Today marks ten (10!) whole years since I made my big leap into the unknown, quit my full-time fashion design job and embarked on a journey of creative entrepreneurship. It feels only right to mark this momentous occasion with a blog post – the very thing that started it all. There have been many evolutions of my business over the past decade and while I haven’t been the greatest recently at keeping up with everything here on the blog, it really is still a record of all the phases this creative journey has taken me through. I just went back and read this post where I made the initial announcement that I’d quit my job and this one I made just two days into self-employment, LOL. In many ways I feel exactly the same as I did when I wrote those posts – uneasy about the future, hopeful for possibilities I can’t yet wrap my head around, but excited to be able to create for a living.

I’ve been thinking a lot about all the firsts…

My first Renegade Craft Show in Brooklyn and an invite to draw for New York Fashion Week. The first time I saw my licensed illustrations on the shelves of a major retailer and the chance to host a pop up shop at J.Crew. I’m grateful to Thistle & Clover, the boutique who gave me a boost of confidence by placing my very first wholesale order. I feel so grateful to have collaborated with lots of amazing companies and created custom illustration work for many of them. I remember launching the first edition of my Favorite Things Calendar, my first time at the Etsy Holiday Pop Up in Chelsea Market, and introducing the first Glitter Ornaments – which have since taken on a life of their own. Experimenting with different products from stickers to cell phone cases to Snapchat filters (remember those?) and everything in between. And I can’t forget all those weekends setting up shop at Grand Bazaar on the Upper West Side in every type of weather possible.

And then 2020 – a furious scramble to keep the business alive while everything shut down. That year was like no other, but it lead to some beautiful new adventures like sketching live on Zoom with artists all over the world during quarantine, launching my illustration membership, getting inspired to try new things, and creating my very first patterns for Spoonflower. We made the difficult decision to leave NYC after thirteen years and bought a home in NJ with a backyard garden and a dedicated studio space. This past year I was fortunate enough to see my work on the cover of two magazines and the shelves of Anthropologie – a store I only dreamed of working with ten years ago today.

I feel so lucky to still be here, making my art, and putting it out into the world. I’m proud of myself for growing along the way and I’m excited to see where it takes me next. If you’ve read this far, thank you for sticking with me and supporting my illustration journey. Whether we’ve met in-person at a market in the city, you’ve purchased art from my website, Etsy, or said hi on Instagram, taken a class, joined my membership, hired me to create a custom illustration or collaborate together, shared my work with family and friends or have been reading my blog from the veerrry beginning – thank you for showing up for me these past ten years. It’s been a wild ride so far and no matter what, I’m looking forward to embarking on the next chapter of it together.

xoxo,