Olivia Bennett from Southlake, Texas, has an inspiring story.
At the age of 5, battling A.L.L. Leukemia, she found art. It was a way of escaping her cancer treatment. Soon enough, art became her passion and it has become her life.
From the age of 8 she realised that someone was willing to pay for her pieces of work, she was spurred on to make it a career.
Having just sold her first painting for $50 she went on to exhibit her work around Texas at local arts fairs.
Olivia found she could make money doing what she loved.
By the time she was 12 she was showing her entrepreneurial spirit. She become known nationally after meeting President Bush and even making an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.
A year later Olivia Bennett’s entrepreneurial and philanthropic work led her to being voted as "One of Twenty Teens Who Will Change the World" by Teen People Magazine.
When she was 14 she opened her own art gallery in her home town of Southlake, Texas. She did this with the money she made herself selling her art. Over the last few years she has moved to selling her work online as well and also makes herself available for private events.
Olivia tells of how childhood leukemia led to her passion art in her book A Life in Full Bloom. Her worked required a lot of her time and she was home schooled during the years she would have attended high school.
Carrying on in her entrepreneurial ways she is expanding her gallery to include art classes for all ages. A true role model, Olivia also volunteers and supports numerous local and national charities.
“If you’re going to pursue something make sure it’s something you enjoy.”
Olivia Bennett.
Did you like it? For more posts like this, please subscribe to our RSS feed, Become a fan or follow us on Twitter.