Giving back is the heart of the Snowdrop Studio

"Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and go do it, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."- Howard Thurman

I have always loved art and making things.  I love color, self-expression and experiencing many different types of art and the influence it can have over your mood, your motivations and your perspective.  I have also always had a heart for those who struggle, those who hurt, those who need help.  

I have supported and followed many give-back companies and organizations for many years now.  It moves my spirit to see how business can make a difference for those in need through sharing profits, giving job opportunities and raising awareness for important causes.  This is the way to make change in the world, by using the gifts given to you by your Maker, for the benefit of others.  Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”  Each month, The Snowdrop Studio will donate a minimum of 10% of our profits to our chosen Cause of the Month.  My long-term hope is to raise awareness and funds for different causes and organizations through this effort.  In addition, as the business grows, I dream of hiring women in need of an opportunity.  

In January of 2017, a little over a year after my mom lost her battle with brain cancer, I was deep in grief and thinking about her legacy.  She was creative in so many ways.  She loved ceramics, quilting, baking and gardening.  She made over one hundred quilts, that all of her family members and dear friends can enjoy and remember her joy, love and passion in creating them.  My  parents  sent me to art school, and never asked, “What type of job will you get with a painting degree?” They  simply paid those bills, encouraged my gift, and decorated every room of their home with my artwork and painted furniture.  My  mom  was deeply involved with causes that were dear to her heart.  She worked for many years at a shelter for women who had experienced domestic violence.  She supported MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), participated in the Million Mom March in  Washington  DC, and she always found ways to encourage women in need that she met in her daily life.  

My desire in making it the mission of The Snowdrop Studio to create hope through art comes from a combination of walking through many hard and tragic situations in my own life, and through my deep compassion and desire to make a difference for others, in my own little ways.  

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”  This quote, attributed to Methodist pastor John Wesley, sums it up.  I deeply believe each one of us has something to offer to make a difference for the people in our circles, and that if we can, let’s do it!