How My Failed Trip Led to the Greatest Opportunity

I’m a self-taught artist.

But I went years without ever touching a paintbrush.

And aside from a few workshops and courses, I only painted for fun.

Until a failed trip to Spain and Morocco changed everything.

What happened? I got so sick that I ended up in a hospital in Marrakesh. I didn’t exactly get better, so I cancelled the rest of the trip and went home.

I was devastated. I was the sickest I’d ever been in my life.

Travel meant everything to me. And the thought of not being able to travel completely broke my heart.

Doctors said it was an upper respiratory infection, but I wasn’t convinced it was that simple. It took me over a month to recover—to the point where I was okay, but not great.

My mind was numb. My body was weak. My soul was crushed.

I was still working my 9 – 5 job at the time too. And when I finally returned to work, my boss said to me, “I don’t think you should travel during this time of the year anymore.”

It felt like a punch in the face.

I cried in the washroom while hugging my ribcage (since it physically hurt to cry).

This was such a low point in my life, probably one of the lowest.

But the silver lining now that I look back, is this:

I started painting again.

Something compelled me to experiment, to do something creative. Maybe it was to take my mind off of everything that had happened. Or to escape into a more colourful realm.

Whatever the reason, I was drawn to paint and create again.

Then one day, I came across a call to apply to a local market as a vendor. The only application requirement? You needed an active Etsy store.

So I set one up with three products.

I applied. I waited.

And unbelievably, I was accepted.

It was completely unexpected.

Before the excitement sunk in, I realized I had three months to somehow pull this off.

Sounds crazy, right?

I had no art sales, no prior business experience, and no idea what I was in for.

But I did it. I went all in.

I bought heaps of art materials, table displays, and packaging supplies. I designed my own marketing material, figured out pricing, created all the content for new socials, etc.

I painted and created my heart out.

And you know what? When the day came to haul everything to the first day of the market (alone and nervous AF), I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity. 

This market opened up so many new doors for me.

I remember shakily swiping the credit card of my first sale. And the joy I felt after I sold not one original painting (which was my goal) but three. One customer even bought two paintings!

And so, this is how my art journey began.

The ball of opportunity kept rolling after that as I attended more markets, sold my work at stores and art shows, got featured in a magazine, and commissioned a giant pair of paintings.

I was even confident enough to add “I’m an artist” to my multi-passionate identity.

By the way, this all happened just three years ago.

And so much has happened since then too. I quit that 9 – 5 job to go full-time with my art and copywriting business (but that’s a whole other story!)

It’s funny because to this day, I still have NO sales from my Etsy store. But it turns out I didn’t need it to make money from my art.

I only needed it for the opportunity.

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