This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. In this segment, Katie Doiron of Katie Doiron’s Art talks about how important it is to support local to keep our companies in business.

I DO NOT THINK I HAD A CHOICE, I HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT I WAS CREATED FOR THE JOB I HAVE NOW. I DID HORRIBLE IN SCHOOL AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I COULD NOT EVEN GET ACCEPTED INTO ANY UNIVERSITIES. AFTER I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS WORKING IN GYMS AND THE MALL AND I FELT SUPER STRESSED ABOUT MY FUTURE.

Fast forward a few years and a few different jobs, I started selling art on Facebook for fun. I did not think anybody cared about my art or would even purchase one piece, I just started putting it up for fun because I have always had a passion for art.

Shortly after I started, I ended up selling 53 paintings in one month and then some news and radio stations got a hold of the story. This gave me a bunch of free publicity, and that kick-started my business to where it has grown today.

From that moment on, I stopped working my minimum wage jobs and started working for myself. I have always been a strong supporter of shopping local, but this past year showed how important it really is. Through conversations with local businesses, entrepreneurs, and my own experience, I realized supporting local means supporting people.

In the past year, I have seen friends shut the doors to their businesses and when it’s someone you know, it forces you to look at these businesses differently. You have to ask yourself, “where is my money going?” Is it helping a multimillionaire become a billionaire, or is it enriching a family’s life? Hopefully the lessons we have learned this past year will help make a difference in the future locally.