Welcome to Art by AY Co.!!! The story of how this started...

Welcome to Art by AY Co.!!! The story of how this started...

Welcome to my website!! I am SO, SO grateful you stopped by :)

This passion project has been YEARS in the making…when I started stippling in high school, it was purely a hobby. My art teacher at some point purchased two whole sets of specific ink pens for the pen techniques we were learning - one set for the class to share, and one for me. I guess he saw a talent I hadn’t even realized yet lol (thank you, Mr. Harris!!!).  It continued to be a hobby throughout college, PT school, and as I worked multiple jobs. I still kept in touch with my high school art teacher and showed him the art pieces I created over the years. He repeatedly encouraged me to sell prints of my art and I sat on the idea, but the priority was my other jobs and there never seemed to be time to go after this passion. And realistically, starting a small business wasn’t on my radar lol.

Fast forward to 2020, and suddenly life slowed down for everybody. Though I was still working (Physical Therapy was still essential during the pandemic), I had more time to draw. And with it resurfaced the joy that came with creating my art and challenging myself with each composition. The drawing process was both technically challenging and therapeutic for me. I knew I never wanted to neglect it again. But it wasn’t until April 2021 after I had moved by myself across the country to Florida when I got connected to the Fort Lauderdale art scene and was given the opportunity to do live art events consistently (1-2x/month) to not only sell prints, but showcase my stippling technique. They were wonderful opportunities and I’m very grateful for the cool art community I got to be a part of :) I eventually moved one county north to Palm Beach County to be closer to work and art was once again out on hold - work schedule changes, moving, settling in, needing to work more to pay bills, etc. Towards the end of 2022, I felt the pull to take this passion farther.

In January 2023, client friends of mine encouraged me to submit some of my art to a gallery for exhibition. I almost didn’t do it, because I thought “I don’t have anything that fits their exhibit theme…” but a few days later, figured I had nothing to lose, submitted 4 pieces….and they were accepted. Around the same time, other friends were encouraging me to build a website and giving ideas of what direction I could even take my business. From there, I got to learn the ins and outs of building a website and running it. When I arrived at the exhibit opening night, I read the 5 other artists’ bios…and found out I was the only one featured who didn’t have some sort of formal arts education. That in itself was humbling…and now, here I am, working on a new art piece, building and launching a website, writing a blog, creating videos for content, and figuring out the next phase of the business once the website is live. Honestly I haven't sat down to process all that yet lol. Do I know how far I’ll go with this passion project? Do I know how successful this will be? Do I know whether I can turn this passion into a steady income too? No, no, and no. I could forever make the excuses of:

“I need consistent work to make money, and art hasn’t been that.”

“I don’t even know how to start building my business!”

“When I have more time and money, when the time is right, then I can explore art.”

The fears of failure, or starting, of worst case scenarios - they’re all VERY real. But as I’d learned before, there would never be a “right” or “perfect” time to take this leap of faith. There is more to my life than Physical Therapy, and this is a big part of it. It is an outlet that brings me peace. It’s a way of sharing my truth to the world. So here I am, taking a flying leap of faith, learning, growing, and chasing a dream, because somehow, I know it’ll be worth it.

And of course the BIGGEST of THANK YOU’s to Mr. Harris for opening the door to my hobby and being the first one to push entrepreneurship, God, my amazing boyfriend for his unwavering support and encouragement, and the dear friends who pushed me to do more with my art, believed in me, taught me how to build my website, and also supported me along the way. I wouldn’t be here without you <3

If you’ve read this far, thank you!! And whether you’re purchasing art for yourself or someone special, scrolling through, or curious about these dots, I’m happy you stopped by! Welcome to the intricately beautiful world of stippling/pointillism :)

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