Me, Myself & Art: My Journey to Becoming an Artist

Me and Art have a long history.  We've had our ups and downs.  But I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world.

I was destined to work in the Arts.

Everyone in my family that I know of, or have heard about, is an artist.  Even if that's not how they made a living.  Musicians, painters, sculptors, writers, textile artists, martial arts, wood working, dance.  You name it, someone in my family does it.

​Some of my best childhood memories are coloring and crafting with my mom and my sister.  Doing school plays and dancing my little heart out in dance recitals.

In retrospect, a career in the Arts should have been obvious.  But nope!  I didn't accept my artsy calling until my second year of college.  

Like most young people I had no idea (or maybe too many ideas) about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  I jumped from one thing to another like a kid who just downed their first cup of full caff coffee!  One minute I was gonna be a Librarian, the next a Museum Curator.  At one point I even considered Forensic Anthropology.

The longer I was in school the more pressure I felt to pick a major.

It seemed impossible!

I enjoyed everything!  (Except Math.  Bleh!  Made it easier to rule out Forensic Anthropology, though).  

Art quote by Leonardo da Vinci, cghatcher.com

​Sitting in a drawing class one day it just sorta hit me.  What's the one subject that would allow me to incorporate every other subject all at once?  ART!

It was a full on head slapper moment.  Duh, Courtney!  I wanted to learn a bit about everything and art was the perfect solution.  Literature, History, Psychology, Science and yes, even a little Math. 

I was able to take the concepts and ideas I learned in all of those other subjects and incorporate them into my art.

The more I learned the stronger and more fulfilling my art became.  (Which is still true, by the way).

Fast forward to my senior year at UM-Flint.  The year of electives!  I took an Intro to Theatre class and absolutely fell in love.

It was a side of art that I hadn't experienced since I was a kid.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

The professor was very encouraging, she even walked me right up to the call board and signed me up to audition and work backstage.

​​Needless to say, by the end of the semester I was dual majoring in Fine Arts and Theatre.

Theatre gave me a whole new perspective.  It taught me about collaboration.  Showed me a new side of human psychology.  A different way to experience empathy.  It taught me to live in the moment, be fearless and to embrace improvisation. 

Everything I learned gave me more confidence and helped me find my voice as an artist.

After graduation I struggled to find a 9 to 5 that was fulfilling.  I started to realize that working corporate/retail type jobs was draining my creativity and enthusiasm.  

Inspirational quote by Buddha. cghatcher.com

It wasn't until recently that I decided to do something about it.

I took the leap, for better or worse, and decided to devote myself to art full time.

I knew I would never truly be happy if I didn't do what was in my heart.  So, I quit my day job and committed to following my dreams, wherever they may take me.

Scariest.  Thing.  Ever.

But I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I'm grateful for all of the support and encouragement I have received from family and friends.  And I'm excited to continue sharing my journey with all of you!