The Pursuit of Happyness

Just about 4 years ago, I picked up a paint brush for the first time in many, many years. My business was hurting, I was going on two years without a paycheck and I needed to figure something out or else I'd have to let a couple of my employees go. And I just couldn't do that. I wouldn't do that.

I knew I could draw, so I got busy doing these little paintings, like the garlic above. I put them on eBay, for the first time, sold them for around $20 and when I made $100, my motivation kicked in like you wouldn't imagine. I'd work all day, paint every night, and I kept at it for months. When I got enough savings, I tore down my old shed in the backyard and built a place for me to paint. A real studio. The day it was finished, I bought oil paints and started teaching myself - and trust me, it wasn't easy. Little by little, I got the hang of it - and in three months, I had my first, sellable painting ready to put on eBay. That was January of 2004.

The rest of the story is that this is what I do for a living. I paint. I still have my business, still have the same employees and out of necessity, I stepped into a whole new chapter of my life. It is possible.

Often I am asked where to start. We live in the best of times - remember - the internet and computers are the fuel to get you going. Learn all you can and work hard at it every day. It'll happen.