Last week I told you all about the emotional beginning of my journey as an artist. If you didn’t see that, you can read it here.

After those long intensive classes, I had to make a decision about what to do for college. Did I want to go to art school and keep learning and pushing myself in a similar environment? Or did I want to go the liberal arts route and just see if I missed painting enough to come back to it?

After several promising portfolio reviews and being accepted into the College of Fine Arts At BU, I decided I couldn’t do it. The stress and comparison was too much for me at 18. I’ve always been a perfectionist and I didn’t see how I could make it through art school if there was going to be the same level of expectation and fast pace.

On the one hand, I was relieved that the pressure was off, but on the other I really missed painting. So I didn’t stop!

I carried a sketchbook everywhere and I painted on the floor of my dorm room whenever I could. Here are a few photos of some paintings I made in college.

As you can see, I was maintaining my food obsession! I was so obsessed in fact that I decided to major in Hospitality Administration because when I told an academic counselor that I just wanted to talk about food all day, she steered me in the direction of restaurant management, which spoiler alert, is NOT where I ended up, BUT that recommendation lead me one step closer to the program I had no idea was my perfect fit…

Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I did choose to go to art school and sometimes I beat myself up for not just pushing through it and getting an art degree, but my mom always tells me that every step along the way is leading you somewhere and looking back, she was definitely right.

Next week I’ll tell you all about where this food obsession led me and what program ultimately helped me articulate what I was trying to say with my artwork!