KAILUA-KONA — Lil’ Miss D had a feeling many people are familiar with, but few actually act upon.
She quit her job and walked away from the corporate world to pursue her dreams.
The former white collar 9-to-5er ditched her healthy salary and benefits in order to pursue painting as well as connect with her inner self.
It might sound Hollywood cliched, but by golly, it takes guts.
“I was unfulfilled,” said the artist, who goes only by the name Lil’ Miss D.
But the happily-ever-after ending didn’t begin right when she said goodbye to her old corporate retail merchandise planning and sales job. Even after she moved to Hawaii from California four years ago, she was confronted with fears — fear about not making enough money to support herself, about judgment that comes from stepping away from social norms, fears rooted in self-doubt.
“I was just too afraid,” she said. “I was like, ‘How can I make this work? I don’t want to be homeless.’”
It was on a trip to Bali under the tutelage of an artist there that she learned the power of believing in oneself, abandoning the fear of the unknown for the courage to live in the moment.
“I broke through a lot of blocks in my painting,” the artist said.
Miss D will present two collection she’s produced since that artistic breakthrough during “Awakening, Artist Talk Story and Exhibit” at 2 p.m. June 29 at the Paleaku Peace Garden in Captain Cook.
The show will feature abstract, acrylic work that represents the artist’s expression upon returning to the Big Island after traveling to Bali and through the Red Woods of Mendocino. Pieces from the first collection she produced while camping for 26 days around Kona and West Hawaii.
In addition to the art, the talk story portion will highlight Miss D’s personal journey to becoming an artist — for anyone thinking about jumping from the corporate ship.
“It’s just this belief in myself,” she said about the fruits she’s experienced since she changed her path. “I just got to believe in myself. I’m realizing that. The abundances are pouring in.”
Info: artbylilmissd.com