So my name is Rosy and I’m a 31 year old illustrator turned couples therapist. I originally decided to go into art because that’s just what I had always been good at. There’s never a coffee date where I haven’t doodled on at least two napkins and all my homework, from grade school throughout college, always had sketches in the margins. So it was a natural choice for me to go into the arts when it was time to pick a major in college. I graduated with a degree in classical arts and started my career as an illustrator. And although I loved the process of making, I slowly started to realize that I needed to do something more than just sitting at a desk painting; something that allowed me to connect with others. I decided to do a career 180° and go into therapy and it was one of the best decisions I could’ve made... I was now able to have that helping career, but wasn’t sure how art fit into my life besides those occasional coffee shop napkins.
It was about two months ago when I picked up my watercolors and decided to write some of my friends I hadn’t seen in a bit. Once I started I couldn’t stop. It felt incredibly important especially with the craziness we are all experiencing. Sitting down and devoting time to planning, painting and composing a letter to someone I love became almost meditative and helped me feel connected to that person. It may not be those beloved in-person coffee dates currently, but through my handwriting they can hear my voice and instead of doodling on napkins, I’m able to paint something that they can keep.
Over these last few months, I’ve realized that I’ve found an avenue that merges my need to paint and create with my desire to connect with others. We’ll see where this crazy journey goes, currently I’m getting ready to open a stationery company dedicated to helping individuals craft their own unique letter experiences and ideally facilitating a community of snail mail painters!
~Rosy
*Follow along with her doodling snail mail journey on Instagram @handpaintedsnailmail!
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