How I Became a Live Wedding Painter in Nebraska
Back in May of 2022, I graduated from a college in small town Seward, Nebraska. It was there where I met my husband and obtained my k-12 Art Education degree. My husband (also an educator) and I both were lucky enough to get a call from a Lutheran high school in Colorado, asking if we would like to accept position out there. We were so thrilled that we had the opportunity to teach at the same school in our first year so we accepted the positions and packed our bags! For two years, I taught various forms of art classes to high schoolers: Ceramics, Digital Art, Painting, and Drawing. It was a wonderful job of which I created many memories and made friends with many of my colleagues. I tip my hat to all the current educators out there though because man is being a teacher not for the faint of heart! It is a tough tough job! In just year two, I was already feeling very burnt out in this career and began wondering if this really was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
In November of 2023, we were blessed with the best news we could’ve received. We were pregnant! I had never felt such excitement for something as small as a little line in my life. Before my husband and I got married, we had extensively discussed the importance of one of us being a stay at home parent to our children. God’s timing was perfect for our family as I would be delivering our daughter in the summer of 2024 which means I would not be returning to teaching for the foreseeable future.
Dropping from two incomes to one was a intimidating thought though. I began wondering how I could use my artistic talent to provide a small amount of income for our family. I researched different options and thats when I stumbled upon Live Wedding Painting. I had never heard of such a thing before so I continued my research and absolutely fell in love. It was as if a lightbulb had gone off and I thought, “Now this is something I could do!” Fast forward to the summer of 2024. We moved back to Nebraska to be closer to family and friends and bought our first home in Lincoln. My daughter, Jane, was born in August and I officially announced my business in December of 2024.
In only a short time, I have experienced so much love and support in this new calling of mine. It is the perfect work life balance and I’m so thankful to still have an outlet for my artistic skills. Being a live wedding painter gives me the flexibility to stay home with my daughter during the week and head to weddings on the weekends while my husband spends time with her. I am so thankful for this career. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Picture taken on the first day of teaching for my husband and I!
