Oh Hey There!

Welcome to our little spot here. We hope it brings you smiles and happiness and some sunshine when you come to our site. It brought all those things to us the moment we hit the publish button. It brought us that when we were just dreaming about this. I bet it continues to bring us the happy well into the future as we meet new people and add new things. Now, why am I droning on and on about all this happiness and such, you may ask? Because it segways so nicely to our introductions and the “why” we are doing all this.

MEET: Janay

Now, y’all are probably thinking “Bless her heart, why did she pick THIS picture?” Well, I promise it’s for a good reason and not to just highlight my exhausted face and amazingly large stye that I had at the time.

This was Mother’s Day. And my tribe was gathered all around me, they were taking me to a super fun dinner. And this little tribe is my why. And this picture shows you maybe why I really started kicking the art dream into overdrive. I live for these people. I do everything I can to make sure all is well in their worlds. Turns out though, I was doing it through gritted teeth, tired eyes, and a short fuse. Frequently sick, lots of headaches, but I kept pushing. What woke me up? What was it that made me realize there was a better way? I wish I could say through lots of meditation, or some divine intervention, but if I am honest, I’m sure it was some Facebook post, one of the cute quote ones, and it said the kids don’t need a perfect mom, they need a happy one. Now I know this should be common sense, but well, I guess I was the slow kid in class on this one.

Sooooooo, long story short, I decided to show my kids what mama looks like when she is happy. And I am determined to show them how much I can hustle, how I can do hard things even when they scare me, and that along the way, I will always keep doing the most important things to me. Like painting, like finding ways to help others, like giving away art when I see someone who just seems to need some happy, like working and also having a great time doing it. AND I WANT MOST TO SHOW THEM TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS, no matter what. Once this was all squared away in my head, I began learning and practicing as much as I could. I’m talking podcasts, articles, you tube videos, painting daily, talking to others that would listen, ALL THE TIME. Seriously all the time. Ask my husband. My sister. Anyone within a ten foot radius of me. All art, all day.

AND LOOK AT ME NOW! Look at that happy and relaxed face!

Okay fine, so it’s a Snapchat filter. But I promise the stye is gone! And I’m beginning to feel that happy and relaxed lady that I was searching for. I found her through art, and once you find your spot, your place, your happy, well I don’t think you can turn back. At least I don’t intend to.

So that is me, my why, and my family, all in one blast! I’ve been called soft hearted, stubborn, infectious, a royal pain, persistent and extra :). I would also add a messy artist who is known for procrastination because she completely lies to herself and says she works best under pressure. My core, down deep to my toes beliefs include: kindness matters more than pretty much anything else, family is paramount, high waisted pants were created by Satan himself, and cake frosting is considered a dessert all by itself.

I look so forward to meeting all of you, if I haven’t already, and I thank you for coming over here and checking us out. So much more to come!