It takes a village to support an artist

When I moved to Burlington in November 2021, I didn’t know anyone in the city. I was an island, heartbroken and lonely, starting my life over at 42. I was a hot mess. I cried A LOT. For months, the only people I spoke to in person were cashiers. Fortunately, the universe has been looking out for me in a big way, and I have since found a wonderful community of friends.

It’s a relief to no longer be an island, but I still do spend a lot of time by myself. I am single, I live alone, and my closest family members are 5 hours away—there is no one biologically or romantically obligated to support me. So when I undertake ambitious endeavors, I need to lean heavily on my friends—my village—to help me pull them off.

It’s me at Bloom—my first market as an artist!

Such was the case this past weekend when I sold my artwork at Bloom Home & Garden Market at Hula in Burlington. This annual event features over 80 vendors and is attended by thousands of patrons. I checked it out last year to see if it would be a good fit for me, applied to vend back in October, and worked on getting ready for it for months.

I realized in the days before the event just how many people in my village assisted me and made my first-ever art vending experience a success. So I’m going to take this opportunity to give them all a shout out.

First up is Moe. She owns my favorite store in Burlington (Thirty Odd). Moe started believing in me several years ago and helped launch my art career. Her generosity is endless. For Bloom, she gave me advice, let me borrow supplies, and helped me do a test run of my set up several days before the event. Her partner, Matt (Grey Owl Designs), created some great signage that made my business look professional and super cute—two very important things. Kelly, who works for Moe and is a freelance graphic designer, worked her digital magic on my art and created print-ready files for what turned out to be my super awesome stickers. 

Next up there’s Nikki. She owns SPACE Gallery and is my studio landlord. Nikki has a heart of gold. She offered plenty of advice and encouragement (she is the reason I’m writing this blog) and let me borrow a bunch of stuff for Bloom, from double-sided tape to a table. Also from SPACE Gallery, my studio mate Melissa worked meticulously to create top-notch prints for me on her printer. She did an outstanding job matching colors against my originals and I’m oh-so-grateful that my new go-to for prints is so close by. (I was having prints made in Texas!)

My pal, Jordan, spent a lot of time meeting with me to update my website and create this blog. His sweet sister, Annie, kept me company at Bloom for several hours the first day. The next day, my good pal, Kamila, did the same. Last, but certainly not least, my friend Amy Amy (not to be confused with my other friend Garden Amy) stepped up and was a tremendous help both days of the event.

I am so grateful for all these people and for everyone who stopped by my table to admire my art. Y’all are making my dreams come true!

You can help support me, too, by joining my new Snail Mail Club!