We had the good fortune of connecting with Athena McCorquodale and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Athena, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I had been in an accident 5 months prior and it had left my family in financial ruins. I had fallen from 4 stories and fractured both my legs and back. With all the hospital bills and ambulance rides i felt guilty for my parents suffering. 2 days after being admitted to the hospital my mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. My family was in ruins.So i decided to start a business of my passion. Art.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an Excellent photo editor. Some people have described my work as professional. I’ve always been artistic. Heck when i was a baby i painted my dinner plate with ketchup. That’s when my parents knew they had to feed my creative skills. (And stop giving me ketchup!) My dream is for my art to be sought after and purchased worldwide. The biggest challenge was finding time to turn peoples fantasies into reality while also dealing with my health issues. I want people to know how dedicated i am to my work. I value my customers with all of my being. Just the thought of someone seeing my art and smiling or liking it brings joy to my soul. I’m still in the process of finalising my business. It takes a lot of dedication let me tell you that. But I’ve never been happier in my life than now.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well Tim Hortons is a big thing in my town, My town is small but there is nothing better than going swimming and drinking cold refreshing drinks. Staying out late going for drives around town. Singing in front of a store at night listening to our voices echo. Go shopping. And the best yet is all the fast food. There is nothing like sharing food and fooling around as if no one is watching.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank the many small businesses on tiktok. Especially crystal businesses. I had been obsessed with crystals and then one day art tiktoks popped up on my page and i got thinking. Especially after the accident. I’ve always wanted a business of my own and this was perfect. So i started creating custom pieces of art for people and my business is still small but i hope kind people will help it grow. My family counts on me.

Instagram: @athena_raebird

Youtube: Bigboy Thickie

Image Credits
FantasyDreamsArtandEdits

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