MY STORY
I am an artist by nature and was creating T-shirts before there were a such thing as "computer generated graphics". But don't let my age scare you…I still have a wild (range) of imagination!
I actually started creating T-shirt graphics for conventions for Narcotics Anonymous when I got clean in 1987. And I have created several hundred, I really do not even have any clue how many since. I've also created quite a bit for Alcoholics Anonymous and various other recovery groups in our area.
In addition, I have done the t-shirts for the school clubs, athletics, bands, etc. I've done a lot of work for church's and summer camps, scouts, etc. On the other hand I've got t-shirts on the website called "T-shirt Hell". Not sure if you are familiar with that, but it is a bit off the beaten path. I've done work for some of the local talent, from the grunge bands to the honky tonk country bar bands. Some twisted, dark humor & light hearted cutesy stuff.
I've used the zazzle.com website for years and have a ton of t-shirts and other items on there that I played around with. If you're interested you could look at a few of the things there to get a feel for my work. https://www.zazzle.com/randomz/collections
So, "What is my story?"
My parents had 4 daughters, so I somehow wound up being the "son substitute" (definitely didn't mind) I played sports, beat up the boys, was an actual Boy Scout before it was a "thing" (my dad was a scout leader), so I guess it wasn't a big surprise when I went into the field of construction work.
So, when I became a mom at age 16, I needed a well paying job that also didn't require a 4 year college degree.
I had a friend that hung drywall, and said they needed help cleaning out units as they finished them out. I started ground up, learning on the job, and within a year I went from grunt to onsite foreman. Within 2 years I was taking care of the business side of the company as well, and eventually became joint owners of the business when we incorporated. We had 48 full-time employees and 100+ subcontractors.
Along the way, marriage, more babies, divorce, ....different jobs....new experiences...now, another divorce...you know...LIFE.
So, I am the mother of 3 girls and 3 boys...and yes, my last name is Braddy...so I've had 30 years of exactly what your thinking right now...lol. I also have 8 beautiful grandbabies.
I broke my back and had to give up construction work, so I went back to school.
I still had a family to feed, so I had to get a little creative to accommodate my school hours, their school hours, our already limited resources and time. So long before "Virtual Assistants" were really a "thing", I was the "Virtual Office" for 13 different small businesses or self-employed local companies in our area (1992).
When I graduated I took a position in a doctors office, and promptly had to overhaul their record and scheduling system. Yes it was early 1993, but they were still stuck in 1973! They actually DID have computers in the office, they just had no idea what to do with them!!! So, that was fun.
My children, without a doubt, have been "my life"! The driving force behind every "I can!" when I feel like I just can't make it another day. When I broke my back, and that doctor told me I'd never walk again, I told him to correct himself, I had 3 teenagers, an 11 year old, and a 3 year old and a 1 year old at home, so "not walking" wasn't an option. They also told me I'd be in inpatient physical therapy for at least 6 months, well, I WALKED out of the hospital (not physical therapy) in 3 weeks! (maybe it was more of a wobble, I was in a body cast, after all)
I tried to work within the school system participating, volunteering, PTA, even became a substitute teacher for as long as I could. I started feeling "uneasy" with the school system when the "No Child Left Behind" nonsense started, because what it really meant was no child could move AHEAD of whatever level the dumbest child in the school was. I know that sounds crude, but it was absolutely what it meant. Then they would tweak here and there each year. Public (and private 'accredited') "school" had clearly turned into creating little cookie cutter robots who could take standardized test. And the year they introduced Common Core is the year I took the 2 kids that I still had in public school out and homeschooled them. My youngest son graduated last year with a 3.69 GPA and 4 college credits before he even picks a college. My daughter graduated in 2016 with 3.45 GPA and the Marines beating the doors to get her because she scored so high on her ASVAB test. And they learned "the standards" that they had to learn but under my curriculum and my lessons. And their ACT and SAT scores were off the chart, so I guess we did something right. If I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I would have never sent a single one of my children to public school.
As the parent of a child with autism and remembering how I felt the moment "that word" came out of his doctor's mouth and how scared, hopeless and devastated I felt in that early time after his diagnosis. There was so little information to be found, and even less with any positive outcomes. And even WAY less information the education system had. So, as I became that one small voice advocating for my son's rights, I became an advocate for the rights of all people with autism. 20 years ago doesn't seem that long until you look back at what the many (yes! many!) advocacy groups for autism have been able to accomplish in just 2 decades.And how much richer are not only the lives of people with autism but the world as well. "Unlocking" these beautiful minds is just amazing!
I am blessed beyond measure and highly favored. God blessed me with 6 beautiful wonderful children. Each one have come with lesson plans straight from God and they have taught me things I never knew were "things."
