I like to think I know myself pretty well. I’ve worked hard with my therapist to be able to take a step back and figure out the why when I act self-destructively. That way I can make an informed decision about whether I want to continue doing whatever I was doing that isn’t healthy for me.

Devona Jefferson, frustrated with the toxic work environment that was wreaking havoc on her lupus, reached her wit’s end and jumped down the rabbit hole. But such jumps are never simple. Devona was already doing fine art photography when she left her job, and knew she wanted to expand that into a business. The problem was she had no business plan beyond a vague idea that she should approach galleries to display and sell her art.

This is Devona Jefferson. I met her through a mutual friend and found out that she has recently achieved something many of us have dreamed of, but are too afraid to try. Devona has always been creative. She picked up a camera for the first time when she was just 11. It was a Kodak 110, one of those flat black rectangles with a flash bulb that looked like a giant Lego piece. She was immediately taken with the artistic medium, and her father got her a 35mm camera for her college graduation so she could run with it.