A little over a year ago, Haylee McFarland had an “aha” moment. “If I could do anything for the rest of 
my life, it would be to create art,” says the artist, who creates everything freehand.
McFarland grew up in an artistic family. Her father was an illustrator, but she chose dance as her art form. By the time she was 20 years old, she was dancing professionally on cruise ships. However, her dance career ended at age 22 with two ruptured discs. She redirected her life and moved to California to pursue a career in makeup. “I liked it, but I never really felt I found my voice. Nothing ever made me feel the same way I did when I was dancing,” explains McFarland. That is until about a year ago, when an artist friend of hers was working on a project and McFarland randomly started drawing animals with lines and patterns in them. “I had no idea what “Zentangle” was or even that the kind of stuff I was drawing and painting even had a name, but I fell in love.”
January 1, 2016, she began pursuing her art full time. “I love that my ‘work’ now is to draw, or go around to art walks and street fairs and meet amazing people. It really is the best job,” she enthuses. “I get to make people happy with something that I’ve created from my heart.”
For more information, visit hmDesignStudios.com or Instagram.com/hmDesignStudios. If you want your art or photo featured on a Natural Awakenings Long Island cover, send your images to [email protected].
