<div>Thank you for taking your time in reading this page. My name is Courtney Bennett. The main purpose of this funding is to gain investment money to support a new venture in selling my artwork. It has always been my dream to share my artwork in this way, but my main priority is and always will be supporting my family. I am hoping with funding I can make this dream a reality sooner. This venture would accomplish a goal in my life and hopefully in time provide additional support to my family.
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<div>A bit more about me. I am originally from Virginia Beach, VA and currently reside in Western MA. I have been married to my wonderful, supportive husband, Stephen, for 11 years. We met while I attended George Washington University for graduate school and he was in the US Army stationed in the Arlington area. It was by chance we met, and so thankful we did. We have created a beautiful family with three children, Aiden (9), Finn (8), and Fallon (4)...and can't forget the fur babies Rocky, Luna, and Canasta. 
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<div>I currently work as Board Certified Registered Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor at the Central Western MA VA. I work primarily with inpatient Veterans that attend our Substance Use Clinic, PTSD Clinic, Acute Psychiatric Mental Health Clinic, and Community Living Center Clinic.
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<div>My life has always been about creativity and spreading that to those I work with.  I always say that I have a “unicorn job,” being able to work with Veterans and to help them find healing through their own creative expression. Sometimes it’s creativity they never realized they possessed. I truly believe that if you were to ask those that have come into the studio, they would be able to share the genuine passion and investment I have in their time shared with me through their art. 
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<div>I have always been creating and bouncing between different mediums and techniques—never really creating the same thing twice. When someone shares that they like something I have created, I usually just give them the piece. The product had never really been the purpose of why I create, but if that product brings something positive to someone else, I saw no reason not to just share that by giving it to them. Not trying to be cheesy, but I love giving gifts of any kind, and to give a gift of a personal expressive creation just lights my world up. They appreciate the work, but also all the expression, emotion, and thoughts I had while creating the art.
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<div>Recently, I have been working on a series of Zodiac signs, “Zen Zodiacs,” and have really found a style that I hadn’t discovered before. Each piece has taken me 45+ hours to draw. I never have worked like this before and have learned a new level of patience in myself. I work a full 40-hour work week and have three wonderful (CRAZY) children, so the time I have taken to create these comes after the workday, after everyone is fed, things are picked up, and settling down for bed. It is also time that I take to myself (self-care is IMPORTANT) on weekends, that my husband, Stephen, says, “Go enjoy drawing.” I cannot deny his continuous support and honest critiques that have allowed me to come to this place in my art, that I feel the ability to share more of it.
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<div>As I have shared the images I have created in this series, so many people have asked if I would sell them. To be honest, to sell the originals would be so difficult, but has me continuously thinking about really trying this whole venture of producing my work to sell and the reason for this page.
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<div>In reality, the easy part of this process is creating the artwork. To get to a point of selling it is a whole other journey. <strong>This page is to ask for investment in allowing me to push further into the journey of selling my artwork.</strong>
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<div>To begin this process, I would need to scan the original 30”x22” drawings to establish high-resolution images that can be used for reproduction. I know to some, getting a picture scanned doesn’t seem like a big deal, but due to size and maintaining detail, the cost of each scan would be at least $100. So you can see how this journey starts adding up quickly.
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<div>The funding would also go to the purchase of specific equipment to print and cut the images in a variety of ways for selling. <strong>The dream would be that the Zen Zodiac series would be my first in many that I would be able to sell to others.</strong> I am very close to completion of this series and open to ideas for a new series to start working on, while pushing forward in this personal dream of growing as an artist.
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<div>Those that have made it to the end of this and might be considering a donation or investment, I would like to add a bonus to your generosity. I would love to send a print of your choice of the current series as a thank you for your support and interest in the artwork I hope to share with many more.
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Donna Salo

Cheryl Shippee-Porter

Bruce Jaeger

Anonymous

Melissa Melissa

John Suckau

Johanna Collins

Gabrielle Manuel

Chad Danusis

Wilfredo Vargas

Timothy Madden

Investing in a dream and a journey through art

Investing in a dream and a journey through art

Still $3,508 to go. Help us build momentum.