Me, Myself and I

I thought I would introduce myself and let you know who I am. The thing is, I have been many things in my life, and I am constantly evolving, as I am sure all of you are.

Now in August 2021 – I have much more wisdom and have lived through things that build strength. I had the fleeting thought that I may not survive some of them, but one of my favorite sayings is, “This too shall pass.”

Many years ago, I started as an artist – oil painting, drawing, and sold quite a few of my paintings. The term starving artist is true! I went back to school in Houston and did get a degree in computer animation and multimedia. An interesting piece of that is I went to check out an art school with my daughter, who had just graduated high school. I love it so much. We both signed up and did get our degrees together such a wonderful experience; I loved it.

My Profession

I have owned my own business for many years. I had a graphics studio when I lived in Houston, TX. In the nineties – I moved back to Utah taught at Computer Solutions, a technical college, teaching HTML, Photoshop, etc.

Once back in Utah, I started Artista Design, website development, graphic design services – business cards, flyers, posters, stationary. Branding a company with a logo and all it entails. As social media became the rage, I worked with clients on helping them navigate and market on the latest trends. I eventually became a consultant for small businesses to help them gain a more significant footprint on the internet. 

I had a blog when they first became popular on business strategies etc. Old articles, but some are still relevant Promotional Designer this was before the advent of WordPress. I have since written an extremely personal blog under a ghost name: Surviving Life After 50. I still do work with small businesses to help them in all of these areas. https://artistadesign.com

Personal Story of change

Working hard to build my business was my life for a while, but when my husband became terminally ill, things changed. Through that life experience going through his illness and eventually losing him, I had an epiphany. I realized how fleeting life could be.

Life throws curveballs, and he didn’t get to enjoy the fruits of his labor because his life was cut short. As I went through this major life crisis, I learned that I wanted something more. The process of being the sole caretaker until my husband’s death made me realize how isolating and alone one can feel. Being in my late 50’s I didn’t ever think I would be starting over again.

So I started a private page on Facebook for women 50+ who were going through loss and pain. A support group. If you would like to join, here is the link Facebook.com/womenofacertainage. I am also currently writing a book about my journey of caring for a spouse with a terminal illness for those in the same situation and who need support that they are not alone. If we live long enough, we will all go through loss and pain. We cannot avoid it. 

My Belief

My husband has been gone for over three years, and I am learning so much about myself. I want women to know that we can become strong through adversity, be beautiful at any age, and embrace the life we have left with gusto and verve.

And believe you are not alone no matter what you are going through. I want my blog to be a community of women, a sisterhood of sorts for women over 50 who need support and want to live a full-throttle life.

My new passion is the creation of the blog that this article is posted on. It is in its infancy.