One of my very favorite pieces of art in my shop features the statement “Do what you love… love what you do.” That was my ultimate goal in starting my Etsy shop. I graduated college with a Secondary Education degree, and started teaching immediately. I decided to be brave and conquer the magical, often hilarious, awkward-moment inducing, weird-smelling world of middle school. I was blessed to meet some of the most amazing children who made me smile and laugh every day, and honored to be able to inspire the children who needed me most.
I am not the person who half-ways anything, so I put all of my energies into my students, often fighting for them against the ever-growing standardized testing machine, and most days I came home exhausted and frustrated. As I continued to feel like my deeply felt convictions about what was right for my kids was taking a back seat to the testing machine, I started to feel less and less happy with my career.
They say the average teacher burn-out rate is 5 years. Guess what year I “retired” at… year 5. When I would hear that statistic in college, I would always think that was crazy. Why would you want to become a teacher if you would get tired of kids? Then I realized that it’s not the kids at all. If I could just be with my kids all day and inspire them and teach them and care for them, then it would be the best job in the world, but teachers are forced to do much more than that these days, and in my state, we certainly don’t get paid well enough to compensate.
ENTER: Golden Paisley. I started my Etsy shop in hopes of once again loving what I do. It started with humble beginnings; only 6 items and a hope and a prayer. But, by God’s grace, my shop has been able to grow and expand so quickly! In May 2014, I left the classroom to run Golden Paisley full time. Every day, as I get to create beautiful things for others to enjoy, I am amazed that I get to do this as a job! I am happy to work each day! It is incredible to me that I get to make wedding vow canvases that might just make someone’s marriage a bit stronger seeing them on the wall each day. I love that I get to make decor for someone who just purchased a home and needs help decorating. I love knowing that my art is now being enjoyed in homes in all 50 states and several countries. I am amazed at the audience and platform that Etsy has given me, and am thankful for this blessing each day.
Me with my CFO (aka amazing husband):
We love to travel!
Our sweet pups!
