The Artist, Cat Lady & Elder-Millenial
Teenager Behind the Scenes.
The Artist, Cat Lady & Elder-Millenial Teenager Behind the Scenes.
Hi, I'm Erin!
In what feels like another life entirely we moved every 2-3 years, including a 3 year stop in London thanks to my husband's career. My one claim to fame is I gave birth to my youngest at the same private hospital in London that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gave birth in (just not at the same time). I have such a deep emotional attachment to that city. It was the best place to have a young family. We felt safe. We met fellow American expats and others from all over the world. My buggy (stroller for you Americans) was essentially my car and I'd load up my youngest in the seat and my oldest on a standing platform that attached to it and pushed that thing all over--to parks, to music classes, to the shops. We lived near Abbey Road Studios and would get such a laugh at the tourists holding up traffic to recreate the famous Beatles album cover. We would walk to the high street and buy produce and pastries almost daily. Regents Park was in our backyard. We traveled all over Europe. Our kids were just about 5 and 2 when we left. My oldest had the cutest British accent. Moving back to the States was really hard. London will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.
I Lived Abroad.
01
I'm also the firstborn granddaughter and the firstborn niece... on both sides... but who's counting? The queen of reading the room and clocking the emotions of everyone before even they are aware of how they're feeling. Recovering perfectionist and over-thinker. Would rather die than think someone is mad at me. A third parent to my siblings and the family therapist. But really I'm fine, how are you?
I'm an Eldest Daughter.
02
I can remember drawing cartoon characters like Marvin the Martian (anyone else remember Marvin?!) over and over again in notebooks as a kid. Writing silly plays and performing them with my cousins at my grandparents' house is a core childhood memory. Looking back the arts have always been an outlet for me, but art as a career was never something I even remotely considered. As a child of the 80s and 90s Artist wasn't something you'd often hear kids say when asked what they wanted to be. It was always things like teacher, nurse, marine biologist, astronaut, basketball player... I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I got to college, however, and quickly realized pre-med was not for me. I ended up studying Comparative Literature, which I loved, but graduated without any idea of what I was going to do with my life. I worked for a non-profit for a bit, I was a nanny, and eventually I went back to school and got my Master's in Early Childhood Education. I'll never know what would have been if art school was a part of my story, but I do know younger me would think it's so cool we grew up to be an artist despite it all.
I Didn't Go to Art School.
03
Everything changed once I was diagnosed at 39. It was like a rebirth and a huge affirmation that I wasn't broken or lazy or somehow ill-equipped to function in this world as a mom, a wife, and also a person with my own needs and wants. It has taken me years to piece together a tangible vision for myself as Erin the artist and entrepreneur. This website and this career was a dream that I would talk about, but only hesitantly and with so much of a vulnerability hangover, because historically I'd been really good at a vision and starting, I was just really bad at following through. And, inevitably, this lack of follow through would send me into a huge shame spiral/imposter syndrome hole. Thanks to therapy, medication, and understanding my brain isn't wired to work in a straight line (along with a million other neurodivergent quirks) I'm now much gentler with myself and pretty proud of the progress I've made.
As with many women who are diagnosed later in life, I found out I was neurodivergent once my kids received a diagnosis. I also began to find myself relating to so much of the perimenopause/neurodivergent content the instagram algorithm was feeding me. I was always the kid who was a pleasure to have in class, straight As, perfectionist, the quiet introvert who no one needed to worry about. Unfortunately "we" tend to fly under the radar until parenthood or some other life altering event smacks us in the face, all the tools and strategies we have are no longer sufficient, and we literally burnout to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. I knew what I was feeling couldn't be how everyone feels. But then again it's just how I'd always felt, so maybe it was just my normal? If this is you, let me be your older (or younger) wiser sister and tell you it's not and it's okay to ask for help, to set the boundaries you need to make time for yourself, and take the medication if it's needed. We all deserve to feel like a whole, happy human being.
I Have ADHD.
04
Everything changed once I was diagnosed at 39. It was like a rebirth and a huge affirmation that I wasn't broken or lazy or somehow ill-equipped to function in this world as a mom, a wife, and also a person with my own needs and wants. It has taken me years to piece together a tangible vision for myself as Erin the artist and entrepreneur. This website and this career was a dream that I would talk about, but only hesitantly and with so much of a vulnerability hangover, because historically I'd been really good at a vision and starting, I was just really bad at following through. And, inevitably, this lack of follow through would send me into a huge shame spiral/imposter syndrome hole. Thanks to therapy, medication, and understanding my brain isn't wired to work in a straight line (along with a million other neurodivergent quirks) I'm now much gentler with myself and pretty proud of the progress I've made.
I Have ADHD (cont.)
04
In what feels like another life entirely we moved every 2-3 years, including a 3 year stop in London thanks to my husband's career. My one claim to fame is I gave birth to my youngest at the same private hospital in London that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gave birth in (just not at the same time). I have such a deep emotional attachment to that city. It was the best place to have a young family. We felt safe. We met fellow American expats and others from all over the world. My buggy (stroller for you Americans) was essentially my car and I'd load up my youngest in the seat and my oldest on a standing platform that attached to it and pushed that thing all over--to parks, to music classes, to the shops. We lived near Abbey Road Studios and would get such a laugh at the tourists holding up traffic to recreate the famous Beatles album cover. We would walk to the high street and buy produce and pastries almost daily. Regents Park was in our backyard. We traveled all over Europe. Our kids were just about 5 and 2 when we left. My oldest had the cutest British accent. Moving back to the States was really hard. London will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.
I Lived Abroad.
01
I'm also the firstborn granddaughter and the firstborn niece... on both sides... but who's counting? The queen of reading the room and clocking the emotions of everyone before even they are aware of how they're feeling. Recovering perfectionist and over-thinker. Would rather die than think someone is mad at me. A third parent to my siblings and the family therapist. But really I'm fine, how are you?
I'm an Eldest Daughter.
02
I can remember drawing cartoon characters like Marvin the Martian (anyone else remember Marvin?!) over and over again in notebooks as a kid. Writing silly plays and performing them with my cousins at my grandparents' house is a core childhood memory. Looking back the arts have always been an outlet for me, but art as a career was never something I even remotely considered. As a child of the 80s and 90s Artist wasn't something you'd often hear kids say when asked what they wanted to be. It was always things like teacher, nurse, marine biologist, astronaut, basketball player... I thought I wanted to be a doctor. I got to college, however, and quickly realized pre-med was not for me. I ended up studying Comparative Literature, which I loved, but graduated without any idea of what I was going to do with my life. I worked for a non-profit for a bit, I was a nanny, and eventually I went back to school and got my Master's in Early Childhood Education. I'll never know what would have been if art school was a part of my story, but I do know younger me would think it's so cool we grew up to be an artist despite it all.
I Didn't Go to Art School.
03
Everything changed once I was diagnosed at 39. It was like a rebirth and a huge affirmation that I wasn't broken or lazy or somehow ill-equipped to function in this world as a mom, a wife, and also a person with my own needs and wants. It has taken me years to piece together a tangible vision for myself as Erin the artist and entrepreneur. This website and this career was a dream that I would talk about, but only hesitantly and with so much of a vulnerability hangover, because historically I'd been really good at a vision and starting, I was just really bad at following through. And, inevitably, this lack of follow through would send me into a huge shame spiral/imposter syndrome hole. Thanks to therapy, medication, and understanding my brain isn't wired to work in a straight line (along with a million other neurodivergent quirks) I'm now much gentler with myself and pretty proud of the progress I've made.
As with many women who are diagnosed later in life, I found out I was neurodivergent once my kids received a diagnosis. I also began to find myself relating to so much of the perimenopause/neurodivergent content the instagram algorithm was feeding me. I was always the kid who was a pleasure to have in class, straight As, perfectionist, the quiet introvert who no one needed to worry about. Unfortunately "we" tend to fly under the radar until parenthood or some other life altering event smacks us in the face, all the tools and strategies we have are no longer sufficient, and we literally burnout to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. I knew what I was feeling couldn't be how everyone feels. But then again it's just how I'd always felt, so maybe it was just my normal? If this is you, let me be your older (or younger) wiser sister and tell you it's not and it's okay to ask for help, to set the boundaries you need to make time for yourself, and take the medication if it's needed. We all deserve to feel like a whole, happy human being.
I Have ADHD.
04
Some of my hobbies include...
thrifting/vintage shopping, gardening & knitting.
If I wasn't an artist I would be...
an interior designer.
A dream project would be...
to have my wallpaper used in the set design for a television show or movie.
My favorite music is...
indie pop and folk.. I'm a lyrics girl.
I'd love to learn...
to do linocut printmaking or take voice lessons.
Endlessly inspired by the colors, textures, fabrics and design of yesteryear...
