This post is all about the frequently asked questions I receive. Unfortunately I can’t reply to every email that comes my way…but please know that I do read them all and appreciate all the messages! My fans and supporters mean so much to me!

So here we go…

1. What inspires you?

Well I think the question is, what doesn’t inspire me? haha. Seriously though, I try to keep an open mind to whatever may hit me as inspiration. I love music, it puts visuals into my imagination. So often when I am creating…I am listening to music. I am also inspired by other artists-really when I see other peoples work…it just makes me want to create. I am inspired by people, nature, fashion, architecture, Japanese illustration, traveling and my life itself.  Creating art is like writing in your journal. My life has been changing a lot recently and some of my artwork has reflected lots of different emotions that I feel.

2. What types of paints and supplies do you use?

I am not one of those people who is faithful to one brand or type of product. I mix high end items and cheap ones in my art bin. I do recommend you experiment as much as you can with mediums, brands, and papers/canvases. I also suggest that one expensive detail brush is a must! And paper at 140lb or higher for watercolor. Good brands in the art biz for watercolor artists include: Princeton brushes and Winsor & Newton watercolors.

3. Do you paint portraits and will you paint me?

I get this question on a daily basis. And I am flattered anyone would consider me to commission a painting of someone they know or themselves. These are the hardest types of commissions and yes, I take them. I tend to only take a few every so often, because they are quite labor intensive and I have to balance my time between my Etsy shop, personal work and freelance jobs. I want every job I take on to be one that I have plenty of creative energy and inspiration to devote to it…so that is one of the reasons I cannot reply to every inquiry or request of that manner.

4. Do you license your artwork for websites/blogs?

I sure do! Most of the work you see in my Etsy shop and website is available for license. Meaning that the client and I come up with an agreement on how the image will be used, what the cost would be, and I sell them a digital file of the artwork. In most cases when I license to clients I am not doing a copyright buyout, unless the client wants to do so. What normally happens is I sell the client a license to use the artwork, and I still retain all copyrights to the artwork. (It’s like when a commercial uses a song…they have to pay the musician to use that song-even though they are not buying the copyrights to the song).

5. Will you offer a tutorial or YouTube channel of a demo of your watercolors?

I really really want to sometime this year! I am getting this question a lot because I do teach classes locally and I have a lot of fans who do not live in Atlanta. So stay tuned on that one…I may start with a simple tutorial here on my blog and work my way from there.

6. How did you get where you are today as a full time artist?

This question is a tough one to answer. My journey to get where I am today is one that I could have never predicted. I love to create and have been doing so since I was 3. For me much of my success is due to people sharing my work. Social media has been a huge deal for my work spreading. But of course…its’ also about focusing on the artwork and only painting what I am truly inspired by. I have had a true desire to just get better and follow my instincts. Creating in my life means so much to me. On a side note…I didn’t study art thinking, “Wow I am going to make sooo much money doing this”! Art is a way of life for me. I create because it makes me happy. I think if you’re determined enough to push yourself as far as you can go….you can be successful! And if you want to be taken seriously as an artist start by building your portfolio (get high quality scans or photos of your work) get a website, business cards and start reaching out to people that could land you some work. And just be confident and don’t let failures stop you. I have failed and been rejected my fair share. But I just use that as fuel to keep getting better!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and thanks again for your support!