It feels appropriate that this month’s full moon is known as the Pink Moon. Not because it actually turns pink (although, that’s a painting idea!) but because of the pink wildflowers that are starting to bloom. The signs of spring that are making themselves known. (I am considering changing the name to The Skinned-Knee Moon, as my 2-year-old is now in shorts and always has skinned-knees.)

This last month has been a blur of projects, to-do lists and a week of spring break, which wasn’t a break for me, but a break from having childcare. On the other hand, March was also filled with beauty, new paintings, and meaning.

April Workshop

March’s workshop was a dream in the new Seam workshop space where we painted moons based on where we are in our own creative cycle. We’re back at The Seam for April but this time on a Saturday morning. Join me April 18th from 11-1 as we paint an abstract landscape, learn through story, and connect with another group of amazing women. It’s a great way to add a little color into your spring season.

Save Your Seat

Commissions

It’s officially commission season. This is the time of year that I get the most requests for custom art. It’s been so fun to connect with people in-person or over the phone to talk about co-creating pieces with them that add meaning and color to their home. One woman I’m working with is having a piece made that represents how she sees herself in the world. I’m starting talks with another woman about a custom Rocky Mountain National Parks piece for her vacation home in Estes that also includes representation of family members in it.

One conversation that genuinely touched me, was talking about an end of life piece. We haven’t finalized if this will happen but a friend of a friend is nearing the end with her battle with cancer. We talked about the idea of creating a piece that represented her that she could leave behind for her loved ones. While an extremely heart breaking concept, I love this intentional heirloom that can also be turned into prints to share with even more loved ones.

Co-Create A Custom Piece

On The Easel

I have one of my limited edition releases happening next week (You’ll get 48-hours access before the public!) and I can’t wait for you to see this final piece. Inspired by the myth of Persephone, one of my favorite goddesses, It’s taken 3 iterations to finally achieve what I wanted and present to you for this month’s release. (2nd attempt is on the far right above, but is totally different than the final piece) Stay tuned for that.

Brand In Bloom Workshop

The more I talk to female business owners the more I’m learning how much confusion there is in our brands and how we’ve been doing things the way we’re “supposed” to be doing it. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know the word “suppose” is a curse word in my book and a huge red flag. So I’m partnering with a friend of mine to create a half day workshop on May 2nd that bridges the intuitive parts of business with the logic. We’ll explore archetypes for our brand and our customer, understand what parts of business light us up, and then build a strategy around how to implement these new findings. You’ll walk away clear, refreshed, connected and with a strategy that feels like you!

Only 12 spots • In-Person with garden and horse views!

Save Your Seat To Brand In Bloom

I’ve been creating some fun things for myself this month. Since 2020 I started making my own beauty products and this month I added homemade deodorant to that mix. It’s the easiest thing in the world to make and so far I love it. I made a few different size bottles of it to store in my purse and car in case I need a “refresh” during the day. If you want to give it a try, this is the recipe I used:

• 1/4 C distilled water

• 1 tsp Salt (I used Pink Himalayan)

• 5-10 drops lavender or rose essential oil (other options are welcome but it’s suggested to avoid Eucalyptus and tea tree)

• 1 T. witch hazel

• Optional: Rose water (happened to use a container that had a touch of this left so I went with it) and 1 tsp of baking soda if this isn’t too hard on your skin.

A painting isn't just decoration. Research is showing what many of us have always known intuitively: living with art lowers stress, reduces loneliness, and connects us to something deeper than the day-to-day. The commissions I've been working on this season are a reminder of that. People are choosing to mark the moments that matter most, the way they see themselves in the world, the places that hold their families, the people they want to remember. If there's a story in your life that deserves to live on your walls, I'd love to help you tell it.

Co-Create Custom Art with Me!

There are 3 days until the next Creative Spark Workshop and I’d love to see you there.

Two hours to get out of your head and into your hands. To remember you’re an artist (yes, even you). To paint Flower Essence alongside other women who are craving the same thing: aliveness.

Bring a friend. Make it a Palentine’s thing. Come solo and meet new people. All supplies included, no experience needed.

Join The Workshop

✨ Palentine's Special: Bring a friend and you both get $10 off (use code PALENTINES at checkout)

Here's why I'm feeling the pull to gather, especially now:

I feel a spark of hope.

Right there in my creative center, I can feel the light flicker and then grow brighter. The last few days of sports have put a new sense of hope inside of me, which is probably the last place I thought I’d find this.

It started with Francesca Lollobrigida winning the Olympic gold medal in Speed Skating and proceeding to run directly to her 2 year old son to share the moment with. And it continued in every interview she was in, holding her child as he wreaked havoc on the reporters just like every mom of a two year old knows.

Then there was the Super Bowl. While I’ve never really listened to Bad Bunny, I was really excited to see what he would bring to this show, and man, he didn’t disappoint. There was no anger, no yelling, no name calling. It was simply a display of what love could look like.

These moments? They're fuel for the creative spark.

If you too are craving love, community, and fuel for your creative fire, Thursday is that space.

We paint. We breathe. We remember who we are underneath everything else.

Invite a friend and come together. It’s always easier (and more fun) to show up with someone. Use code PALENTINES for $10 off each.

Light Your Creative Spark

P.S. Can’t make this Creative Spark Workshop? I host these monthly and offer private events if you’re looking to make a bachelorette, baby shower, or birthday extra special.

The worst advice I've ever received? 'Sacrifice sleep to get more done. Wake up an hour earlier to meditate, paint, write, catch up. Go to bed an hour later to work on your side hustle, read self-help books, or journal about your day.

None of these tasks are bad in themselves. It’s the thought that less sleep for them is normal.

When sleep is already not prioritized by our culture, I often feel guilty by how much I prioritize it. Nine hours at night and usually a 30 minute nap during the day. But I don’t work without sleep. My fuse is short, my creativity diminishes, and my energy for family is gone.

While, I believe in releasing to make space for what you want and need, I don’t believe that sleep is the thing to release. Time spent on handheld screens, no boundaries with work, perfectionist tendencies, people pleasing, and unhealthy relationships are much more useful things to release, and might even give you the time you’re looking for.

From the women I’ve talked with in my Source Sessions, it’s clear that rest is needed more than ever. We’re over stimulated, in our heads, and need more grounding practices (things that bring us back into the physical body and out of the mental space.) Rest is what gives our bodies fuel (That and a good meal), it allows us to process our days, and it gives us time to dream up new ideas. Sitting and staring out the window is a great use of time and should be prioritized over scrolling on your phone.

I think, instead of taking rest off our calendars, we should be adding more intentional rest time. Time to be bored and let wonder and muse come and find us. To hear them when they call and allow them to take you back to your source.

If you're craving this kind of intentional rest and creative space, Source Sessions might be calling you.

I am steps away from the threshold, the transition from creating to waiting.

The last 6 months or so have been in preparation for my upcoming art show and all creative attention and energy has gone there. In the title wave of creative energy that we continue to flow through, I am moving into the incubation phase. What started with the birth of an idea (phase 1), moved into a rising of energy to create the collection (phase 2), which climaxed and slowly folded on itself as the hard work was over and now the marketing and sharing began (phase 3), and once I cross the threshold of the art show, I will have completed this creative cycle (phase 4).

There is something glorious and horrible about this phase. While I still have a week to squeeze out the last few drop of energy from this project, I crave that time of rest and solitude that will come. All while dreading the mark of an ending, where I release my art into the world with no control of where it will land, or how successful it will be.

It will mark the death of this project, this collection. I will lay to rest this concept and work as I build up energy to birth the next idea.

The waiting room can be peaceful, sometimes too much so, but it’s important to remember that this is a phase of the cycle. Never lasting forever, nothing does. It’s a place to sit, process, wait, be with the in between, and then move through that threshold to the next phase. Like a soul moving on to whatever is next, Limbo is not the end point, for those who wait too long there, they become haunted, or better said, they haunt.

This is the never ending energy cycle of creativity. Whether you are new mom forming a child to birth and sitting in this incubation period. Grieving the loss of a loved one and resting until you have the strength to take the first step in a life without them. Perhaps you too have a project that has ended, or a career, and are in the waiting room until you decide on what’s next.

Wherever you are in this cycle of creative energy, I hope you continue to move through it. Like a wave in the ocean, ride it all the way through. The ups, the downs, the stagnation. All of it is forming something beautiful.

If you like learning about creative cycles and energy I invite you to The Source Sessions. 1:1 conversations to unlock your creativity and design a life that feels like you. Through understanding your chakras, your personal cycles and finding rituals you can implement into your life, I’ll teach you how to reignite your creative spark and come home to yourself.

SIGN ME UP!

Cycles teach us how to move through life. When to speed up, to slow down, to come to a complete halt. The moon cycles do this in a very gentle way, sometimes so gentle it’s easy to miss. The menstrual cycle does this louder throughout the 28-30ish days of ebbs and flows of hormones. But the seasons do it the loudest. Slowly waking us up in spring, to a full movement of energy in the summer as flowers rise and the sun stays out late to play with us. Then it’s suddenly fall and the season tells you it’s time to slow down before coming to a complete halt in winter, but none of us listen, or at least, I haven’t been.

Fall asks of us to slow down. To start moving inward and tune into our bodies, our spirits, our homes. Dia de los muertos is a reminder to connect to our spiritual lineage and those who came before. The ancestors who’s shoulders we stand on now. The leaves die off and fall to the ground as a visual understanding of what it means to let die that which no longer serves us. On an on this season is preparing us for winter if we allow it. But it also has so much to offer, it’s hard to say no to a single bit of it.

This is my favorite season of the year and I have a deep fear of missing out on any of it. Fall farms and harvest, being in nature before the temperatures drop, leaf peeping in the mountains, then the foothills, then the city. Apple cider, ofrenda decorating, fire pits, outdoor movies, wreath making, canning, soups, sports, the list goes on and on.

This weekend I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish before nap time (at 12pm) so that we can make the most of this season. But when I woke that morning and felt the butterflies filling up in my stomach I realized that choosing to do it all wasn’t making the most of it. Being present to whatever we chose, slowing down and really being in it, that would make the most of it. This frantic holiday energy is common as we near Christmas and is something I again have to actively be noticing as to not get lost in the holiday but truly appreciate it. Falling through fall is not experiencing the magic of it. Intentionally moving through it and accepting its invitation to help me slow down is experiencing her magic.

The last week or so I get tired between 12-1. A full energy crash. This could be from the morning cup of coffee, or possibly not sleepy deeply the night before, but I think it’s because we are moving into a new season and my circadian rhythm is trying to keep up. The days are getting shorter and nature is telling me that it’s time to sleep more, it’s time to slow down. Save your energy, it says. Because winter is approaching, darkness is near, and you’ll need to move inward yourself.

I won’t pretend that I’m an expert in listening to cycles. But whenever I feel overwhelmed or frazzled I usually look back to them. Where are we in the lunar cycle, my menstrual cycle, or the seasons? How is this affecting me? Where can I make adjustments so that I feel more content, more whole?

This week it’s making time to connect with friends, be in nature but most of all to do plenty of art. It’s about noticing the changing colors and the qualities of life around me as we move into fall, no longer falling through it. It’s taking a nap (or a yoga Nidra meditation) when my body tells me to. It’s tracking the moon, or painting the moon, or talking to my friend in South Carolina about the moon. Let’s be real, moon magic is always a great way to get reoriented when you’re lost, why do you think it’s a part of my logo for Modern Magic?

What does this season look like when you take out all the festivities, all the Instagram worthy to-do’s and simply flow through the season, not fall through it? My guess, it’s a lot more magical than you ever imagined.

JOURNAL QUESTIONS

I don’t know about you, but I love to find some time to process what’s going on inside of me and this time of year through the beginning of winter I usually discover the best nuggets of wisdom. If you’re a fan of journaling, visually or with written word, grab your Modern Magic journal and respond to these questions this week:

• What part of yourself are you being asked to let go of this season, like the leaves falling from trees? Explore through words or images what aspects of your identity, habits, or ways of being might be ready to fall away. What would it feel like to release these with the same grace that trees release their leaves?
  

• If your body could speak about the cycles it moves through - daily, monthly, seasonally - what would it tell you that you’ve been ignoring? Create a visual dialogue with your body or write from its perspective. What wisdom does it hold about rest, energy, and natural rhythms that your mind hasn’t been listening to?
  

• Draw or describe the difference between your “falling through fall” self and your “flowing through fall” self. What does each version look like, feel like, move like? How do they inhabit space differently? What would it mean to fully embody the flowing version of yourself, not just in this season but in all the seasons of your life?

MODERN MAGIC UPDATES

Then next month or so I have a lot of things happening because this is not only the most magical time of the year (sorry, Christmas!) but it’s also my busiest season. So here’s a few things to be in the know of…

Modern Magic Workshops: My last workshop of the year is October 15th. We’ll be painting a Lunar Landscape at Yetman Farms’ greenhouse. These workshops are pure magic and have limited seats, but don’t worry, I’ll be back at them in the new year with new scenes (and maybe a new medium!) to lead you through as we explore creative energy and how to keep that spark lit!

Learn More About Workshops

This Land is OUR Land Art Show: Save the Date for November 7th. I’ll be showcasing my new collection of paintings inspired by the landscapes of the United States at Ohana Yoga + Barre in Denver. The show will be from 5-8pm on the 7th as a part of Denver Arts Week. If you know anyone in Colorado be sure to tell them about it!

Holiday Gifts: The holidays are quickly approaching, but only as fast as our to-do lists will allow. With that said, custom art is a great gift to give but needs ample time to get it finished (and framed!) If you’re considering a custom piece, reach out today so we can get the process started and finished long before your gift giving holiday gets here!

Learn More About Custom Art

If you don’t need it custom, there is plenty of time to purchase prints for the holidays or for your home to decorate for the holidays. All art gets free shipping in the US and usually takes about 5-7 days to arrive. Purchase your favorite pieces today and support your favorite small business and local artist!

I Love Supporting Local Artists!

My high school had a shooting this past week.

Those are really strange words to type. And to be honest, which I really want to do in this space, I’m still not fully sure what they mean.

When my dad texted the family chat to say that there was a shooter in our high school, my hometown, just 10 minutes from their house. It was surreal. And then I started realizing that I know people who work and go to school there still. So I opened up the news section of Google and refreshed every few minutes, looking for answers that would never come. I could get casualty numbers but I would never understand why this happened. I could get updates on meeting points, but I will never know how this boy’s mother will ever feel whole again.

It’s all strange because while my parents still live in my home town, I don’t.

I haven’t been in my high school for probably 15 years.

And yet, this deeply hurt.

This scared me more than words could articulate.

Actually, words couldn’t articulate it.

I felt silly for being so affected by this for all the reasons above, but what I’ve come to learn about feelings is that there is nothing rational about them. You feel how you feel and the way I can best serve myself is to honor those feelings and hold rituals around them. So I meditated, I went back to playing in my art, no serious projects, just something soothing. I drank tea, went for walks, and tried not to do anything that took too much brain power.

We’re in Vata season, this is a time of year when we are already too much in our heads. We feel flighty, like we need to be moving 100 miles an hour. Add to that these horrific events that create anxious energy, and Vata season just reached a new level. So I grounded. Feet in the grass, journal out, hands on trees or in the garden, yoga that got me moving but stable (long poses), naps when I needed them, and oh so many baby hugs.

But the thing that grounds me more than anything is art.

This could be making it myself, which is often the case. I process things through making. But it can just as easily be viewing art, preferably in person.

When we let go of how we are supposed to experience art, just like I let go of how I was supposed to feel. Things open up. Magic happens.

Stand in front of a painting that grabs your attention. Stare at it for 5, 10, 30, 60 minutes and see what happens. At the beginning it’s easy to think, “Why am I doing this? This is boring” but as the time goes on something shifts. Colors become more vivid. Details begin to pop. Textures come alive. Suddenly I’m swimming in the painting, I’m in a new world.

If you haven’t cried in front of a painting, you still haven’t experienced art. (My husband would say the same thing for listening to music, which you could also do as a way of grounding.)

I’m working on a new format of workshop to come out this late fall and part of it involves a visual meditation. You’re eyes stay open as you stare at a piece of art for 10 minutes. Notice how it makes you feel, notice the colors. What does it remind you of? What memories does it take you to?

Art, while now a very commercial product, used to be more about connecting to the humanity we all shared. It portrayed emotions we didn’t have words for. It allowed story to move through us. It was less of a social status (although sometimes it still was) and more about putting something in your home that you truly loved. Something that brought joy and inspired you daily.

Stated in the book, The Value of Art by Michael Findlay, “As Leonard W said about music, “it can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable,“ or as Franz Kafka said about literature, “it should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.”

I invite you to experience art for it’s emotional worth. Not it’s monetary value. Find something that speaks to you. Hang something in your home that doesn’t match the decor but deeply resonates with you. Visit a museum to stare at a single painting for over an hour.

Experience art.

Experience emotion.

I have a feeling these forms of grounding and expression are going to continue to be needed.

Modern Magic Updates

• Save the Date: November 7th 5-8 pm I’ll be releasing my new collection, This Land is Our Land, at Ohana Yoga and Barre. Come experience these paintings in person and see what feelings they bring up for you.

• I am teaching a painting workshop this week at Yetman Farms. If you are needing a creative outlet or simply to be in community and nature, I would love for you to join. There are just a few seats left.

• If you aren’t in the market for new art but would like to help support me, sharing this article or any of my writings, artwork, or website is always greatly appreciated and makes a big impact for a small business like me.

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Tobias + Mozi Travel The World

Along the large wall in T’s (Tobias’) room are three original paintings done while I was pregnant. In each one, him and our West Highland Terrier are on an adventure somewhere around the world. T is probably 10 in these images while our dog might even be younger than the 6 years he currently is, but it’s them. T’s wild hair (I guessed well on that) and Mozi’s happy grin exploring the edges of the world, together.

I had high hopes that the two would be good friends. And now that T is eating solids, they are. But I wasn’t sure what T would actually look like, so his back faces us in each painting.

These three paintings were a labor of love and have become three of my favorite paintings ever. The level of detail I accomplished in the animals, the through line that moves the eye through each one, and the colorful landscapes even surprised me. But that’s just the beginning to the surprises these paintings had in store for me.

Custom Nursery Paintings

Not one, but two different families have commissioned me for my largest commissions ever. Both of which now hang in their family’s homes. After seeing the series on my website, other like-minded hearts wanted to bring their love of safari into the nursery. Whether they went there on their honeymoon or as an adventure long before they were married, Africa had a special place in their heart, one they wanted to share with their child, just like me.

What I love about both these paintings, is while they are of Africa and safari, none of them are the same. The storyline changes. I, for one, don’t want to paint the exact same thing over and over again. It takes the magic out of it and makes me feel like a robot. But also, no one’s story is the same. There are always elements that can be changed in order to make it more personal and intentional. And that is why I love custom art. Unlike photography, I do have the ability to change anything. I co-create a painting with my clients. Often, they are very flexible having never done this or just wanting to trust the intuition of the artist (Someone who has done this a time or two) but their feedback is always wanted and appreciated.

The Process

The process for these paintings is probably simpler than you think. Often it’s a one time 20-minute call.

Once a client shares their interest in having custom work done, I’ll set up a call to chat through their vision. I’ll get more details on what the client is looking for, if they have photo references, the size, and if there is a specific deadline we’ll chat price in an open ended kind of way. While I do have pricing set for all my artwork I can often find ways to adjust the cost, whether in size or complexity, to fit a budget. I want to make personal artwork a client will have forever, so I’m happy to do what I can to make sure they’re excited about it too!

If we land on a price and concept that works for us both I’ll chat a little more about any other details or ways to really make it special and focused on their story. (In the first safari painting I included all the countries the couple had traveled together in the stickers on the suitcase, in the second I included the mobile the couple purchased on their trip years before they had a baby!)

After the initial call it takes roughly 5-10 days, depending on my load, for me to get a rough sketch done. This is just a line drawing that lets them know where everything will sit on the page. If there are any changes the client wants, this is the time to make them. After this, there is no going back!

And then I paint.

It takes 1-3 weeks of painting (again depending on scope and my current work load) before I schedule a reveal. This can be done by zoom or in-person depending where everyone is. Sometimes I’ll go on to work with them to custom frame it (I did for both these nursery commissions) other times the customer will choose to do something themselves. I’m happy either way!

The Art of Custom Art

Custom art isn’t something anyone needs. Heck, I don’t know that I’d say anyone needs my art. But expression goes a long way. There is something powerful about having art on our walls that resonates with us. Art that tells a story. And when that art is specific to us and our story, it’s even more special. Something that you’ll keep for the rest of your life but honestly, its something that will be kept by generations of your family too.

As humans we love a good story, and as they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words!

The holidays are coming and now is a great time to start talking custom art if you’re wanting to gift it to yourself or a loved one. Think nursery rooms, offices, bedrooms or bathroom–there isn’t a room it doesn’t work! Not sure what to get custom art of? Think your favorite vacation spots, hiking views, a favorite childhood photo, your first home, or your family home. All of these and more are options for custom art and I would love to work with you on creating something extra special this holiday season.

Learn More About Custom Art

Note: Custom art starts at $250

Basically, I have a small window to get ready in and prevent the splash pad from happening.

Since having a child I’ve had to purchase a lot of new clothes and attempt to sell others. My hips are way wider now. Some say that they will still narrow, but I’m not convinced. Most everything else has come back down but my ribcage and hips are wider. This means that bras, pants, shorts, and some dresses had to be replaced. But I wasn’t worried, because I have a color coordinated closet (i.e. capsule closet) which means I didn’t need too many things.

It might have started with the Minimalists, but I think I liked a good purge before them. They helped me to think more before purchasing though. I can’t recall where the idea came from but after recognizing just how many clothes I had, I realized something needed to change. How many clothes do we really need? (Hint: our closet sizes have increased in the last 100 years proving we used to live with less!) More importantly, how many clothes do we actually wear?

So, I came up with a game. I would put all the clothes I own in a pile and sort them into groups based on color. What I discovered was actually pretty shocking. I was drawn to 3-4 colors with a few outlier pieces. The outlier pieces though, I didn’t actually like. They looked good on the rack but when they came into my closet, I never wore them. I didn’t actually have anything to wear with them.

Then I went through each pile of the colors I had an abundance of and sorted them by what made me feel like a rock star and what made me feel only mediocre–life is too short to feel mediocre.

I easily cut my wardrobe in half.

But this wasn’t the end. I needed to recognize what made the “rock star” clothes so great. Why did I like them so much? What shapes were they? Where did they cut off? How many outfits did they go with? This game turned into a science experiment with a lot of questions to be answered. But I slowly started to build up the answers, over time. Every time I went shopping it wasn’t just “I don’t like this” or “I love this” it was, why?

When I became more intentional with my purchases I started building a closet I truly loved. One that didn’t take up as much space and could easily mix and match with the other pieces in my wardrobe.

My husband watched this transition unfold and as I talked more about a capsule closet, he too liked the idea. Our current home, built in the 60’s, has very limited closet space. Therefore, it makes all the difference in sharing those small closets.

In a recent Zoom meeting he had with his team, a kind of get to know you happy hour call, he wore a three color sweatshirt–Burnt orange, black and white–with a hat his sister had gotten him for his birthday–also burnt orange. His co-workers commented on the fact that he matched so well, and how did he do that? He told them about having a color palette for his closet which makes pairing things easier. They were all aghast. They had never heard of such a thing.

But even in being gifted something, his color palette is being seen. His sister subconsciously thinks “this looks like Clayton” because she’s seen him wear this color over and over again. I’ve never seen someone gift him anything hot pink or any color you wouldn’t find in the middle of a pine forest.

Blue, army green, black, white, and now burnt-orange are my color palette. However in the summer I add pink and kelly green to that mix. I like things that cinch at the waist, show off my collar bone, and are easy to wear with a one-year-old climbing all over me. I am also a lover of pattern, so I have a few statement pieces that are filled with pattern but still hold these colors. In the summer, these are often dresses, but I also have it in a few jackets or accessories like scarves and purses.

I now only buy quality pieces. It’s not about quantity but what I’ll actually wear, need and will last. I’m not here for fast fashion. I’m currently on a mission for a new pair of shorts. The ones I bought last year after pregnancy are great, but all have some form of pattern and I need something a little more neutral. I’m in no rush to fill the slot in my closet though. It has to be the right piece to add to this curated closet. Just like you wouldn’t add any old piece of art to your art collection.

This “rule” of colors isn’t hard and fast. It’s not here to tell me what to do but to make it simple to get ready in the morning and to help me save money–and resources–by not always having to buy more clothes.

As a lover of design and color, I want these things reflected in my closet. And as someone who talks a lot about intention, I want there to be a lot of that in my closet too. Thought out purchases that allow my clothes to go further by lasting and easily mixing with my full closet. I don’t need as many clothes as I thought I did. And by having a curated closet, I can always look my best and more importantly, feel my best.

Need some color in your world but aren’t ready to approach your closet? How about we start with you walls. Come home to color with a new piece of art from Modern Magic!

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There are paint splatters on the surface of my grandmother’s sewing table turned into my painting desk. The water and water jars are filled with color. My towel for wiping my paintbrush is in desperate need to be washed, and all my paint brushes could use a good cleaning as well.

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I remove everything. Wipe it down. And reorganize for the next painting. Paintbrushes in my cup. Fresh water in two jars. A clean towel. Paints in their bin. A fresh piece of paper taped to a board. A pencil and eraser at hand. While not sterile enough to do surgery, it’s perfect for creating a masterpiece. Or at least releasing some of this built up sacral energy (The energy center for creation, connection and passion).

On the other side of my room is my “admin” desk. My desktop Mac computer sits here taking up half the space. The other half is meant to be clear so I can take photos of my finished pieces of art for social media but often there are stacks of books, cameras, or some other thing that’s been left there (like a trash can because my son keeps trying to get into it.) While I’m cleaning spaces, I might as well clear off this desk so I can have the space to think and dream.

I don’t like clutter. Ironically, because in so many ways, I’m a maximalist, but I like organized chaos. I will admit that since becoming a mom, I’m much more open to chaos and have let go of 75% control freak tendencies. I’m a work in progress. My studio though, needs order.

While some artists need chaos to create, I need order. I want to know where everything is. Space to allow thoughts to come and go. But most of all, when I walk into the room I need to be ready to get to work and not be distracted by a need to clean. With nap times as my work hours, there is only so much time in a day.

Some days less than others.

My physical desks (altars) are organized, clean. They hold only that which is needed for the work to be done. But above them is where I collect.

On the wall above my painting desk sits two small shelves. The top holds my favorite art books that I can reference when I feel stuck. On the bottom shelf are more art supplies. These are often not used as much in my work as I’m primarily a gouache artist, but still, I like options. When a new idea arises or I’m just playing in a sketchbook, I can quickly grab a new tool that might take me somewhere completely new.

To the left of my desk is a clip board with color charts. I make one for every medium of art supplies I have. It’s great to grab one and reference it when I’m figuring out what color blue is the exact one I want–pure blue, slightly warm, must be Ultramarine. Above that hangs one of my recent works of art and a favorite, my Kintsugi painting of community. As the world continues to be lit on fire and families are literally ripped apart, this piece feels more important than ever.

Above my Admin desk is a window with a deep windowsill. There I have photos from one of my favorite places on earth, Santa Barbara, CA. Next to it I have vintage camera gear from my Grandfather’s collection, an elephant figurine (I have built a collection of these since childhood, friends bringing them back from all over the world!), and lastly a crystal or too.

Looking up from my work to see the grand tree outside along with these mementos is always an energizing move. On a rainy or snowy day, when the mood is just right, I’ll light a candle in here, on either altar. It changes the energy, lighting, and smell.1

These altars of mine are where I do my greatest work outside of parenting. They are my refuge and my prison. There are days where I can’t wait to get in there and days when I’m begging to be done, ready for a fresh space, a new take on the world. But I’m always happy to come back to this space refreshed.

My altars are clean slates to share stories. While other altars are adorned with trinkets to spark memories or to clear the mind, mine are set up with tools and organization in order to set my creative process free. I approach them like I would an altar in a church. I come with an open mind and heart. I say a prayer. I tune in to what the Divine spirit is telling me. I act.

As a child into my twenties, I thought that a church is where you had to go for spiritual growth. Over the years I’ve learned that often that was where I felt the least spiritual growth. It felt like a show to me. But in nature, I often found God. And in this little studio of mine, with pink wallpaper and a fun rug, I often run into the Divine. We are becoming good friends.

I recently read a line in The Lost Art of Silence by Sarah Anderson, quoting Zen Master Thich Nhat Hannh, “A tree that has no root cannot survive; you cannot grow well spiritually if you have no roots. You should not abandon your root religion.” A similar story is told to Reza Aslan in the book Zelot by a Catholic nun. When unsure of where to go in his faith he asks her what she thinks. She says to him “What religion were you born into?” His reply, “Islam.” She responds by telling him to go back to that one. His wife and mother still stayed converted to Christianity but he went back to the traditions of Islam as suggested by a Christian nun. I love that story.

Here, at my altars I find my roots of religion, of spirituality. They look completely different from when I was a kid, but then again, so do I. Creation, connection, passion, these things I love to share about, think about, they are spiritual things. They are directly linked to the Divine and so it makes sense that they would lead me back to my roots. They would be where I find God.

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It was Clayton’s birthday and our first time hiking as a family of three. He wore Tobias on his back in a hiking carrier, adding roughly 30 lbs of weight, while I carried the provisions for the hike, adding about 10 lbs to my hike. With 0 naps for the morning, we started our climb.

We moved slower than usual with the added weight, but that was a relief for me–I like to move slowly, especially in nature. There are so many small details you’ll miss out on otherwise.

The mind does a funny thing at the beginning of every hike, at least for me. I run through a hundred versions of “I can’t do this” as I move uphill towards, wherever we are going. It’s important at this stage that I focus on my breathing. In through my nose, out through my mouth. Notice my surroundings, get out of my head.

There on my right is the first sign of wildflowers. Delicate pink, almost white, groupings of little flowers. Across the path a white butterfly flutters on. But my favorite will come slightly further down the trail where little blue butterflies seem to be exploring the open wood. I keep climbing, feeling the burn in my calves. That’s always where it starts for me. I won’t lie, my postpartum body, while thin, is not rebuilt with muscle. I lack the strength I used to have. Each step up this hill is a reminder of that. When I stop for a breather half way up, I notice the stream next to me. I’ve heard it this whole time, but now I can see a little waterfall and watch the water glitter in the light.

Finally the trail starts to plateau and more yellow and purple wildflowers are to be seen. Butterflies magically flutter in front of me here and there and cool breeze cools me off from the sweat building on my body. We are in a meadow and when I stop to look behind me, I’m aghast with the view I am seeing. Mountains with their last remaining snow towering over the tree line we just walked through. Open meadows at the base that have been recently watered and are filled with life.

With the weight of our packs and my lack of body muscle we decide to turn around here. There was little expectation on how far we would get, that wasn’t the purpose of this hike. The purpose of this hike was simply shinrin-yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing.

I learned this term years ago but it’s been finding its way back into my life recently. I’ve heard it spoken again on podcasts, it’s coming up for me in conversations, and it seems to be the Universe/God/Great Spirit telling me it’s time to go back to the forest.1 The trees have something to tell me.

As per usual, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to what is forest bathing.

Forest Bathing originated in Japan in the 1980’s and proceeded to be studied in the 1990’s proving that spending time, with no real mission, in the forest can heal the body, mind and soul. From breathing in essential oils produced by the fauna, to absorbing the energetic of the trees and their network of roots, to simply adding fresh air to your lungs. Spending regular time bathing in the forest promotes health.

When I am in the forest, I like to walk slowly. This is my general nature. But as an artists I want to notice details. I want to understand how color and light and shadow work together to make the feeling of magic. I notice the flowers, the bugs, the decaying logs. I see how the water moves down the hill or how light reflects off its surface. I am trying to take in as many details as possible and in doing this I create my own meditation.

This doesn’t just occur when we go hiking in the mountains, although its one of the easiest times to do this. Every morning Tobias and I walk the neighborhood and end at one of my favorite open spaces. This particular place is filled with overgrown plants (at least right now) and birds of all kinds. I’m starting to see some of the flowers I’ve been studying pop up here and there and a small creek runs through it all. At the edges of the walk are canopies of trees creating a safe haven to enter from the growing heat of the sun. On these short walks, through neighborhoods, I am still practicing forest bathing–I am present, noticing, and taking in the magic of my surroundings.

I ran into one of my neighbors recently who mentioned that she has felt the weight of work recently. She’s putting out fires on a daily basis and feeling overwhelmed by what’s happening within her job. However, she loves to come out into the garden to simply pick weeds throughout the day. To just get her hands in the soil and breath in some fresh air.

While this in many ways could be seen as a version of Forest Bathing, I asked her if she had ever heard of this art. She hadn’t. I explained what it was and the benefits and that she has a canopy of trees just 100 yards from her home she could pace back and forth to receive the healing nature of the trees. She was thrilled with this idea. Of course, spending more time engulfed in nature was the answer to her woes.

@modernmagicdecorShare this with the friend who needs some nature healing ✨ #forestbathing #nature #healing #burnout #reducestress #relaxinghike

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Another friend of mine recently lost her mother suddenly. She has her first child, a 7-month old boy, and is now grieving the loss of her own mother. I can’t imagine this pain as I go to my mom for everything. While this is all very fresh for her, and I haven’t been able to see her yet since she’s been traveling for the funeral, I already have plans on kidnapping her and taking her to the Denver Botanic Gardens. Nothing is more healing than a walk through gorgeous flowers and a supportive friend to simply be near. We don’t even have to talk.

I love being an artist simply because it forces to me to look at the world with a different lens than most. I notice tiny details. I stop to stare at how the light hits an object. I’m witnessing natures color palettes and always searching for the magic of the everyday.

I bring a camera with me when we go hiking or travel. My background in photography makes me love taking pictures. I don’t do a lot of professional photography anymore (photoshoots for others where I get paid, the definition of “professional,” which seems dumb. I take some GREAT photos I don’t get paid for!) I do take a lot of photos still and now I use these for reference photos in my art. Some of these photos are worthy of framing on their own, others look silly to anyone else but are a way for me to remember a small detail I wanted to include in my next painting.

It’s rare that I use a single reference for a painting. Maybe, only, if I’m painting from life. But any painting is usually a combination of reference photos and ideas. I don’t need to paint the literal truth, what I’m painting is the truth of a feeling. I’m painting the magic we see and feel in a space but a camera is unable to capture. I paint the possibilities.

Our trip to the mountains produced some amazing images and filled me with inspiration for paintings. Some that will come to fruition some that might need to bake for awhile longer. But whether or not the paintings comes, the time spent in the woods is never wasted.

There’s something sacred about the first cup of coffee in the morning. Not just the caffeine boost—though, let’s be honest, that’s a non-negotiable some days—but the ritual itself. The waiting, the pouring, the savoring. In our house, coffee isn’t just something we drink. It’s something we do.

Our Morning Practice

It starts with the beans. Every two weeks, my husband roasts them on the grill—a practice that not only saves us money but ensures the freshest cup possible. It’s a labor of love, and one I’ve come to deeply appreciate.

The process continues before we even wake. Our kettle is set on a timer, heating the water as we slowly come back to the world of the living. There’s no mindless button-pressing here to get the coffee started. We ground the beans and fill our carafe and slowly pour the hot water in creating a coffee bloom (when the grounds expand and make a mushroom effect). This whole process forces us to be present, and start the day slowly.

Then, there’s the “cloud of milk” (as the French say), swirling into the dark coffee like morning fog lifting from your mind. And finally, the first sip: rich, warm, almost like a cup of hot chocolate without the overly sweet sensations. A grounding moment before the day begins.

Slowing Down with Each Sip

This isn’t a rush-to-the-coffee-pot situation. This is a daily meditation. A few minutes to notice the light filtering in through the windows as the coffee drips, listening for the birds starting their morning chatter as you pour in a little more water, and the warmth of the cup in my hands, when it’s finally brewed and ready to be savored.

It’s so easy to barrel through life without noticing these small moments of beauty. But our morning coffee rituals demand patience. It forces slowness. And in that slowness, we find presence.

Motherhood and Coffee

I didn’t start drinking coffee until our first morning home with a newborn. After labor, after that first night of waking up over and over again, my body craved it. And let me tell you—that first cup? The best I’ve ever had.

What’s the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had?

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I’m 13 months into motherhood now, and I could probably switch back to just tea. But in those early days, coffee felt like a rite of passage. Like some unspoken initiation into matrescence, the transition into motherhood.

That’s what my painting of a mother with her morning coffee captures: that quiet, sacred moment. Her child plays at her feet as she gazes out the window, cup in hand, savoring the slowness before the chaos of the day begins.

The Art of Coffee Mug Shots

I’ve started sketching my coffee in the mornings, a practice I call “Mug Shots.” Mostly, I’m capturing our favorite mugs in mini polaroid paintings. It’s just another way to be present—to really see the ritual instead of rushing through it. A way to document the slowness, the warmth, the everyday beauty of this small but meaningful practice.

Anything Can Be Art

Throughout this series “The Art of….” I’m revealing that everyday experiences and practices can be an art form. The Japanese knew this in their tea ceremonies and similarly your morning cup of joe can be a ritual, an action with intention and therefore, art.

I tried to use it for other things–holding pens, a toothbrush holder. But it wasn’t ever the same. I wanted my favorite mug back. It fit perfectly in my hand, it held just the right amount of tea, and the design brought me joy every morning I used it. But how do you fix something that is so deeply broken?

I think about this a lot–mending broken things.

The Modern Community is Broken

I have been taught how to throw things away. I’ve been told that new is always better and that there is enough to go around so don’t worry about it. But I’m starting to see the problems with this way of thinking. I’m starting to see how this consumeristic viewpoint has separated us, depleted us, and affects the natural world.

I have had a love for community since high school. I love to gather with people, to share meals, to lean on each other and build each other up. I’m a sucker for a coming of age story or any mention of building and strengthening relationships. It’s something I’ve known deep down is paramount to our survival.

And yet, I’m more disconnected than ever.

Maybe it’s a new mom thing. But I don’t think that’s it. I felt this long before my son came along.

The need to have our own everything means that we don’t share goods with our neighbors (cup of sugar anyone?)

The push for convenience means eating out instead of making a meal together, or ordering supplies instead of going to the store and running into an old friend.

The ability to chat with anyone around the world at any time with our devices means that we can ignore the people right in front of us.

I miss the days of church picnics (even if my religious beliefs differ these days). I miss people showing up at my house and just walking in, because we all felt like family. I miss potlucks, movie nights, and running errands together. I miss community.

It’s clear that like my favorite mug, community too is deeply broken.

The Art of Kintsugi

I discovered Kintsugi over a decade ago and of course, immediately fell in love. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending with gold. Originating in pottery, broken works were mended together and then painted with gold to highlight the cracks. This emphasized the places that something was broken and how its brokenness actually made it more beautiful. (Because, as I say in my painting workshop, there is no such thing as perfection).

This whole philosophy combines all the things I love–mending, anti-perfection, beauty through transformation, and saving natural resources. It also allowed me to use my favorite mug again and I love it even more with its gold line running from top to bottom, inside and out.

The Japanese understand the importance of protecting resources, living on an island this was vital to their survival for so long. But they have also developed so many traditions that turn everyday occurrences into art (or magic, if you will). Tea ceremonies, Wabi Sabi, Forest Bathing and more are all practices they’ve created to be present, appreciate what is in front of you, and to care for nature. Lessons I know I need constant reminders of.

The Metaphor of Mending

I picture community as a crowded table (thank you to The Highwomen)–Breaking bread, drinking wine, fully present to the ones in front of you. No gadgets, no technology, just the backdrop of a beautiful landscape and an evening of getting lost in story.

Some of my favorite memories as a kid revolve around the dinner table. Almost all of my favorite memories in life don’t involve technology and do involve friends or family. The same could be true for my favorite storylines (often happening in fantasy worlds where phones aren’t present or in the 80’s)

This painting is what community used to be.

It’s the crowded table of my dreams. It’s a world where we truly connect but aren’t just connected by the internet. It’s the fantasy of what community used to look like before we learned to always buy new, to consume more, and to be glued to our phones (and admittedly, I’m guilty of all of these things too).

I realized that community in our world, or the lack thereof, needs to be mended.

Technology isn’t going anywhere so how do we go back to strong communities like generations past but with the use of these modern tools too? How do I approach community with new eyes and in a way that makes it even more beautiful than before?

Mending the Communal Vessel

As much as I’d love to relive the 90’s when it comes to community, that isn’t going to happen. So what if instead of trying to rebuild what community used to look like we instead mend it with gold? We show off what has been broken and now fixed as a reminder of where things didn’t work.

In many ways, technology has been my communal offering since having a baby. Marco Polo might just be my favorite app. I’ve connected with amazing small businesses through social media and also found my Moms Who Walk Group which allowed me new friends and connections. The thing with technology, as we see in online dating, is it should be used for the intro and then the meetings need to happen in person. I need gatherings, shared meals, creative communities, and real honest conversations–about running a small business, being a mother, navigating the changing landscape of politics in this country, and what birds you’ve seen migrate into your backyard recently.

It doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to be real. It needs to be regular.

Art as Ceremony, Painting as Prayer

Standing in front of a camera and ripping a painting to pieces was both jarring and freeing in the same moments. It isn’t a print, it’s the original painting. It’s hours and hours of choosing colors, composition, fixing faces and lighting, adjusting clouds and getting the texture of the grass just right. And then pulling it apart in two.

It felt like the vail ripping in the bible when Jesus died. Or the vail ripping inside of me in the process of childbirth. Pulling something apart in two. Ripping to pieces. Creating a clear point of new beginning.

That is what this piece is about. A clear point of new beginning.

In bringing the pieces back together, not quite fitting like they did the first time, there was a beauty to it. A healing. And the gold lines that bring out the cracks and the texture of the paper actually got me excited.

I know that I need community in my life. I know that I am working diligently to get back that strong feeling of groundedness, of support and love. It won’t look like the community of my youth, and that’s okay. I’m ready to highlight the imperfections of community and be a part of it anyway.

As my old church used to say “We’re pro-participation, anti-perfection.”

I don’t know what the world needs next, but I think it begins with mending.
With gold. With glue. With gentleness.

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It isn’t just one woman that comes up to me to tell me that she wishes she could do what I do, it’s most women. They see my art and think, “I could never make that.” Whether it’s because they’re afraid to be seen and put their art out in the world (which is fair) or more likely because they don’t think they’re creative enough, they are no artists. We’ve come to believe that only the artists or makers are creatives, not everyday women. It’s the bohemian woman in flowy clothes with the perfectly out of place curls, or the woman with paint on every piece of clothing she owns. It’s the one who sees something in abstract paintings and can have deep conversations about the latest gallery opening that you still aren’t sure should be called art (we’ve all said that!) It’s the woman with a dedicated art space in her home or has a following or is contracted at galleries, those are the creatives. Not you. What I’ve come to learn as an artist is this–Creativity is not a skill some are born with. It is the core of being human–especially being a woman.

The Divine Feminine: Creativity Is in Your DNA

As women we are born with the ability to make life inside of ourselves. When reproductive organs are talked about in Eastern Medicine, they are called life force. This idea is taken even further when we look at the charkas. The Sacral Chakra (The second chakra leading up from the base of the torso and sits over the reproductive organs) in the energy center of creativity, passion and pleasure. Creation isn’t just about making something pretty or having good design skills but about life. Your creativity is about following all of which you are passionate about.

As women, we have the ability to embody creation in every form, including having children but not limited to this (You are so much more than a baby maker!) The divine feminine is known for intuition, nurturing others, receptiveness, collaboration, empathy, kindness, vulnerability, humility, patience, power, protection, and creativity. When you think of a mama, you think of someone soft and loving but when someone comes after their cub, she is anything but those two things. She is a force to be reckoned with and that too is part of the divine feminine. This is where activism can be a true creative practice.

The fact of the matter is that you might be more creative than you’ve ever imagined, you simply have too narrow of a definition of what creativity is. If being creative only means doing something in the visual arts, you will often find yourself lacking, but if you open it up to all the things that bring passion, fire, and pleasure to life, you realize that there are so many ways for you to embrace creativity. So what brings you to life? What lights your fire? It could be writing, gardening, baking, hosting, activism, not just making fine art. (although fine art is great too and if you want to dive deeper into that there are so many avenues to do it. Being able to “do that,” comes with practice. And if you join my upcoming workshop you’ll get all my secrets too!–There aren’t really any secrets but I’m happy to share with you all I know.)

The Modern Disconnect: Why We Feel “Uncreative”

More often than not the voice that’s telling us we aren’t creative is the un-balanced masculine voice in our heads. We live in a masculine society that encourages productivity, to always do and have more, and to compare ourselves to those around us knowing that there are limited seats at the table.

But the feminine and the creative that lives inside of you, doesn’t follow these rules.

Perfection is a word I move that we throw out of the English language. Let’s be real, perfect doesn’t exist. Nature isn’t perfect. It is beautiful because of its imperfections. When we see “perfection” on social media, on television, or anywhere else, it’s because we are only getting a small glimpse of the story. When we see the full picture we’ll learn, it isn’t perfect by any means.

Combine this with productivity culture and any sane person would lose it, especially one that’s a parent.

I’ve learned that there is no productivity in parenting. As a business owner and mom I’m learning about flow. Only a few things will get done in a day, energy decides most of that, and the baby’s naps and mood will decide the rest. Trying to batch create to save time or get things done in a certain order never works. I’m learning to let go of all the productivity hacks I’ve learned over the years and to embrace intuition and cycle syncing instead. (Seriously, if you don’t know about cycle syncing, it’s a game changer!)

Leaning into intuition, how things feel and gut instincts, made all the difference for me and allowed me to feel more creative in everyday tasks. The more I lean into trusting the feminine side of myself, the more space creativity has inside of me and is ready to pour out.

Reclaiming Your Creativity

In the charkas, everything starts with the root. This is where our fundamental needs are. When you feel safe and secure and have your basic needs met, energy moves. From the root we move to the sacral chakra where creativity flows. If this chakra is blocked or your root chakra is (meaning your basic needs aren’t met or you are in flight or fight mode) then you have nowhere to store creative energy, limiting your creative drive.

So what are ways in which your creative drive might be running low?

• You aren’t getting enough rest, are exhausted, are doing too much

• You are constantly stressed/overwhelmed

• You aren’t eating nutritious food that is giving you energy

• You are having health problems

• Struggling with anxiety or depression

• Struggling within close relationships (Significant other, friends, family, or self)

• Loss of self (Very common postpartum making the creativity an all time low the months following having a baby)

Basically, self-care hasn’t been a priority and therefore your creative self hasn’t been a priority. You need to be full in order to pour out and that doesn’t just mean to take care of others. Pouring out is also being creative, giving back to the world.

If you’ve read my post about self-care and this multi-billion dollar industry, you’ll know I have a lot of problems with this hype word. But taking time for yourself, tuning into your body and noticing what you need in any given moment is something I deeply believe in. I don’t think a new nail polish, face mask, or massage will change your life (they might be a drop in the bucket) but think that cost no money and allow you moments to be bored, find rest, re-charge, and bring you back to yourself make all the difference. (You can find more ideas of these here.)

Make Space for Wonder

My 11 month old watches the world in awe. From a tissue sitting on his head to when dad arrives home after being gone for what feels like forever.

My 5 year old dog is in awe of a ball appearing out of nowhere and being thrown, over and over and over again. He’s just as in awe of a baby’s foot coming out of nowhere and kicking his back, over and over and over again.

My 33 year old self is in awe of the birds coming back to the yard after being gone all winter long. Of how bread rises after being left alone, in a dark warm room, for hours (that might be a life lesson right there).

I didn’t notice the bird migrations until last spring at 8 months pregnant. I would sit in my favorite chair and just stare at the backyard for hours. We invested in bird feeds, new binoculars and my mom bought me a copy of Slow Birding to learn more about these birds that come and visit me year after year. Now, I’m noticing them again and remembering how wonderful it is to have these visitors after a long winter.

Invitation: Find Your Creative Spark

First I encourage you to find space in your day to slow down. To notice something small. To find wonder. To discover everyday magic (and if a print would help remind you to do that, please find one here!)

Once your basic needs — health, safety, security — have been tended to, I invite you to do something small. Pick up a paint-by-number kit at the art store. Grab a new cookbook from the library. Make your own bouquet of flowers with the affordable selection at Trader Joe’s. Invite people over for a dinner party or game night.

If you’re in the Denver area, I highly recommend my next painting workshop on May 4th, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at The Den. This two-hour workshop will guide you through my creative process while you create your own finished painting with gouache paints. It’s a pro-participation, anti-perfection kind of space, giving you new tools and techniques to apply to any creative practice. Spots are limited, so save your seat here.

You Were Born Creative

You, my dear, were born creative. It has always been a part of you and will continue to be a part of you until the day you die. (Even then, energy cannot be destroyed and so you go on to be a creative part of something else.)

The idea that you have to be productive always and that you’re never enough isn’t serving any of us. So let’s drop it. Instead, let’s live in flow, trust our guts, find rest, embrace wonder, and reunite with that creative self hiding within. I want to be friends with her. I think she’s just waiting for the invitation. So what’s one small, creative thing you can do today to invite her out to play?

Let’s talk about flow—literal and figurative. If you’ve ever felt like some weeks you’re crushing life and others you just want to hibernate, you’re not alone. Your hormones are running the show, and instead of fighting them (or wondering why you feel like a different person from one week to the next), why not work with them?

Understanding your cycle isn’t just about tracking ovulation so you don’t end up with a surprise baby (though, let’s be real, that’s important too). It’s about recognizing how your energy, creativity, emotions, and productivity shift over 28(ish) days—so you can move through life with ease instead of burnout. Here’s how I align my schedule with my body’s natural rhythm and create my own monthly flow. Feel free to steal any and all of these ideas for your own use!

Bleeding Phase (3-7 days) – Rest & Reflection

(Estrogen peaks and then drops)

Welcome to your inner winter, where your body is shedding what it no longer needs (literally and metaphorically). Also associated with the New Moon if you want to get all woo-woo about it (and I do!) Energy is at an all-time low, so this is the time to slow down, tune in, and let your intuition take the lead. Don’t expect yourself to be at peak performance—this is for dreaming, not doing.

What to do:
• Cancel unnecessary meetings/meetups (because brain fog is real).
• Use this time for creative brainstorming—start projects, don’t finish them.
• Journal, paint, doodle—whatever lets you express yourself without pressure.
• Opt for restorative/yin yoga, slow walks, or gentle stretching. Keep your pelvis below your heart to support downward energy flow.

Pro tip: Keep a moon journal to track what comes up each cycle. Patterns will emerge, and you’ll get to know yourself on a deeper level.

Follicular Phase (7-10 days) – Energy on the Rise

(Estrogen increases)

This is your springtime or waxing crescent moon—the fresh start, the burst of energy, the moment when you suddenly feel like a functioning human again. Your mind is sharp, your creativity is flowing, and it’s the perfect time to take action.

What to do:
• Schedule important work tasks and deep-focus projects.
• Say yes to social events—you’re feeling outgoing!
• Go check out some new art (Like Modern Magic art showing at Ohana Yoga + Barre and Elemental Coffeehouse in Denver), take a class, or start a big house project.
• Eat fresh, energizing foods and avoid sugar crashes.
• Go hard in your workouts—your body can handle it now!

Pro tip: This is when I get my best painting done. Whatever your passion is, carve out time for it now.

Ovulation (3-4 days) – Peak Productivity & Connection

(FSH, LH, and estrogen are at their highest)

This is summer energy (Hello Full Moon)! You’re magnetic, articulate, and primed for community. If there’s ever a time to have that hard conversation, schedule a big meeting, or put yourself out there, it’s now.

What to do:
• Plan your most important meetings and presentations.
• Prioritize social and networking events—this is your time to shine!
• Load up on fiber to help your body process extra estrogen.
• Try group fitness classes for an extra energy boost.
• This is also your most fertile time, so plan accordingly. 😉

Pro tip: If you feel really good, use this time to batch-create content, record videos, or do anything that requires charisma and confidence.

Luteal Phase (10-14 days) – Slow Down & Nest

(Progesterone rises, estrogen eventually drops)

Your energy starts to wane (like the Waning Gibbous Moon), and you may notice more irritability or the first signs of PMS. Think of this as your autumn—time to tie up loose ends, get organized, and prepare to wind down. This is a great phase for detail-oriented work and homebody vibes (like fresh Divine Feminine art for your house that you can enjoy during your bleed phase).

What to do:
• Get admin tasks done—organizing, planning, bookkeeping.
• Eat foods rich in B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, and fiber to support your mood.
• Start reducing high-intensity workouts; lean into strength training and long walks instead.
• Avoid dairy (especially cold dairy) to minimize PMS symptoms. (This is especially important the week leading up to your period as dairy and sugar can increase cramping–based on easter medicine philosophies)
• Take a creatine supplement to support your body as it shifts. (I like to mix mine with electrolytes too because I can light headed easily).

Pro tip: Your inner homebody kicks in here. This is the perfect time to refresh your space—rearrange furniture, declutter, put up new art or create a cozy nook to hibernate in next week.

Want more tips to living a slower lifestyle and creating calm spaces in your home? Get access to my free Slow Living Library.

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Living in Flow, Not Force

Our world is designed around a 24-hour cycle—aka a man’s hormonal rhythm, or what we call the patriarchy. Women, on the other hand, operate on a 28(ish)-day cycle. No wonder trying to stick to a rigid, structured schedule felt all wrong for me. The more I tried to force myself into a structured workday (especially while being a full time mom), the more drained I felt. And being an Aquarius (the water bearer, but an air sign) and being primarily Vata in Ayurveda, I am in great need of flow, not intense structure. (Basically, I’ve been lied to my whole life about what productivity actually looks like for me personally. Funny, it too isn’t a one size fits all type of thing!)

Once I started honoring my actual energy cycles, everything changed. Now, I plan my work, creativity, and even social life based on where I am in my cycle. Some days I feel unstoppable, and others I embrace the slowness instead of pushing against it.

Life (especially with a baby!) is unpredictable, so I don’t follow this perfectly. But having a flexible approach allows me to get more done while feeling way less stressed.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, out of sync, or just off, start tracking your cycle—not just for fertility reasons, but to truly understand yourself. Your hormones are powerful, and working with them instead of against them is one of the best ways to create more ease, balance, and flow in your life. I love asking people how they feel in their body not just about their body and tuning into your cycle is a great way to better understand how to answer that question.

So, where are you in your cycle right now? What phase do you thrive in? Let’s chat in the comments! 💫

(P.S. I learned so much of this from the book, Woman Code by Alisa Vitti. If you haven’t read it you should grab it from your local library, a local bookstore or Thriftbooks (my favorite place to buy used books and be a little more green.)

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Self-care is all around us and yet, it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference! For most women balancing careers, motherhood, relationships, and a never-ending to-do list, self-care feels like just another task—one we often don’t have time for. As a new mom, the number one thing I’m told is to make time for self-care, but what does that even mean? An episode of Portrait Artist of the Year on Prime? A bath? Yoga?The self-care industry tells us that the solution is a spa day or an expensive face mask, but what if self-care wasn’t about escaping our lives? What if it was about creating a life that actually nurtures us every single day?

A Multi-Trillion (with a “T”!) Dollar Industry

The wellness industry sells self-care as spa days, expensive skincare, and weekend retreats—but that’s not realistic for women balancing careers, motherhood, and a million responsibilities. And, for those who don’t have an expendable income, do they just not get any self-care?

In 2023, the global wellness market reached a record $6.3 trillion, up from $5.8 trillion in 2022 with projections to reach $9 trillion by 2028. What we know about industries like these and capitalism in general is that they never have our best interest at hand. So while these tools promise a better more relaxed life, the truth of the matter is that what we call self-care, and how we go about it, isn’t actually working and is probably just taking our money.

Looking for guidance on slow living, creating a home that restores you, or reflecting with end-of-year journaling? My free resource library is filled with beautifully designed guides to help you cultivate a more intentional, creative, and calm life. Sign up and get instant access to start creating space for what truly matters.

Learn To Slow Down

Making Time for One More To Do List Item

True self-care isn’t about adding more to your plate, it’s about taking things off of it. It’s about prioritizing, making space in your day, and feeling like you have the room to take a breath.

I’m lucky, in that I am not working 40-hours a week on top of being a new mom. I have a little more space in my day to take care of household tasks, care for my child and work part time on my own art business, so the things I have time for in regards to self-care could look completely different than you. And, I still feel the need to lighten to do lists, and figure out where I’m going to fit in that commissioned painting and packaged up art print orders that came in this week. I feel the world crashing down on my shoulders and the rice sock I microwave and wear around my neck, just isn’t cutting it as part of my “self-care” routine!

As someone who has worked in the wellness world, I’ve actually seen how toxic wellness and self-care can be when using it to build wealth. While I love a good yoga practice, the cost of yoga is astonishing today and I personally, love the Free Yoga with Adrienne videos on YouTube and have even decided to invest $15 a month for her yoga app to make it easier to find the classes I want in the time frame I have (Usually 20-30 minutes during nap time and I don’t have to drive across town to participate).

Don’t get me wrong, if you have the option to go practice in person (and the means) it’s a beautiful thing to do. There is great community in these spaces (another form of self-care) and it allows you to be in a space that isn’t your home so you can fully step out of mom mode or work mode or laundry mode. At the same time, going across town (30-minute) to practice for an hour class, chit chat, and then come home (30-min) means I’m spending over 2-hours of my day to do yoga, and I really don’t have time for that right now. Better said, I would rather spend the majority of that time painting, meeting with my girlfriends, getting a shower in, and or doing a short yoga class in my spare bedroom.

The Guilt Factor: Why Women Struggle to Prioritize Themselves

As women, we’re conditioned to believe that being a good mother, partner, or leader means putting everyone else first. But why is putting yourself first such a bad thing? On an airplane we’re told (repeatedly if you have children with you) to put your own mask on before helping others. It’s because if we don’t take care of ourselves first, we won’t have the strength to help anyone else. The same principle applies to life. Putting yourself first isn’t about thinking only of yourself all the time—it’s about self-preservation, ensuring you have the energy and resources to support the people and responsibilities you care about.

But when it comes to women, there’s often a deep-rooted guilt associated with this idea. We’re told that taking care of our own needs is selfish, that we should always be putting others first. This guilt keeps us from nurturing ourselves, and ultimately, it leaves us feeling drained and overwhelmed.

That’s where the Fab 5 come in.

What Queer Eye Has to Teach Us About TRUE Self-Care

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Queer Eye, you know that their makeovers aren’t just about appearances. Each member of the Fab 5 focuses on a different aspect of well-being:

• Jonathan (Grooming): Feeling good in your own skin

• Tan (Fashion): Expressing yourself and feeling confident in what you wear

• Jerimiah (Design): Creating a home that reflects and supports you

• Karamo (Culture): Addressing emotional and mental well-being

• Antoni (Food & Wellness): Nourishing your body and soul

At its core, Queer Eye is about helping people see themselves again—beyond their responsibilities, past mistakes, and limiting beliefs. And that’s exactly what real self-care should do for us as women.

The Fab 5 Formula for Self-Care That Actually Works

Instead of thinking of self-care as an indulgence, what if we thought about it as tending to every part of who we are?

Jonathan: The Power of Taking Care of Yourself First

• It’s not selfish to prioritize yourself—it’s necessary. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and when you feel good, you show up better for everyone around you.

• Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated. A shower that isn’t rushed, a fresh coat of lipstick, or putting on earrings can be an act of reclaiming yourself.

Tan: The Confidence Shift

• You deserve to feel good in what you wear—ditch the “someday” clothes and dress for the person you are right now.

• This applies to our homes too. If you wait until you have the perfect space to make it feel special, you’ll always be waiting.

Jeremiah: Your Home is Self-Care

• Your environment affects your mood, energy, and creativity. A cluttered, chaotic space = a cluttered, chaotic mind.

• You don’t need a full renovation to make your home a sanctuary. Small, intentional choices—like surrounding yourself with meaningful art—can turn your space into a place that truly restores you.

Karamo: Emotional Self-Care is the Foundation

• Self-care isn’t just physical—it’s how we speak to ourselves, the boundaries we set, and the way we let go of guilt for taking up space.

• The biggest thing holding many women back? Feeling like they have to earn rest or joy. What if we stopped waiting for permission and just embraced it? Journaling about these things can make all the difference and is another act of self-care when it feels natural to sit down and write/doodle/draw.

Antoni: Nourishment Over Deprivation

• Instead of punishing our bodies, what if we approached food and movement with joy?

• A glass of wine with friends, a beautifully set table, or a favorite recipe can be self-care when we allow ourselves to enjoy them.

Turning Everyday Life Into Self-Care

The reason Queer Eye transformations feel so powerful isn’t because they tell people to run away from their lives—it’s because they help them step back into their lives in a way that feels authentic and full (and leaves me crying at the end of EVERY episode!).

Self-care isn’t a luxury. It’s not something you need to “earn” or even that you need to spend a ton of money on. Self-care is in the small, intentional ways you show up for yourself every day—how you take care of your body, how you create a space that nurtures you, and how you let yourself feel joy without guilt.

Accessible Self-Care For the Woman Who Does it All!

Okay, you get the idea, self-care doesn’t have to be what the media and consumeristic industries have made it out to be. So what then, does self-care ACTUALLY look like for a busy woman (possibly on a budget)?

Everyday Rituals That Restore You

• The Two-Minute Reset: Step outside, close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and feel the sun (or cold air) on your skin. A tiny, grounding moment.

• The Hot Drink Ritual: Make your morning coffee or tea a sacred pause—sip it while it’s hot, without multitasking. Bonus points if you drink it from a mug that brings you joy. (This is honestly my favorite time of the day.)

• End-of-Day Wind Down: Instead of scrolling at night, take five minutes to stretch, light a candle, or jot down one thing that went well that day.

Reclaiming Your Space as Self-Care

• Art That Speaks to You: Your home should feel like a place that refuels you. Surround yourself with color, beauty, and objects that make you feel good—like an art print that reminds you to slow down and see the magic that’s all around you!–You deserve to live in a space that reminds you of who you are—beyond the to-do lists, the emails, and the caregiving.

• The Five-Minute Declutter: Pick one small area (your nightstand, kitchen counter, or purse) and reset it. It’s a tiny act, but it shifts your energy.

• Open a Window: Let fresh air in, change the energy of your space, and get a little hit of nature—even if you’re stuck inside.

Connection as Self-Care

• The Grocery Run Hangout: If finding time to meet up with friends feels impossible, invite them to run errands with you, or invite yourself to run their errand with them. Even a 30-minute grocery trip together can be a reset. And I’ll even take my son with me if I have to. Finding moments to be with your community is a game changer!

• The “Children’s Book” Book Club: A book club where reading isn’t required—just a gathering to swap children’s book titles we love (to buy or get from the library later), share life, and connect.

• The Five-Minute Voice Memo: Send a quick voice memo to a friend instead of waiting for the “right time” to catch up. And if you know other mom’s do a quick check-in to see how they’re holding up!

Self-Care That Honors the Feminine

• Intuitive Movement: Instead of punishing workouts, move in a way that feels good—dance in your kitchen, stretch in bed, or do Yoga with Adriene (free on YouTube or $13 for the app).

• Micro-Moments of Pleasure: Light a candle while you work, put on music while cooking, or shower with the lights off (It’s amazing how relaxing that is!)

• A Slow Walk, No Purpose Required: Walk without tracking your steps, listening to a podcast, or making a call. Just be present.

Rest and Restoration

• Yoga Nidra on Insight Timer (Free App): A guided meditation that where falling asleep is totally allowed (and I might even say, encouraged!)

• The Annual Massage: Once a year, book yourself a massage. Even if it’s the only one you get, make it count.

The New Look of Self-Care

Self-care isn’t something we have to wait for—it’s already woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. It’s in the way we breathe deeply before responding to our child, the way we sip our coffee while it’s still hot, the way we let ourselves rest without guilt. It’s in the beauty that surrounds us—the colors on our walls, the way the afternoon light filters through the window, the laughter shared over a grocery run with a friend. But self-care also requires something that feels almost impossible in our fast-paced world: slowing down.

With the pressures of our culture and the millions of things we feel like we have to get done, it’s easy to believe that rushing will help us keep up. But more often than not, hurrying through life only leads to anxiety, burnout, and mistakes we have to fix later. True self-care asks us to pause—to move through our days with more presence, to create space for what actually matters, and to remember that we don’t have to do it all to be worthy. The magic isn’t somewhere else—it’s right here, in the ordinary moments, waiting to be noticed.

What self-care practices do you currently have or what practice do you want to try after reading this?

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Let’s style some art

So, you just purchased a new Modern Magic art print (because, hello! why wouldn’t you?) and now you have to decide where to put it.

First, I suggest putting it in a frame. I list out my favorite frames (affordable and less affordable) on this page here. A frame is meant to protect the art. While Leanne Ford would tell you, you can tape it to a wall (and I have done that, shown here), if you want this piece to last, you’ll want it in a frame. Now what kind of frame is totally up to you and I’m not talking about that here, but I do talk about it here.

Okay, so you’ve chosen a frame. Now, where do you put your art?

Where To Put Your Art

I’ve said it before (It’s the name of this substack) and I’ll say it again… There are no rules in art! So if you can put a nail in it or it’s a surface that the painting can prop up on, it’s fair game!

The most common place to put an art print is on the wall. This could be by it’s self or in a gallery wall format. This first picture of the Blue Kitchen Memories painting (this is actually the original…isn’t it tiny and cute? It’s a painting of my grandparents kitchen from memory and I’m obsessed with it!) is in a gallery wall in my bathroom. (These frames are listed in the favorite frames post linked above).

When creating a gallery wall you can think of having some similars–a color that moves through the scenes, frames that match identically or are made of the same material. OR you go in the exact opposite direction and aim to have nothing match. Both work because…There are no rules!

Okay, on to the next options.

The rest of these options all showcase this painting leaning against a wall in different rooms. I personally love this look and while not photographed here, it also works wonderfully on bookshelves. This painting happens to be too big for my bookshelves so it doesn’t work, but a smaller frame would have made that a possibility.

So first we have it in our bedroom on a bedside table.

I also have photographs framed on the wall but you could easily have no other art besides the paintings leaning agains the wall next to the bed. In this case, there is a lot of blue happening and therefore the painting blends in a little more. Which isn’t good or bad, just a fact. You get to decide if that’s what you’re going for.

This one is the option nobody would think of because it’s very much different, and maybe not as function focused. This chair sits in the entry of our home and is often when extra coats get thrown, purses are dropped, or maybe you sit down to put your shoes on. Honestly, this painting here would stop anyone from off loading all their junk to this chair which would be a dream. And you also won’t be able to sit there to put your shoes on. Although, you could add a hook/nail to the back of the chair and actually have the painting hang and then you could sit on the edge to put your shoes on. Okay, I really love that idea… great brainstorming everyone!

Finally, we have the painting in our kitchen where I LOVE ALL THINGS BLUE AND WHITE! (I’m an old soul, what can I say?) So next to these sweet blue canisters (that are often empty because I don’t know what to put in them and when I do I forget its there ha!) with the blue and white Italian tile behind them adding lots of layers to this kitchen counter. (And for anyone who follows anything Interior Design, we know that “layers” are a good thing and also a favorite word for people to throw around.)

And that’s that. One painting styled 4 different ways. Which one did I choose… I won’t say, but tell me, which one would you choose?

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Please note: all books are linked to Thriftbooks because buying used is the second most environmentally friendly way to read. The first is visiting your local library! I do not receive any compensation for any books you choose to purchase here, I just really love kids books.

Classics

• The Big Hungry Bear

• If you Give a Mouse a Cookie

• Love You Forever (This book still makes my mother cry)

• Rainbow Fish

• Where the Wild Things Are

Educational

• Gravity is Bringing Me Down

• The Magical Yet

• The Three Questions

Funny

• Flat Cat

• I’m Not Missing

• Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?

Going to Bed

• The Art Book of Sleep

• The Going to Bed Book

• How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

Holidays

• Room on the Broom

Nature

• I am the Seed that Grew The Tree

• The Hike (Labels all the elements of nature on each page)

• My Friend the Earth (The shape of these pages are magical!)

Rhyming

• But not the Hippopotamus

• The Hiccupotamus

• Dinosaurumpus!

Diversity + Other Cultures

• I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes

• Eyes that Kiss in the Corners (Obsessed with the illustrations)

• Hotel for Bugs

• The Ofrenda That We Built

Have a favorite children’s book not on this list? Leave it in the comments so we don’t miss out.

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We did the rounds—ordered samples online, visited local shops—and eventually found a tile that fit our style (a blend of mid-century modern, Spanish, and boho) and budget. Our contractor promised it would be a three-week job. One step closer to creating the home we envisioned!

Except it wasn’t three weeks.

Every Friday, we were told, “One more week.” One more week of dust and noise. One more week of disorganization. This cycle repeated six times until the project finally wrapped up after nine weeks—just in time for Thanksgiving. (Literally, 24-hours before we served our Thanksgiving meal!)

The hardest part? We’re the lucky ones. Our contractor was kind, meticulous, and reasonably priced. His Achilles' heel was time management. Meanwhile, friends have dealt with contractors who ghosted after collecting deposits or worked a few hours a week, leaving projects in limbo.

But even with a “good” contractor, living in a construction zone takes a toll. For nine weeks, our main floor was a maze of chaos, and for someone like me, who spends most of her time at home, that disruption was felt deeply.

I juggle being the primary caregiver for our seven-month-old, running two businesses—a marketing consultancy and an art shop—and keeping our household afloat. My days are a swirl of feedings, playing, creating, and managing. Construction was front and center every moment: the dust, the noise, the dismantling of our routine. And with no clear end in sight, I truly thought I might lose it. (And I did a few times.)

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This experience reminded me just how much our surroundings affect us. My passion is helping women create spaces that inspire and ground them, and this renovation drove home the importance of that mission. A home isn’t just a roof over your head; it’s a reflection of who you are and how you care for yourself. When our space is disorganized or unsettled, it ripples through every aspect of our lives.

I’ve always admired how Queer Eye talks about the connection between your environment and your self-worth. How you care for your home, how you treat yourself, and how you prioritize rest—these are all reflections of your mindset. It doesn’t have to be perfect (trust me, I’ve learned how overrated perfection is), but it does have to feel like you.

Now that the dust has literally settled, I’m still finding my way back to a routine, rebuilding a sense of calm in our home. But I feel a deeper appreciation for this space we call ours. I’m grateful we had the resources to renovate, the luck of finding a skilled contractor, and the lesson in how much a home influences our mental health.

Home is where every day magic begins. It’s where we recharge, ground ourselves, and find the strength to show up for the world. How are you tending to your sacred space?

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