I remember getting a call from my brother on opening night; I was so nervous! He’d shown up to the gallery early and excitedly told me how great everything looked. It was an instant relief to know that my harshest critic approved!

My first show did not disappoint: I sold a handful of pieces (and loads of merchandise) and Kaebel was a natural at curating. There was a large heart with red cross painted on the window (my logo at the time), matching sugar cookies, my mannequin was dressed in my t-shirt and pins, and friends I hadn’t seen in ages all came out to support me. Right then, I was hooked — I knew that making art was still what I wanted to do with my life.

Fast-forward to two years later and I’m up to five solo shows and more group shows than I can count. And, it’s all because someone took a leap of faith and gave me a chance. You can never be fully prepared for opportunities that arise. Don’t let this stop you. Run with what you are given and you never know what will happen. Think of these offerings as building blocks, of the seedlings of something that has the possibility to grow much bigger over time. Accepting one invitation to show my nearly non-existent work changed my life. It was the momentum I needed. Thank you, Kaebel.