2018 was a year of BIG changes. For starters I had a baby! Not only did my body change and then change again, but my whole world changed. I went from selfishly thinking about MY needs and MY wants, to selflessly waking up every hour for midnight feedings. Totally sleep deprived. Hurting. Hungry. Basically, I had a lot of needs, but so did my son. And for a while, I was the only person who could help him. 

Baby David posing for his four month old pictures

Besides bringing a bouncing baby boy into the world (literally, he bounces all the time), I also changed my perspective on a lot of things. Especially in my time. I realize now more than ever, how important the first five years of ones life can be. I realized I only get a short amount of time to influence my son before he goes off to school and is exposed to other influences. Some good, and some bad. I knew I wanted to make an impact on David beforehand, but what would that be and what would it look like? 

Going back to work was a struggle for multiple reasons, even though I worked from home. First, I really didn’t care for my job. The stay at home mom life became oh so appealing to me during my twelve week hiatus and I was truly devastated to go back. Secondly, it seriously felt as though NOTHING got done while I was gone for 12 weeks. So, after just two days of being back in the grind and taking care of a fussy newborn full time, I knew something needed to change. It wasn’t fair to David that I had to devote so much time and attention to work. It also wasn’t fair to work that I was using their time to take care of my son. Something had to give, but what?

I was stubbornly defiant on putting David in daycare, because I decided I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my baby. My husband was also against that idea. Truth be told, I was never going to quit the job that allowed me to stay at home with my little man and make a consistent paycheck. Even though it was tough, it was truly the best of both worlds. So, I decided to leave it to the Lord, I told Him my heart, and He made the mountains move. 

In November of 2018, I was apart of a mass lay-off on my team three months after my return to work and I found myself excited for the change. I knew this was all God’s doing. He was calling me to my dream and I was 100% on board.  I mean, I  have been talking about starting my own calligraphy/stationery business for over a year, and I finally got the push I needed to start it. 

Pretty Envelope Calligraphy

Now looking forward to 2019, I have decided to pick a word to focus on. An overarching theme for my new year. Instead of a resolution, I’m going to focus on my word. Now, for the big reveal, my word for this year is: Discover.

The dictionary defines discover as: to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or gain sight. 

And I have a lot of learning to do. Where the heck do you even start when building a business and building a brand? I want to discover who I am as an artist? Who I am as a mother and wife? Who I am as a business owner/stay at home mom? I want to discover more and more about the wonderful God who gave me this amazing opportunity to follow my dreams.

This year will be a huge discovery for me. I will be stepping out in faith in a lot of areas. I need to discover what motivates my art and what things inspire me to sit and paint. I need to discover how to run my business. I need to discover how to parent while starting a business. So many exciting, slightly terrifying, ultimately rewarding things lie ahead of me in 2019, and I am so excited to share all of my discoveries with you throughout the year!

A custom wedding venue painting I did in December.

So, what are some business things planned for this year?

1. Further develop my website

2. Create an online shop of new prints and fun things!

3. Create new wedding invitation suites for my wonderful clients

4. Practice Practice Practice

5. Figure out the perfect work/mom life balance

Tell me, What word did you pick for 2019 and why?