I met Jacy through an Etsy forum thread...I was so impressed by her spirit & passion, and when I saw her work, I felt it showed through...the following is all in her own words:
"It was the third grade that I knew I wanted to be an artist. Not just paint a pretty picture, but I wanted the life. I wanted to eat, breathe and sleep art and of course make a living off of it. High school came, and a combination of teenagery-emotions mixed with acrylic paint, had me funneling an artistic game plan. It was then that I knew my medium was paint and my fav subjects were anything in creation.
Skip about 10 years into the future, and I was stuck. At some point throughout this "game plan" of mine, I gave into a regular job and settled. I was unhappy and frustrated, sitting 8 hrs a day with no creative outlet. Can you imagine? Can you relate? Up until December of last year, I was working for someone else and not for myself, like I had wanted all my life! I realized at that point that I was scared of change & scared to take a chance. I was too self-conscious about my artwork and didn't allow myself to go through a normal artistic process. Instead I settled on a typical 9-5 job that constantly drained my ideas & energy.
But on December 2nd, 2010, my prayers were answered and I got...fired! What?! Actually, I wasn't even upset or nervous. I knew there was a bigger reason for it and I secretly felt it coming. Dare I say I was even happy & excited about it! I don't know how to explain it except that I knew that God was watching. That day I went home and not even 2 hours of being let go, I was cleaning out my dusty art studio & sharpening my paintbrushes! It was time for action!
It has been almost 3 months since then and I have never felt so free. My paintings are thriving & my name is getting more exposure. I am even able to sell my work in a new Agawam Ma store called "Hidden Treasures", an entire shop of handmade creations. Only 15 minutes away from my home in Enfield, CT! My Etsy store & online blog has been opening doors to so many great relationships & opportunities, including this one. Who would have thought that I would go from doodling on old receipt papers & boxes right into scribbing a guest post on a wonderful blog? (Brownie points! But seriously Ellen is wonderful).
I always knew it was what I wanted, but now I know that if you step out with confidence & faith, it can happen!
In one of my blog posts "How to Get Over Fear", I talk a bit more about my situation & give tips on how to not let Fear consume you. I list the lies that Fear likes to tell us & a list of what we need to say back.
We all come from different walks of life, but we have one common thread: we are human & we were created to create. Whether it's a hand-knitted floral blouse or assembling organic homegrown veggie Easter baskets, we use our hands to bring something new to this world. My hope is that we all can not only embrace that responsibility, but that we learn to see that we do have something we can offer to the rest of the world. That is the true essence of who YOU are!"
"Hidden Treasures"... 143 Main Street, Agawam, MA 01001
Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00am-7:00pm ...Sun 12:00pm-5:00pm
Website: http://www.artbyjacy.com
Etsy Shop: http://thiswayup1.etsy.com
Blog: http://thiswayupshop.blogspot.com
**To be announce later in few days, the new "streetnoodles" blog banner designed by Jacy at Thiswayupshop.
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