03/25/2026
Where it all started.
In March 2020, I was a shell of a person. The pandemic didnāt just bring collective uncertainty; it brought a very specific, paralyzing terror for my family. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. My 74-year-old dad was battling kidney disease and diabetes. My sister was immunocompromised, and my brother is non-high-functioning autistic.
āBeing hundreds of miles away from them, unable to protect them or be there for them, broke me. The anxiety was so heavy I was terrified to even step outside to walk Wyatt.
āSo, I bought an iPad. I needed an anchor, an outlet, a lifeline.
āWhen I look back at this sketch of Wyatt today, it looks like a childās doodle. Honestly, when I look at the first portraits I ever sold, I canāt help but giggle at how primitive they were. But that doodle was my therapy. It was the only thing that kept me grounded.
The fact that so many of you saw those early sketches, believed in me, and helped me launch my business is a truth that humbles me to my core.
As I approach the 2-year anniversary of Barktivist becoming an official business (on April 1st), it blows my mind how far I've come. Not just as an artist, but as a person. When I look at my current work, I can literally see my own healing and growth in the details.
āI will never stop striving. Iāll never look at my work and say, āI am the best,ā because there will always be more to learn, more techniques to master, and more ways to do better for you and the pets you love.
āThank you for believing in my work, in my dreams, in me, and in Wyatt. You didn't just help me build a business... you helped me build my way out of the darkness.
