I believe 100%  that there are no rules and that there isn't one path to success, whatever your definition of that is.  I suggest that you don't believe it if someone tells you otherwise. I've always done things in an unorthodox way and it has always served me well. Taking chances and putting yourself out there is fun and will lead to a life filled with adventure.  

Or, at least, give you some interesting stories to tell.

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I am blessed to have a fantastically supportive and really fun husband, JP, who might roll his eyes in a "here we go again" way when I tell him I have a new idea, but has never once failed to encourage me & he'll do whatever it takes to make it happen, no matter what.

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One of the things JP has been trying to help me achieve is my dream of having my own store. For some years now we've been trying to find just the right spot for an actual brick and mortar store; just a simple storefront for my stuff and maybe the stuff of some other local creative types. My dream of having my own store started decades ago. Initially I wanted my own store in New Hope, PA - which used to be one of my most favorite places (it isn't anymore - once Starbucks and Dunkin' moved into town).  My idea was to have a very laid back place where I sold all of the various things I make; an area for coffee (straight up cups of good coffee - nothing fancy or complicated); a section for books; a small spot for floral things; and a lounge area with overstuffed chairs and sofas where people could come in, relax, converse (with a large NO CELL PHONES sign prominently on display).
But real stores are expensive and the right location (thriving downtown area, walk uppable) is elusive plus having one would leave me little time to do the making of the stuff I like to sell, so I decided to make this website the store I always wanted to have. Yes, it's a big mishmosh but that's par for the course for me. And, as is usual for me, it will always be an ongoing work in progress. Maybe a real store is in my future but for now this will work just fine.

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A little bit about my personal background:

I was born in the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, which is just across the river from New York City.  My parents divorced when I was just about 5 years old and shortly thereafter my father moved to North Carolina. When I wasn't being a city kid, I was spending holidays and summers in the very tiny town of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina (of Andy Griffith fame) and winters with my mother & stepfather in Miami Beach...so I had a whole lot of influences, most of which conflicted with each other. As an adult, home base was Point Pleasant at the Jersey Shore for many years but we moved away from there because JP's position meant living in various places (note: contrary to unpopular opinion, we are not on the lam).

Being that I considered the Jersey Shore to be my home, I was happy to move back there in July 2020 when the opportunity presented itself (JP's position change) but found out quickly that it was no longer the Jersey shore I knew & loved as it has become an overcrowded nightmare. Recently we landed back in Salem County, the least populated county in New Jersey, right along the Delaware River. We bought a great house that we're currently adding our touches to as we make it our own.

All of these places have defined me, obviously in vastly different ways.  Surprisingly, it is my time spent in North Carolina that seems the most impactful & it comes through very often in my artwork.

Salem County is blissfully rural so this should work out very well until we feel the stirrings of the wanderlust that calls us to make another move.
 

 

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