making jewelry with rural artisans + non-profits to help end poverty + injustice in the world

One of my hardest moments came about 6 months after I quit my job and sold everything (the very romantic story I shared above). My reserve savings was drying up, and in the same week I lost my part time job, my car was towed twice (a $1000 price tag) and my rent doubled unexpectedly. I literally found a quarter on the sidewalk and deposited it into my bank account and ate my roommates stale tortillas (thank you Julie Ordonez). I was that broke. I remember walking around Los Feliz (no car remember), where I was living at the time, and praying, begging, for the trials to stop. I was at the end of what I could handle and I needed help, a break. I wanted to quit. But something happened, and I didn't. I chose to stay in it. And things slowly, in teeny tiny steps, started coming together. A kind person picked me out of the audience at a game show and I won the exact amount I needed to pay for my tow tickets. A friend got me a job at a restaurant. Family members bought my jewelry. People took risks on me and introduced me to others who would ultimately build into the story that I'm living now. And today, 7 years later, I'm just dipping my toes into the dreams I've had forever. I think the journey can be a slow one that is built on the kindness of others, and made up of a bunch of times saying yes when you feel like you want to give up.