Not only because she created me (yippee!) but also because she was the one who:

Helped decorate science fair posters
Was awake at 2am painting banners for sporting events
Helped hand sew/stitch/glue many (many!) costumes
Made birthday cakes into castles, frogs, butterflies, and more
Gave me a badass eyeliner look the halloween I dressed up as a Spider Countess.

Apparently you can buy one of my fondest childhood memories on Ebay for $12.00. Not sure how I feel about that…

From as early as I can remember, my sweet sweet mama has been fairy-godmothering the world left and right. She has a knack for making things beautiful; from sand on the beach to bedroom walls. Even the humble pairing of paper and pencil became hours of creative entertainment. A few weeks ago, when an art professor asked me to name my “creative inspiration”, I’m sure they expected someone like Van Gough or Tissi.

HAH - Joke’s on them. It’s my mom!

We've already established that she is absolutely an artist in her own right, but the true inspiration—the inspiration and confidence she instilled in me, which has lasted 18 years—comes from one pivotal interaction.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away… little Gracen wrapped 5 uncoordinated toddler fingers around a big, fat, scented Crayola marker. I can still remember those deliciously pungent artificial odors. Those (toxic?) fumes undoubtedly singed pre-adolescent nose hairs around the world. Never mind about that. It was time. THE DAY HAD COME! With my right hand about as steady as a wobbling bottle cap, I pressed pen to paper. What looked back at me moments later were two tiny eyes, one wide grin, and a perfectly connected circle.

MY FIRST EVER SMILEY FACE!

In the past, my portrait attempts had consisted of indiscernible blobs or facial features corralled by a circle with two ends. Which, by definition, is not a circle at all. Imagine two eyeballs and a smile surrounded by a jiggady joggedy ‘U’ shape. All of those failed attempts were behind me now. This was a full on face someone could recognize without extensive explanation, courtesy of 4-year-old me.

I remember rushing over to my biggest cheerleader and excitedly shoving my creation into view. Her reaction was one I still remember in vivid detail. Long story short, you wouldn’t have known the difference between my mother seeing a child’s smiley face drawing and her gazing upon St. Peter’s Basilica. In turn, this reaction of amazement & excitement made me feel like [insert the most famous artist you know]. All I had done was draw two dots, a curved line, and a circle that actually connected. By no means was this a masterpiece…to anyone besides my mother.

The way she has cherished every piece of artwork throughout the years has only built up my passion for art. Not because I am ‘good’, actually, in spite of any talent or training. She taught me something more important than anything I could learn in school, from a book, or on youtube.