Choosing joy without looking away from the world.
This weeks therapeutic art prompts, new course and HEY! It's finally Spring...
Hi tender hearts,
As I type this out, I just discovered yesterday was the first day of spring! As someone who is very vocal about not being the #1 fan of winter, I felt a small shift in my body knowing we are moving out of it and into warmth. I don’t feel it outside my condo just yet, but the anticipation alone feels like the thawing of many parts of me.
I feel as if I started 2026 on the foot of daily trying to figure out what I feel. How do I feel? What should I feel about everything happening? Do I feel hopeful? Do I feel full of despair? Should I feel differently than how I feel? How can I feel bliss while listening to Sigur Rós, looking up at the vast sky while walking my dog in the park, when I know so much of the world is in pain? There is so much terror in the world right now, and yet there are people celebrating the beauty of just being alive. We all know both can — and should — exist in the collective world and in our individual ones.
But practicing this knowing is another adventure. It asks us to live in the nuance. To not push ourselves in or out of feelings. And a lot of social media right now is demanding specific feelings from us. It is not just information, but suggestions on how you should feel about the information. As humans who want to be “good,” how do we let joy swell in our bodies while also not turning the other cheek? To be well informed, while not drowning ourselves to the point that we no longer see the sun above the water.
When I reflect on this lately, I think about this moment…
I remember that joy is absolutely part of our resistance. That we all can feel it when we see it — the joy, the resistance of being who we have been told to be. How we all pause and look at beauty, even in the middle of collective pain. We all paused and cried during the Super Bowl halftime show, feeling the rich pride of culture wrapped up in love. We know it when we see it. Two people who are very vocal about their political and social beliefs showed us that joy is a pillar of our movement.
These cultural moments are what shape our society, but most of us are still just watching them behind screens. They inspire us, they move us, they remind us. My question to myself has been, “How can I create these moments in my personal life?” “What does joy as resistance look like to me?” Perhaps those questions can inspire you, too.
In other news,
March 10th begins my new 4 week course: ART AS MEDICINE begins. A creative course for transmuting overwhelm, anxiety, fear, and hope into creative energy and self-understanding.
I absolutely love when you all share your art with me as you move through my courses! My Watercolor for The Brave Beginners Course came to a close last week, but it was such an honor to teach it. Can you believe Carley had never picked up a brush before this?!
And check out this piece made by Robyn Sullivan. A member of my Good Girls Making Bad Art Online Club. She did such a beautiful job of encapsulating the joy, creativity and love that resides within that space. It is truly such a special corner of the internet.
And I am here with the FREE art prompt for the week:
March 2nd- Becoming Someone Who Stays
Reflect: What does it look like to stay with myself today, even gently?
Art Prompt: Draw or paint a small shape in the center of the page representing you. Around it, add marks, colors, or layers that feel like presence, warmth, or protection. Let the page feel like staying.
For the rest of the prompts for the week: Support my work and upgrade to paid for only $5 a month. Thank you for supporting my work. Get an art prompt every. single. day, created by me. They are all created to help you nurture your relationship with yourself, and creativity. For only 10 minutes a day.
