When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When life hands you a passion, you use it in every way you can.

Senior Mackenzie Crowl has begun to turn her passion into profit. Crowl has created her own online shop on Etsy, a website that is home for artists who wish to sell their unique creations.

Crowl has loved art since she was a child and has found it to be a way to relax.

“I enjoy creating art because it calms me down and gives me a sense of peace,” says Crowl.

Her favorite pieces to create are those that involve watercolor paintings, as she feels that the colorful pieces turn out the best.

“My favorite thing I’ve ever created is probably my picture of Cave Run that is a water color.”

After discovering this passion, Crowl realized it was something she wished to pursue in the future.

“I plan on minoring in art in college,” says Crowl, “and using the money from selling my art to help pay for college.”

Crowl started her Etsy shop in January after observing other artists on Instagram successfully begin their own Etsy shops. She realized that her previously created art held the potential to let her begin her own shop.

“I realized I make a lot of art that just sits around and wanted to try to sell it,” says Crowl.

Not only is she selling pieces that she has created in the past, she is also creating custom art pieces for those who request them.

“I love doing custom pieces,” says Crowl. “If people ask me to make them something, I do it. I love doing it.”

Crowl finds sharing art important and wants her art to have an impact on those who see it.

“I want it to make people happy,” says Crowl. 

It is said that when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. As Crowl continues to follow her passion in every way she can, she will prove this to be true.