EVERY SECOND COUNTS
Every. Second. Counts.
I am officially starting my career as an artist next week, and I am so excited! I started a small business selling jewelry and other products in the central Iowa area two years ago while I was earning my Master's in Graphic Design, and now I am ready to take it to the next level. I am launching this brand website and starting a 30-day series on Instagram in hopes of gaining a strong following so I can widely share my art with the world.
Why am I doing this? I have always had the dream of being an artist and social media has made this a very exciting time as you can reach so many more people than before. My entire life, I have dabbled in many creative practices, and I feel as if they have all been leading up to this moment. The time has come to take myself seriously as an artist and create the things I wished existed. One of my favorite quotes is, “You can’t use up creativity; the more you use, the more you have.” My goal is to create every day to learn what my art style is and the launch off from there.
How am I doing this? As the school year was so jam-packed with activities for my thesis, I wrote down every idea I had for a project, and no idea was too small or too ambitious. I assigned dates to each project in a calendar format for the months of June and July. I took into account what weekends I would be visiting friends (as I want to be as present as I can with the people around me when we are together), special occasions like Father’s Day, the two-year anniversary of my small business, and, of course, Benson Boone opening for Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium. I did this so the projects could align with my life and the world around me. I will be documenting the process on my Instagram and TikTok pages and then publishing the work on this website to be sold.
What am I making? I believe in transparency, so below is my calendar of projects I plan to create. Some are more vague, some are elaborately described, and some are near and dear to me. The projects range from jewelry to paintings to prints to furniture flipping and whatever else I care to create.
What is the goal? The goal is to ultimately share my art with the world. I want to make art that means something to others and give them a pop of art in their lives. I have also been a design student for six years, meaning I have collected an immense amount of supplies, and I want to use them! As I am moving out of my apartment, it would be great to lighten the load. I also want to work towards my goal of being a full-time artist and I think together, we can do it!
Why is it titled “Every Second Counts?” In Season 2x7 of the show The Bear, titled Forks, one of the main characters, Richy, finds his purpose in life; he heals from the pain of his past divorce and the loss of his friend to suicide, dives into his work, and creates meaningful connections with the people around him. I saw myself in that episode with Richy, and every time I watch it, I get positively emotional. In the episode, the owner of the restaurant he is staging at tells a story indirectly about how her father wrote “every second counts” at the end of his letters home. This sign is present in her extremely successful michelan star restaurant under a digital clock. Richy turns his life around and takes himself seriously, awakening every morning with inspiration and hope, something I strive for every day. I took this mantra into my last semester of college when I was embarking on some of the most important projects I have ever completed, but more importantly, wanted to instill it into my newfound life post-graduation. In March, I got the sign tattooed on my arm, and it stands as a reminder every day that life is precious. Every second counts with the people you are with. Every second counts in every experience you get to live. Every second counts in the stillness of life as you are working towards the next chapter. No, I don’t have a job lined up for the future, but every second counts in this downtime, and it is the first time I have had in my life to actively pursue my life as an artist. I can’t wait to share it with you.
Let’s make something beautiful together. Let’s make the life we want to live.
