Once Upon a Time....

...there was a Midwestern-jeweler-turned-office-dwelling-watch-designer-
temporarily-residing-in-Switzerland who doodled and dreamed of returning home and starting her own business featuring her unique jewelry designs. Before work, after work, during lunch breaks she would google ideas and tangents on how to make her dreams of a new life a reality. It was during one of these searches fate stepped in and led her to an artist in residence position in a tiny unbeknownst town in rural Iowa. She packed her bags, her ideas, and her cats, hopped a plane and boldly went forth with her ever intrepid plan.

Almost two years, many art shows, and all of her savings later she was still residing in Smalltown, USA....and had grown to love it. The slower pace of life, the close knit community, the can-do spirit all appealed to her and the wandering artist planned to set down roots. She found the perfect location where she could live and work. It was no shining castle, it was a bit down at the heels and in need of an artist's vision and our protaganist's own special brand of TLC. She looked forward to this task with great relish.

But this tale, like all others before it, has a few surprises in store. Not all of them sunny and light.

'Bwahahaha' cackled the Imps of Empty Pockets & Broken Dreams, 'How will you ever pay for it all? How does a full-time, self-employed, wandering artist conform and show steady monthly income? You'll never get a loan! Not to mention restoring your 'castle' to it's prime. Bwahahaha!' Having executed that wedgie of doubt they flew off and gave one another high-fives.

Our artist grew morose and saw her brightly colored dream fading away. She was doomed either give up her fledgling business and studio or to be banished to the Basement of the KinFolk in order to sustain it. What ever was she to do? The Demons' words kept circling around her 'How will you ever pay for it all? How does a full-time, self-employed, wandering artist conform...?' And an idea began to brew. 'I'll do what I do best!' she declared. Her two cats looked up, yawned and went back to sleep on the rocking chair. 'By using my creative skills and thinking above, around, and beyond the box I will triumph!'

Click here to see her solution

Solution!

She decided to appeal to the global village and show her wares worldwide on the site listed below in hopes of finding a patron or two....hundred. People that love her work and want to see an artist continue to be an artist. People with a dream, a vision, an understanding of what it means to think different or yearn for something 'impossible'.

Our artist, Rachel is her name, has little less 60 days to sell enough jewelry* to support her dream. To see available pieces click here...

To donate to the cause, keep the dream alive, and help banish the Demons of Empty Pockets & Broken Dreams click here...

Thank you for reading Rachel's story and for all of you chasing your dreams or living them, a tip of the hat.

*All jewelry (including the glass beads and metal elements) are handmade by Rachel Sims in her temporary studio in Corning, Iowa.