Shirl Roccapriore's circuitous path to becoming a full-time artist sent her climbing Mt. Kilamonjaro and trekking in Nepal, barely surviving survival courses in the desert, and – after 12 years in the hot seat, walking away from her corporate job. What does it take to become a full-time artist? Shirl recounts her adventures, artistic process – and shares how living with depression has shaped her work in the studio.

Shirl Roccapriore is a fine art painter living in Provincetown, Massachusetts.