“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

For the past two decades, Eve Leonard has educated the next generation of artists and animators in the film industry. But now, she is stepping away from teaching and pursuing her dream of becoming a professional artist herself.

“I first got into education as a vehicle of necessity. But working as an educator was never my end game, even though I was good at it,” Leonard said. “In my off hours, I was really struggling, and I kind of put my foot down. I said, ‘Look, it’s now or never.'”

Leonard taught her last class in May 2022. Since then, she has taken the time to revamp her portfolio, working close to 40 hours a week for the past six months — and none of that work has come with a paycheck. But at the end of the day, Leonard knows it’s what she is meant to be doing.

“When I’m working on any creative project, I reach this state of flow. And I kind of feel the gears moving and churning, and the work that I’m doing is effortless,” she said.

Listen to Leonard’s full story by clicking the audio player above.