Oh my god oh my god oh my god! I'm an artist as well-not professional-but if someone EVER did that to me I would set their house on fire. Seriously.

When she asks why you didn't send christmas cards, just tell her that she threw them away.

Damn man, I would be so pissed off. I mean, does she know you're a full time artist or what? You really didn't deserve this. In fact, it's an invasion of privacy. Illegal under the fourth amendment. Sue her for however much you think that 7 months of work was worth.

How is being an artist not a real occupation? A job is that thing you do to earn a paycheck right? Who do you think does all the special effects in your favorite action film? Who do you think are MAKING all movies? There is more to an artist that "being inspire" then painting on a canvas. Although there's nothing wrong with that either! I think everyone that dissing artist are extremely close minded, and jealous that they're stuck in some pathetic cublicle job making peanuts! I think it's awesome that the OP has a career that they are passionate about! I am curently in school working towards a major in Human Biology with an emphasis on genetics and biotechnology. Now don't get me wrong, I love science, I love learning how things work and I love all the work that I do! In a year and a half I will graduate and go on to med school, or pharm school, or grad school (hopefully I'll have it figured out by then! lol!) and I'm sure I will end up with a career that will make me very happy, HOWEVER if I were able to have any career in the world, it sure as hell wouldn't be a friggin' pharmacist! To be able to make a career out of doing what you love is an accomplishment, not an easy way out! Sorry about your loss OP, I hoped you made it clear that throwing out your stuff is a no no!

can't be to successful if your still living with mom, huh? probably best she threw them away...

I get pissed when something like that happens to me

bitch at your mom for 30 minutes about invading your personal property, and bitch and moan and shit.

I had a similair experience - in my earlier years as a young teenager, I was a hobby developer (and had my own paid-for-by-self computer setup to boot). My mother decided to take it upon herself to go rifling through all my personal files and delete anything not directly related to my schoolwork. I kissed 5 years of irreplacable reference, prototypes and working projects goodbye - she kissed her 40GB hdd (which was about as large as it got back then) goodbye when I summarily took to it with a sledgehammer, oh how karma is a bitch :)

I would be so furious. That really bites.

wow that's ******* horrible I'd be in that trash and then to moms to kick her ass