About Lisa
Where It All Began: A Creative Legacy
When you're from a family of creators it's in your DNA to make stuff. My grandaddy was a photographer, my great aunts were expert needleworkers, and my cousins are painters.
Stitching Together a Passion for Art
In middle school, my best friend Amy taught me how to cross-stitch and that marked the beginning of my creative journey. I completed some fairly intricate projects for my age and even designed a few of my own patterns. I was serious about stitching!
From Interior Design to Artful Living
Creativity wasn’t top of mind while I struggled to survive my twenties. But the rising popularity of HGTV in the early aughts sparked an interest in home décor. I was obsessed with Design on a Dime. After purchasing a condo, I fell in love with interior design since I had a place to call my own. A few years later I started a one-day decorating business called Refreshing Rooms, using my clients’ existing furniture and home accessories to redesign their spaces in just one day.
Between client projects and remodeling a condo, my creativity blossomed into an artful life. My personal bathroom remodels were featured on a DIY Network show called BATHtastic!, I facilitated art therapy sessions with trafficking survivors in China, and joined creativity groups that led me to pottery, mosaics, and art journaling as enjoyable hobbies.
Turning Challenges Into Artful Triumphs
With extra free time in 2020, I became a pandemic painter and created small acrylic paintings regularly. It was fun for a while, and then I took a short break that turned into several years. After this dormancy, I needed to shake things up, so I turned my front living room into an art studio.
Miraculously, I've been living with stage IV colon cancer since 2014. Chronic illness hasn't slowed me down much - it's actually awakened a zest for life. At the same time, ongoing treatments remain challenging. Creating art helps me shift the burden of cancer to something more positive. When I paint, my energy moves from heavy and dismayed to light and hopeful.
Living a Life of Hope & Beauty
I'm a Florida native from a small rural town and humble beginnings. Upon graduating from University of Florida, I moved to Orlando for a job in corporate event planning. A few years later, I found a better suited career recruiting clinical trial professionals for pharma companies. After two decades I released the recruitment hustle to focus on my health. The Orlando area is where I call home with my #1 fan, Dane, and the scrappy street cats that adopted us.
Thank you for being part of my journey. Through art, we make the world a more beautiful and hopeful place.
