I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was always creating—painting, drawing, playing instruments, and writing music. Art was how I made sense of the world. At 18, I even released my own album, pouring my heart into every lyric and melody. But shortly after graduating high school, all of that came to a halt.

I had gotten involved in what I thought was a faith-driven community, but it turned into something else entirely—a controlling and manipulative religious group that slowly stripped away everything I loved. Creativity, passion, and expression were replaced with rules, expectations, and fear. For almost three years, I hardly created anything. The music stopped. The art stopped. I stopped. I became a version of myself I didn’t recognize, a shell of the person God had created me to be.

Then, everything changed. I met my now-husband, and for the first time in years, someone looked me in the eyes and reminded me that I was made for more. He encouraged me to create again, to pick up my paintbrush, to play music, to be myself. And with his support, along with my parents’, I finally walked away from that group and back into the life I was meant to live.

That same year, I started Everything Beautiful. At first, it was just a way to rediscover who I was—to prove to myself that creativity was still inside me, waiting to be let out. But as I painted, as I shared my work, I realized that this wasn’t just about me. There were other people who needed this reminder too—that no matter what they had been through, they were capable of creating something beautiful. That even when life felt broken, God was still making something new.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 became my heart song: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” I had spent years believing I wasn’t enough, that my voice didn’t matter, that my gifts were meaningless. But God had never stopped working. He had never stopped shaping my story. Everything Beautiful wasn’t just a business; it was a declaration of hope.

Starting this journey pushed me in ways I never expected. It taught me to be bold, to take risks, to trust that I was capable of more than I had ever imagined. From guided painting workshops to murals, from working with churches to partnering with local businesses, I’ve been able to bring creativity back into my life and share it with others. And the best part? I get to remind people—whether they consider themselves artists or not—that they can create beautiful things too.

So that’s where I come from. Not a dramatic sob story, just a real journey of losing and finding myself again. Everything Beautiful is more than paint on a canvas; it’s a reflection of the transformation God can bring, even from the hardest seasons. And if my art, my workshops, or my story can help even one person see that they were made to create, then it’s all worth it