We’re going to get a little deep for a second! So, did you know the ancient Greeks believed in a myth that claimed humans were born with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces? Zeus feared how powerful they would become, so he split them in two. Thus, we humans were doomed to forever search for our other half. It’s a lovely myth, right? Well, I certainly believe it because I couldn’t imagine life without my other half! His name is Tim, and I figured it was finally time to introduce you to him! I certainly would never have had the courage to pull a 180 on my life and follow my heart without this hunk behind me.

[Fair warning: Tim loves to incorporate inside jokes into his answers!]

Where are you originally from? How did you end up near Washington, DC

I was born and raised in Spokane, WA. I was a flight instructor in San Diego teaching aspiring pilots to obtain their pilot licenses. After completing the FAA requirement in terms of flight hours, I applied to my current company. I was based in St. Louis during those first few months, before moving bases to Washington Dulles. I have family in the DC area, so I figured it would be best to chose to be based/live there.

How did you meet Brittany?

Christian Mingle. It’s funny because I was busy flying all the time. I actually cancelled my account a month prior to communicating with Brittany. It just so happened that I checked my email and something inside me said “hey, let’s talk to her.”

What do you do?

As Randy Quaid would say from the 1996 film independence day: “I’m a pilot.” I’m actually an airline captain at a regional airline.

What do you love most about your job? What do you love least?

I love traveling, challenging weather, not taking work home with me, fair amount of days off a month, and everyday is something different. I dislike being gone a lot and listening to passengers complain about comfort.

What went through your head when Brittany told you she wanted to be an artist?

I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to be her own boss. I know the last two jobs she didn’t have the greatest of bosses and she was upset a lot that no one listened to her ideas. Also, the financial stability. I’ve never done commission work myself, so trying to understand that every month might bring in a different amount. That was another thing that crossed my mind.

What’s the best thing about Brittany’s business?

Her dedication. She is always looking for ways to expand her artistic skills. I remember one of her first paintings was of a bi-plane that we used for our wedding seating chart. Also, I remember her painting Hogwarts and Tardis. Now, she does more than painting canvases. She does backdrops and live paintings. She even spends a ton of time working on her business website. So like I said, “dedication” to really providing the customer the best product.

What’s the most challenging thing?

Carving out time. Like I said earlier, when I’m home, I’m home. I don’t bring work home with me (work doesn’t allow me to take the plane key home). But, since Brittany is working from home, her schedule is a little more tricky. Just trying to find out if she is free to do stuff is tricky because I don’t know how many projects she is doing or how long it takes. So, it makes it tough sometimes when she has a busy month.

What advice would you give to other spouses or partners of creatives?

Flexibility. Just because you’re home doesn’t mean that your partner is free. They might have a lot of projects going on and they need to finish them and ship them off. So, just being flexible and communicating well in advance to what you want to do on you days off so that your partner can try and plan around your time at home.

What do you hope the next year will be like (business and personal)?

Personally with myself, I’m always looking to move up in the airline industry. I would love to work for any of the bigger major or cargo airlines.

For Brittany and I. We just bought a house (yay for projects) hopefully we’ll get top dollar out of these projects. But I really would love to see our house grow in terms of building a patio, new kitchen, making a better flow through the house, etc etc.

With Brittany’s business, I really hope she gets that break through. She’s been working hard and has accomplished a lot in what hasn’t even been a year yet! So, I really hope she hits her goals for next year.

Thank you for being the best and most supportive husband a gal could ask for, Tim!

Brittany Branson is a live painter and wedding artist serving Annapolis, Maryland, Washington, DC and beyond