An Artist, A Writer, and A Businesswoman

I first met Tyler when she was five years old. My son was dating her mother and they brought Tyler and her sister, Devon, to meet me.

“What darling, sweet, smart girls,” I said to myself. “I hope they are here to stay.”

And they were. My son and Kortnee were married, and Tyler and Devon became my first grandchildren. My only grand-daughters.

On that first day, I asked Tyler my usual dumb question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

“I’m going to be a writer and an artist,” was Tyler’s answer. She could have added, “and a businesswoman.”

When Tyler was six, she went around the neighborhood, selling writing and artwork to her neighbors. She passed out the following flyer, which I discovered as I was going through my Tyler file:

“Hello! I’m Tyler Conway. I’ve been a great writer sense 1996. (Note: She was born in 1992.) And I’m also a great artist. These are my favorite things to do. Trust me, you will love my pictures. So I’m having a writing and art sale. The pictures and writing cost 1.00$. If your just like me, you can join the job. The phone number is 303-368-1311. Its called the good kids work. The ages are 4-14. Heres where you will find it. Dam East Townhomes, 2854 So. Vaughn Way.”

Tyler was seven years old when Jason and Kortnee decided to get married, and she was excited.. She drew a poster and presented it to her parents.

“Congratulations on your engagement. You must be really excited! I’ve always been impressed by the mutual respect and understanding you have for each other, so I’m so happy to hear that you are taking your relationship to the next level of commitment. I’m already looking forward to the wedding. Love, Tyler”

Tyler is a sweet, quiet, young woman. She’s always been that way. She attended Challenge School, a magnet school for gifted kids, through eighth grade,  and then Overland High School, a rough and tumble high school that was a total shock.

Tyler was a leader on her school newspaper staff during all four years at Overland. In her typical fashion, she never missed a deadline. For the final issue of the newspaper before graduation, Tyler wrote the following description of her first day of school:

“Coming from Challenge school, I had never seen a fight, had a ton of friends, had never seen a person ditch class, and was used to everyone following the rules and keeping out of trouble. And that was the way I wanted it.

“So coming to Overland wasn’t exactly a dream coming true. At Overland, on the first day of school, I witnessed a fight, saw people ditching class and smoking, and was laughed at for my overly preppy dress.”

As she reflected, “I had only three goals for high school: To make the best of it, to get into a fantastic college, and to look back with no regrets. Done, done, and done.”

Tyler attended Cornell University and now works in AT&T’s corporate office in Dallas, writing and producing beautiful digital media for the marketing department. She plans events and training sessions. In her spare time (just kidding ~ she has no spare time) Tyler was my chief party planner this summer. She designed the invitations and the People Bingo game. She made my bookmarks and gave me the best possible advice, including: “You have to have balloons…and gift bags … and ice breakers.”  I couldn’t have had a great launch party without her. Tyler is a young woman who makes things happen. 

Happy Birthday, Tyler. You are an awesome artist, writer and businesswoman.  Done, done, and done!