I left the gallery in 2013 with the birth of my second child. However, the gallery continued for three more years, and I created more visual materials for it from time to time.

Being able to build a brick-and-mortar business with an online presence from scratch gave me hands-on experience in all aspects of business—from concept to execution, and every step in between. It also gave me the ability to test different marketing strategies in real time, interact directly with customers to get personalized feedback, and build an online and social media presence with a niche customer base.

I'm thrilled that I've had this hands-on experience marketing a hard-to-sell product. I had complete control over our advertising mix, social media, and visual branding.

The gallery also provided an opportunity to support the local artist communities and get to know hundreds of hard-working, talented people.