It started out of boredom. Being in quarantine with nothing to do, junior Hallie Graves passed the time by painting every wall in her room and making endless digital art and paintings for her loved ones.

“I have been quarantined quite a few times. I painted The Starry Night on my wall, as well as a design behind my bed. I made lots of digital art pieces for some of my family members and my friends. I also painted some canvas art,” said Graves. 

Graves has been actively painting and creating art for family and friends for well over a year now, but has just recently started her own business for it. 

“One of my family members asked me to make a custom art picture for them to give as a gift and she offered to pay me for it. This was when I realized that I could really make something from creating art for people. I would be making a profit for doing something I love. I talked to my parents about it and they helped me set up a bank account as well as a Venmo account. I also made an Instagram page where I could easily advertise and sell my art,” said Graves. 

With her business still being in its infancy, Graves is trying to grow in customers and expand her variety of projects. She plans to use the money she makes to become stable with her art supplies at the start, and as she becomes more secure she will use it for more personal items. 

“I hope that starting this business will help me to improve my art skills and show people what I am capable of and how dedicated I am. I have a passion for art and I want to share that with everyone as much as possible,” said Graves. 

To see and purchase Graves’s art, you can visit her Instagram page @halli3s_art and direct message her for more information.