(WGHP) — Teriyana Wright wants her artwork to encourage people.

The up-and-coming artist recently experienced her own sense of encouragement after selling her work for the first time at Eastgate Comic Con.

Next thing she knew, she had a mason jar filled with cash.

“To see that they were spending their…money that they worked for on my pieces…was like ‘Teriyana, keep going,’” she said.

That gave the Triad native and art student the confidence she needed to move forward with turning her passion into a career.

Her work includes pop art, ceramics and paintings that highlight positive words.

Wright wants to pursue art as a full-time career.

She is moving forward with building a business plan for Teriy Tyme Design.

“I want people to be able to come and create,” Wright said. “Come and get things that’ll help them to grow as people, whether that be a painting or just talking to me.”

Wright earned an associate degree in graphic design from Guilford Technical Community College.

She’s now a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art.