I have loved drawing ever since I could hold a pencil. I knew that it was the ticket to my imagination. Art has always been in my life, from playing with Play-Dough to pottery, drawing on the back of my parent’s used copy paper, to painting on illustration boards.

I did not become an illustrator overnight. It took years of practice, schooling, and believing in my myself. It took me 3 tries to get into the illustration program at Brigham Young University. When I was in the program, I worked very hard to keep up with the other students and worked hard in perfecting and finding my style. One of my professors told me that although I came in as one of the worst students, I graduated as one of the top students. That stuck with me throughout my career because it reminded me of how far I’ve come, and that I should never give up.

After I graduated, I illustrated a story in The Friend Magazine and in the book My Imagination (published by KRBY Creations). After that, my art career stopped. I was recently married, had a baby, and got a ‘real 9-5 job’ to support my family. It was kind of a dark time where I lost myself and my art. After leaving a broken marriage, I came back to my senses and focused on my art. Again, I worked very hard in my art and in finding myself in the industry. Finally a few years ago, I was able to get my work published in books and magazines, and was able to be showcased in a gallery.

My inspiration comes from my life experiences and the things I love. I create sweet, whimsical worlds that bring happiness because I believe that the world needs more love and joy. Sometimes you just need to escape to a place where rainbows and lollipops are allowed! The most important thing in my art is that it brings a smile to the viewer and it makes them happy. I love hearing viewers say “awwww!” and “how cute!” That reassures me that I am doing the right thing.

My inspiration comes from my life experiences and the things I love.

One of my favorite things to do in my art is putting the colors together, and deciding what animals would be in it. Animals are one of my favorite things to create. I just love how it’s so much fun creating their expressions and thinking about what silly or cute thing they would do. Colors are important to me because they express the mood and degree of fun-ness and happiness in the piece. I am always drawn to bright fun colors because I associate that with happiness and positivity.

I still work hard and seek advice from other illustrators as much as I can, and I continue to learn about the industry and illustration. I always want to improve myself and learn from others. It’s a great way to get better at what you do. I love looking at other artists and getting inspiration from them.

Being an illustrator is hard work, but it is worth it. I am able to do what I love and to share it with others. There are always times when I get discouraged, especially when I get rejection emails/letters, or no response at all. But I always tell myself to keep going, and to never give up. I know that when I keep going, I will make it.