A new year is a time for new dreams — although for Annie Corrington, those dreams have been in the works for a while.
Corrington has had a lifelong passion for art and, after growing up in St. Louis and studying art at Truman State University, she went on to earn a master’s degree in education to increase her ability to make her passion profitable.
“My mom told me I needed to not be a starving artist,” said Corrington, who is in her 14th year as an educator and currently teaches art to kindergarteners through 12th-graders in Mound City, Missouri.
Teaching has provided more than a paycheck. It also introduced her to her husband, Tom Corrington, who teaches science and history. And it was some T-shirt quilts she made for him about a year ago that spurred her to create a side business, which currently has her creating about one quilt per week.
But her vision goes beyond this to encompass all the art forms she teaches — including drawing, painting and pottery. And rather than taking her away from teaching, her entrepreneurial dream is to not only create her own art but also to have a place where she can offer classes that help others hone their creative skills.
“It’s weird in this time of coronavirus to want a physical space, but I dream of having one that’s all about art,” Corrington said, adding that just as exciting to her as the prospect of having this place is establishing it in Downtown St. Joseph.
“I see so much potential there,” she added. “Waterfront towns have the potential to be really cool, and I want to be a part of that.”
Although these uncertain times make it difficult to make concrete plans, Corrington hopes to be close to having that Downtown storefront about a year from now.
As she plans her path and waits for the pandemic to pass, she is thankful in the meantime to be able to grow her business from home. And as she tackles the quilts and other sewing projects that come her way — One currently on her agenda, for example, is making memory bears from a military uniform — she dreams of the day she’ll teach a number of women to quilt or to sew Halloween costumes or to follow wherever else creativity might lead.
“It’s very scary, but I think if you have a dream, follow it,” Corrington said. “I feel my toes starting down a new path, and I’m excited to see where it leads.”
This article originally ran on newspressnow.com.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.