Hi! My name is Sheila and I paint dogs and cats for a living.

An artist life isn’t how it’s portrayed in media. When I use to teach kids, parents often asked with deepest concerns in their eyes what to do if their kids want to be an artist. They immediately think of that starving artist. An artist can be an animator, web designer, graphic artist, landscape, multimedia, fashion, structural, mural, photographer, surface pattern, Childrens book, and yes, hello, pet portrait ✌🏼This umbrella is bigger than you might think.

People are shocked when I say I have employees. That yes, this is what I do all day every day. What you don’t see are the mistakes. $300 mistakes. $1000 mistakes. Bad investments. Crying. Anxiety. And out of all that? Resilience.

The thing about being an artist is that it is both my job and my solace. That when I don’t work, I want to work. I enjoy even the struggles. I love that what I built I did it with my own will and the help of so many others.

So yes, it’s hard being an artist sometimes. Especially when you’re your own boss. But for my personality, my journey, my CPTSD, my desire to be a mom and wife available for my family, my hopes in life— it’s the best life I could ever have dreamed of.

To people who wish they could do art full time— you can. You can be successful. The journey doesn’t have to be of a starving artist but it can be a mindful, educated, purposeful one.

There is an abundance of free tools. I built my foundation with @beingbosspodcast and @goaldiggerpodcast with @jennakutcher. And now I’m recording my own podcast. To share my unique journey. I’m excited to see where it goes!

More details TBA!