I’ve always been creative, but I never thought that meant I would become an artist.

I sewed my first pillowcase in Pre-K, painted throughout elementary school, and taught myself portraiture during Covid, eventually experimenting with everything from graphite and colored pencil to acrylic and oil. Even after selling commissions and winning awards, I entered college convinced that art was something I loved but not something I wanted as a career. I chose communications because I loved talking, creating ideas, and eventually planning events. For a while, I was completely sure that was the path I was supposed to take.

That changed during an internship that made me realize how badly I wanted control over what I was building with my life. Around the same time, I was watching artists my age use social media to build careers without waiting for anyone else to give them permission, and I started wondering if I could do the same. Then I sold a painting for $200, and for the first time, an art career didn't feel completely unrealistic.

A few months later, I left for a semester abroad in Morocco intending to take a break from painting and social media, but after about two weeks I bought art supplies and started painting again. I posted a few paintings from Morocco, and one of those videos took off, eventually leading to thousands of followers, commissions, and people around the world owning my work.

Morocco became the place where everything clicked for me creatively and personally. I wasn't just inspired by the things I saw, I was painting constantly, experimenting with watercolor, sharing the process online, and realizing that people actually wanted to follow along. By the time I left, I had thousands of followers, actual money art revenue, and a much clearer idea of what I wanted my future to look like.

Coming home made me realize I couldn't go back to treating art as a side project, which is why I even briefly made the dramatic decision to leave college, before finding a way to build my art business and finish my degree at the same time(thanks to my amazing professors). Now I'm finishing senior year while building Claire Stefanich Art, and I'm excited to see how far I can take something that started with a little girl who simply liked making things.