Painting and drawing is something I have always done, but I never imagined that people would want to buy my art. My husband saw the potential for me to turn art into my job, and now he sells my artwork out of our little pop-up gallery. I have to admit, he had to drag me kicking and screaming into giving selling my art a chance, and I am glad he did. 

Being a freelance artist is the perfect job for me because I have a serious illness, schizophrenia, and I never know when I will be able to work. So, I just need to be my own boss. I'm not going to lie, being schizophrenic and just surviving what it does to you day after day is a full-time job. 

I am lucky enough to have a lovely art studio in my home and a great studio partner―a quaker parrot named Chibi. Chibi is always there to make sure my pencils and brushes are on the ground and that my papers have nibbles on their corners. His most important job is to put a smile on my face, and he does that well.