How did I get here?

First let me say, in a way this feels totally unexpected and at the same time, exactly right.

Not until recently did I imagine myself ever branching out to do something on my own. I always enjoyed being “faux boss” at someone else's business. I enjoyed the company of others, the freedom of only doing exactly what I needed to AT WORK and then being able to leave it all at the door when I left. Off to do whatever irresponsible thing I wanted. Cause I’m single, with no children and no company to run. Most times that just looked like happy hour or all day brunch. (Who am I kidding, I usually brought the work home.)

But looking back, I was always THAT kid. I loved anything that I could build, make or create. I would sit at my Mickey Mouse table and make birthday gifts, crocheting, cross-stitching, Easy Baking and Lite Brite-ing it up (I think I just told my age). Trips to Michael’s were like Disney Land to me (and still are). Decorating my house, my aunts’ or my nana’s place for Christmas – whoever would let me Makeia Stewart it up, I was all for it. I had terrible allergies, was scared of bugs and bees which is a horrible combination in rural North Carolina so I had to find things to entertain myself with indoors.

Don’t get me wrong, my creations were nothing impressive. My parents, now they on the other hand, were impressive.

My parents have lived in their home for over 30 years and my mom hasn’t ran out of honey-do lists for my dad YET. That house has had a thousand faces.  She’s always found ways to remake and redesign, constantly putting in love and new energy to keep it fresh. She’s always had a great eye.

My dad, he’s the maker. So with that honey-do list, he comes in handy. At every turn in my life, he’s been the guy fixing things, the problem-solver (even when you didn’t ask). You need a new back porch; you got it. Nana needed a nice sunroom; she got it! The kids needed a playhouse with working electricity; we got it.

So one day, when I woke up and decided I wanted a new tufted headboard and that I wasn’t paying a couple hundred for one. I was gonna make it myself. It really wasn’t an idea too far-fetched. I found some tutorials to mix and match, I called my dad for tips and I begun discovering my passion and building my confidence…. piece by piece.

I am the sum of my total parts. I recognize that all of those pieces of me have folded into this passion. So let's see where I can take this!

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." - Maya Angelou