Studio Notes: A Season of Surrender

Hi friends,

I hope you’ve had a wonderful March and are feeling excited as we step into the second quarter of the year. This past month has been about finding my rhythm—both at home and onsite as I settle into my new job. It’s also been a month of acceptance and letting go. My vision for this year was to dive straight into new work, and I had hoped to complete an entire art collection by the end of Q1. But between adjusting to a new job, establishing my routine, updating my shops, and managing an influx of commission pieces, I simply haven’t had the chance to start. While I’m eager to make progress on my own creative dreams for 2025, I’ve found myself being overly critical and feeling like I’ve fallen behind and failed.

It’s hard not to compare when I see others hitting milestones and growing their businesses, but I keep reminding myself of a quote by Jon Acuff: "Never compare your beginning to someone else's middle. Comparison is poison." Our journeys are deeply personal, each moving at its own pace. What truly matters is showing up consistently and enjoying the process.

At the same time, I’ve been itching to explore a different medium and experiment with a new style—just for me, with no intention of selling or monetizing. I know this will slow me down, but I also know how important it is to create purely for joy. It’s easy to get caught up in productivity and the pressure to always be working toward something, but sometimes, the best thing we can do is step back and make space for creativity without expectations. "Our dreams are not in a rush—we are."

This month, as I work on embracing where I am and releasing the expectations I placed on myself, I’m learning to be gentler with myself. Instead of feeling the need to rush and push forward, I’m allowing myself to be, to appreciate what I’m doing, rather than measuring my progress against a timeline I created before life shifted.

🌼