What’s in a name?

My name is Trista and I am an artist, but one of words. Coincidentally, my name is an anagram for artist. While I’ve had many nicknames, from “Triscuit” to “TT,” I find that my name, and the descriptive noun within my name, best defines me. It’s original. I like to think I’ve avoided an ordinary life. I grew up creating comic books of imaginary worlds with my brother and sister and writing short stories of my own. I went to a small college, moving away from every friend I had made in my home city of Asheville, NC (a place of many oddities).

My passion for music is impossible to match. I’ve traveled thousands of miles to see shows in dive bars with a $7 cover charge. I got on a plane for the first time in 2013, by myself, and spent three months studying abroad in Wales, a place that has fascinated me since I was a child. Since then, I’ve bought many plane tickets to destinations domestic and international, and I don’t have plans to stop traveling anytime soon.

I currently live in Chattanooga, and I have a home remedy for most ailments, I can write about any topic asked of me, and I love playing in the dirt. My degree in English is becoming increasingly rare among college graduates, but it has proven to be lucrative in the professional world. I’ve worked in marketing, journalism, communications, and social media, and I love learning new skills.

The traditional definition of “artist” hardly defines me because my expertise is of a different creative spectrum. Artistry is more than painting a picture with a brush; and my name is more than a name.