I can't believe it's been a decade since I took a week off from my job to learn how to use Typepad and elementary HTML programming in order to publish my blog. Are they still called blogs? It seems so archaic now. It was the end of May 2009. Facebook had only recently made the leap from college campuses to the ubiquitous platform it is today. Instagram and Pinterest weren't even created yet. MySpace was the only social media that had gone mainstream. 

To read that very first blog post, click here.

When I started the blog, it was simply a hobby, a place where I could publish tales and belles lettres about things I love, and interesting tidbits picked up from where I live, and some of the interesting people who live around here, plus beautiful gardens, traditional holidays, local events, and highlights of beautiful, historic home, and recipes, tons of scrumptious recipes, all to honor my southern roots.

My dear friend Ginger lived in Iowa at the time and suggested I write more about Southern Belles, southern history, and traditions, and general "southern-ness."  "Like, what is a Cotillion?" she asked. I"m happy to share what I know. I love the south, my home. Yet I also love New England, the mid-West, the Northwest, Europe, and places I've never been. It's hard to discriminate when my love of history, historic architecture, good food, interesting people, holidays and fun events are universal. 

It's been a learning process, especially thinking of all the faux pas that had to be corrected, apologized for, and blushed through. More importantly it has been an inspiring, creative outlet feeding my curiosity and love of photography and word smithing. 

Later in 2009, I wanted to go further into creativity and rekindled my love of Painting. I've always loved painting and art, but it took a backseat while attending graduate school and building a marketing career. But I missed it. I would go to galleries and museums and exhibits, and I started to notice nearly every Nashville painter gave credit to their instructors and influencers, and one name was repeated again and again, Hazel King. 

Who was Hazel King? I must find this woman. 

As luck would have it, or fate, or holding all things in divine order, Hazel King was a 90 year-old painting instructor who taught through Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation at the Centennial Park Art Center five days a week, and a new series of classes was starting in September. I had to be enrolled. The only problem was I worked five days a week and traveled out of state several times each month. How would this work?

Fortunately I had weeks of accrued comp time stored up, plus vacation time, and a supervisor who was leaving the company unbeknownst to anyone, and he agreed to let me take off from work ten Tuesdays in a row to take the class. I am forever grateful Gary Dittman!!!

And then started the next journey, to work towards becoming a self-employed Artist!

Charm of the Carolines has never swayed from its original mission, but oh has it expanded to include more of the things I love, including scripture, books, fostering rescue dogs and cats, mid-century living, and painting. You'll find my art peppered in the regular blog posts or dedicated blog posts or you can click on "Honoring the Muse" and read a dedicated section to painting, teaching, taking workshops, attending Plein Air invitationals, students, art dates, all things Artist. 

And mid-summer next year, I'll be celebrating my Ten Year Anniversary of being a self-employed artist.

Thank you for visiting with me, sharing your thoughts, allowing me to share mine. Thank you for rescuing dogs and cats and sharing my posts with your friends to get the word out when there is an unwanted animal in need of fostering or a forever home. Thank you for registering for my classes and workshops and purchasing my paintings. Thank you for your comments, for your photos shared with me for reference for future paintings, for your enthusiasm and questions, and insights. 

I can't wait to see what the next ten years hold.