When the editor of the local publication Neighbours of Oakville invited me to be part of the January edition I knew it was an opportunity to kick start 2025.

The article was a chance to share about how the past 15 years living in Oakville has shaped our family and how my transition from a corporate job into working full time as an artist evolved.

For anyone who makes a big change in their career, no matter how many years after their initial career path started..it can feel like you’re never ready to be out or redefined as a different kind of person. For me it’s taken 15 years of being away from corporate life to finally start feeling comfortable about letting people know what I do now.

One of the things I have come to appreciate over the last few years, as I have been taking time to focus on building my art practice and a new career, is that the layers and skills required to do this are multi-faceted.

The skills of a solopreneur-artitst include websites, social media, networking and building relationships, getting to know the arts community, entering work into juried shows, attending events and classes, creating events to show work, planning & project management and, of course, balancing the books.