How I got here:

If I have learned one thing, it is this: life is a long journey with many twists and turns that you simply do not expect.

After a long career teaching art to literally thousands and thousands of youngsters. I retired feeling completely burned out and depleted. I dreamed of a new career as a mailman or a driving our city's street sweeping machine.

However, when I actually retired, I found that my love of art education just would not be snuffed out, and I embarked on this crazy journey.

My first plan was to create a site for art educators to use, specifically, to provide them with sub plans and sponge activities. As a teacher, I spent many early mornings scrambling to put together meaningful activities for my kiddos when I was unable to work. I felt this would be a service to my fellow art educators.

I started with this in mind, but found myself on the “struggle bus” of actually putting together a business plan. At this point, I enrolled with our local entrepreneur training program. There, I was challenged to do market research and encouraged to explore making my product something that families could use as well.

At that point, I came into contact with the homeschool community, and to be honest, fell in love with these wonderful moms who were working so hard to educate their children! I heard over and over how much there was to do and plan, and that art learning was constantly put on the “back burner”.

Of course, I also talked to many delightful and a few less than delightful art instructors who, like me, were feeling under supported, overworked, and undervalued. I empathize, truly. I hope to eventually circle back and create a line better suited to their needs.

For now, I am all in with making the best product I can to meet the needs of the homeschool community and other families, who find providing quality art education to their children a difficult challenge.

I hope you will give arted4kiddos a whirl. I know I have a LOT to learn and improve upon, and I hope that we can work together to help arted4kiddos be the best it can be!