Once upon a time, I was an average midwestern girl. I lived in a duplex with my mom, brother, and uncle. I had a girlfriend named Kat who was away at college. And, I had a job at a local diner where I smiled so much my face hurt, but the tips made it all worthwhile.

Each half of the house was a mirror of the other side and since my uncle never married, he had more space on his side of the house than the sometimes cramped space on our side. So, my uncle let my brother set up a studio on his side of the house in his...