It Takes Time to Build a Home

If you are anything like me, you have realized that building the life and home that you want takes time.

Experience.

Trial and error, even.

I understand! Just recently, a friend of mine here in Jacksonville took the time to show me around her home. I was captivated. It seemed every piece of furniture and painting on the walls carried a story. She and her husband had thoughtfully assembled each and every room of their gorgeous historic home with intention and purpose. They had made bold decisions that worked. I loved every second of the tour.

The catalogues of staged interiors are beautiful, but sometimes our lives just don’t fit into the curated pages. It takes time to know what you like, and sometimes a little bravery to go ahead and paint the whiskey room navy blue.

As an art collector and home owner myself, I appreciate this concept, so I thought I’d pop in your inbox today with a few things I’ve learned that may help you create a space that brings you joy.

1. Take your time.

Truly. It’s okay to wait until it feels right! The first major art purchase I made happened rather quickly, but it came after looking at plenty of art. When my husband and I saw it, we just knew, because it made us feel different than everything else we had seen over time.

2. Start with small investments.

Prints are very reasonably priced ways to invite a painting you adore into your space without committing to the price tag of an original. Believe me, I know original art is an investment, and that should not be a decision you make casually. As if we didn’t have enough reasons to love them, prints can also be customized to your space needs! (We can go into more detail on this later :))

3. Gallery Walls!

I LOVE making huge statements with even bigger paintings… but in more than one spot in my house, I love utilizing the gallery wall concept. Gallery (or parlor) walls allow you to arrange a wide variety of sizes and styles (prints and small originals!) to fill a space… typically surrounding a theme. My daughter’s room has a gallery wall of French Impressionists, and we’ve enjoyed collecting street art from our travels in another spot.

4. Pay attention to how you feel.

I alluded to this in the first tip, but it’s worth it’s own thought. Art should move you, and make you feel a certain way. Maybe it spurs you to action, maybe it brings you a sense of peace. When you welcome art into your home, you are also welcoming those emotions into your space. However you feel is valid and “correct,” 


As an artist, I am so passionate about creating from a place of honest curiosity. I am constantly surrounded by art, but I know most people aren’t, and it can be confusing. I’d love to help demystify it, so over the next few months, I figured I’d share a few more insights on collecting art that you truly love to be around.

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