Her uncle, however, allowed her to paint in her free time and develop her artistic talent, and she started to paint and draw for money. It is explicitly stated that she started to take orders as an artist the same year that she year formally became a housekeeper. Soon, she was able to support both her father and her sister as a professional portrait painter. Reportedly, she managed to achieve this success and build up a clientele quickly by her affordable prices. She was able to move into her own apartments and establish her own studio. By the time of her brother's return to Sweden in 1766, she was said to have supported the family for a period of ten years.