I couldn’t keep living this way, waiting for the weekends when I could create and share my art. I wanted to push myself, go out of my comfort zone, discover who I was, and finally start living the life I had been dreaming about. So, I did what any young, restless, searching-for-more 20 something would do… I grabbed my camera, got in the car and drove from Ohio into the deep South for a solo road-trip adventure. 

For the next ten days, I danced in Nashville, sat in reverence of history in Memphis, ate dinner on a hillside of Ole Miss overlooking that famous football field, narrowly missed an armadillo in the road, hunted ghosts and got caught in a thunderstorm in New Orleans, watched the sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico, and explored the small southern towns of Alabama doing my best to be present in every moment. For the first time in years, I felt energized. I loved exploring and capturing the true essence of the places I visited with my camera.

This trip reminded me of summers as a child when my mom would pack a cooler full of snacks, a bag full of car games and take me on an 11 hour road trip from our home in Ohio through the cornfields of the Midwest to visit friends in Iowa. No wonder I loved exploring! I got it from my mom. I thought of her, and so many others, who might never be able to do the things I was doing or see the places I was seeing. I took photos of everything. Every building, every important historical marker, every landscape, every waterfall. I journaled every sound, smell, and emotion I experienced too. I wanted to capture every sight, sound and smell of my trip – so I could take it home to her.

When I returned home from that trip down South, I landed a new job that allowed me to live in New York City, travel around America, and take trips to Spain, Mexico, The Caribbean, Fiji, Australia, England, and Peru.

Pretty soon I found myself selling those photos, along with my other art, at shows around Ohio.  Immediately I saw the way people connected to the places in my paintings and photographs. Their eyes lit up when they looked at them and reflected on memories or created dreams about visiting. Have you ever stood in front of a photograph or painting and wished you could jump inside that beautiful, magical, place just to see what life would be like there for the briefest moment? That’s what I want my art and writing to do to people. That’s how My Midwest Life was born. 

Thanks for being here and hearing my story. I hope you sit among these pages and find the inspiration to chase after that burning fire in your own heart. The one that pushes you to find yourself, to travel, and to create the life you’ve always wanted.

Oh and in case you wanted to know – I love Jesus, popcorn, hot tea, Nancy Drew computer games, podcasts, penguins, every single season, country line dancing and Harry Potter. You’ll never see me without my cell phone, a bottle of water and my camera, and I am married to the most amazing man on the planet! 😉