She went to the hardware store and bought 5 gallons of paint in different colors.
“I wanted to do a mural in the corner of my bedroom,” she said. “Then I realized I didn’t need five gallons to paint a few square feet. But I was stuck with $200 worth of paint. So I decided to paint the whole house. I painted the whole hallway, I painted a huge mural on the stairwell, the cabinet and wall trim, and the ceiling. I was like, I’m going to get rid of this paint. It instantly made my house look colorful and bright.”
“It was just art therapy,” she said. “And it made me feel good. I’ve always wanted to have my own space, but I just couldn’t do it. I said, ‘I have a canvas, so I can do whatever I want!’ This was the first time I thought that. ”
Slowly, she turned her home into a work of art. She said, “My friends saw my house and they asked me to post it online, and I said, ‘This is crazy, I’m too old for TikTok!'”
But while work was at a standstill, she decided to give it a try. She cut two shots of her into a simple video, showcasing a bedroom window surrounded by a DIY green wall, and posted it on TikTok. She racked up 1 million views within a day.
“My first video went viral!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know it was special! I didn’t use TikTok much. I thought, ‘This is so easy that anyone can do it!’
So she continued to make videos, document her drawings, share decorating hacks for renters, and make response videos to some of the craziest comments. “Baby boomers call it the cheap kindergarten aesthetic,” she says. “Everyone thinks I’m young, but I just think it’s fun!”
She says she no longer reads her own comments, especially on TikTok, because some of them are so harmful. “I can’t believe anyone would get mad at how someone else decorates their home. This isn’t your home, calm down!”
In January 2023, she lost her full-time job, a victim of layoffs at a major technology company at the time. However, rather than looking for another job, she decided to pursue content creation. She parlayed her internet fame into her new career as an interior decorator, taking on projects for open-minded clients who give her creative freedom, creating partnerships with brands, and creating her own unique wallpapers. I created the design.
