Vanessa Royal 

Born and raised in Alabama, I grew up immersed in music, art and writing. I spent countless hours in my room drawing, filling notebooks full of stories, lyrics and sketches. I was a dreamer who sometimes found the classroom challenging, but was fortunate to attend first through sixth grade at a school devoted to a strong arts program which laid a firm foundation for the early years of my art making. 

My love for the mountains and outdoor sports drew me to Tennessee where I attended college and started my somewhat nomadic lifestyle as a whitewater rafting guide on the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers. 

Following graduation, I moved to Asheville, NC to work for Lotus Designs, a start-up whitewater lifejacket company that was later purchased by Patagonia, Inc. I was incredibly blessed to be immersed in the rich corporate culture of Patagonia, but learned from that experience my true passion was grassroots entrepreneurship which I thrived upon during my early days at Lotus Designs. 

In 2000, my career took a radical shift, moving to Nashville where I spent ten years as a singer-songwriter chasing the magic of Music Row. It was everything one might imagine it to be, exciting, adventurous, challenging...the days were filled with highs and lows but an incredibly rare and rewarding experience that I do not take for granted. 

Still during those years in Nashville, I often found myself returning to art. I would fill the house with paint and canvas, watercolors and sketches. I also did some mural paintings during this time and started a side business hand painting watercolor greeting cards which I sold at craft shows and on Etsy, a new online selling platform at the time. 

In 2010, life brought me back to my home state of Alabama. After a year of making trips to Nashville, with small children at home I knew my songwriting career in Nashville would no longer be sustainable. I polished off my resume and found a job I truly loved, working for a Chamber of Commerce in the quaint little historic downtown Wetumpka, Alabama while continuing to create art at home when I had the time or needed the reconnect. 

In 2022, I took I giant leap of faith to pursue a full-time career in visual arts. Art has been a true journey of self-exploration and healing for me, but my greatest hope is that being vulnerable through the process inspires others to pursue their true passion and God-given talents and abilities.