My name is Annie
and i'd like to tell you a story...
Some people become artists, but I was born one.
As soon as I could hold a crayon I was drawing brave princesses and unicorns and creating stories about their magical adventures. By first grade I had written and illustrated a dozen homemade books.
These are the first memories I have of knowing who I was. I was a girl with imagination, courage, and hope, who believed the world was full of magic, and I was an artist that wanted to share my magic with the world.
But, so it goes...every story has its dragon.
That's me at 5 years old
Mine came in many forms throughout my life, telling me that my stories were useless, my magic wasn’t real, and that my happiness did not exist,
and I began to believe him.
Like a browned leaf falling to the ground, I let go of my dreams and my hope began to die.
Then the world became very dark. My father died and it was so painful I thought I would never recover.
But somehow, in that horrible place I caught a glimmer of light.
It was hard to see, but when I felt around my hand touched something.
It was a sword.
At this moment, I realized I was the brave princess from my stories and it was time to slay this dragon. And I did.
I fought to reclaim my magic like every brave princess would, and soon, the darkness that had taken root inside of me began to disappear.
Art has been the most powerful sword I have ever wielded. I have used it to pierce the darkness of sorrow and loss, and to courageously explore the incredible heights of happiness and love.
My work is a story about the mighty hero that lives within and the journey that makes this life extraordinary.
In the end, my hope is that we both live Happily Ever After.
“Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.”