On finding myself through art, rebuilding my creative business, and why I’ve stopped trying to squeeze my entire personality into one niche. In 2016, someone told me I couldn’t make money with just Photoshop. And looking back? I think that might have been one of the most important things anyone ever said to me. Not because they were necessarily trying to inspire me. But because I loved creating, and I wasn’t ready to give that up simply because someone else didn’t see the possibilities. By that point, I’d already taken three different Photoshop courses between high school and college. And somewhere along the way, I’d completely fallen in love with…

On perfectionism, the inner critic, and why sometimes the best thing you can do for your mental health is create something without worrying about whether it’s good. Can I tell you something as an artist? Not everything you create needs to be good. Seriously. Not every drawing needs to become a masterpiece. Not every photograph needs to be perfectly composed. Not every painting needs to look like something you’d hang in a gallery. And not every creative idea needs to become a product, a social media post, or something you can sell. Sometimes you can just create. That’s it. No expectations. No pressure. No worrying about whether anyone else will…

From print on demand to mental health, digital art, and now Substack. Maybe all those fresh starts were leading me somewhere. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself over the past ten years, it’s that I’m really good at starting over. And by starting over, I mean rebranding. A lot. New business names, new logos, new websites, new Etsy shops, new ideas. You name it, I’ve probably tried it. My creative business journey started back in 2016 with print on demand. I was a self-taught artist who loved the idea of turning my designs into actual products. Unfortunately, some of my early brands were reported and shut down, and…

Maybe art isn’t about creating something beautiful. Maybe it’s about creating something that makes you feel something. Here’s a little 3 AM thought I’ve been sitting with lately. What actually makes something art? Is it a beautiful painting hanging in a museum? A photograph that captures the perfect moment? A messy sketch in someone’s notebook? A poem written during one of the darkest periods of someone’s life? A digital illustration? An AI-assisted creation? Or maybe it’s something as simple as coloring in a coloring book after a mentally exhausting day. I’ve been creating art for most of my life, and the older I get, the more I realize something. Art…

AI can generate a thousand designs before I finish my coffee. But does that mean there’s no room left for independent artists like me? Sometimes I wonder if I picked the worst possible time to be an independent artist. Here I am, a 30-something millennial who’s been creating art and building little online businesses since 2016, trying to figure out how to sell my creativity in a world where technology is moving faster than I can keep up with. And trust me, that’s saying something. One minute, we’re learning how to create digital artwork. The next, we’re opening Etsy shops, experimenting with print-on-demand, figuring out SEO, and trying to convince…

Sometimes I wonder how far one little creative idea can actually go. And I don’t mean becoming famous. Or building some massive business. Or making thousands of dollars selling artwork online. Although, let’s be real, making some money from my creativity would definitely be nice. I’m talking about something a little simpler. Imagine walking into a store, going about your normal day, and suddenly seeing something you created sitting on a shelf. A greeting card. A sweatshirt. A piece of wall art. Something that started as a little drawing, a photograph, or a random idea inside your head. And now? It’s an actual product. In an actual store. That someone…

Because sometimes we need to write our feelings out, and sometimes we just need to scribble them away. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about taking care of my mental health, it’s that self-care doesn’t always look the same. Some days, I need to journal. Other days, I need to pick up a pencil, draw something completely random, and let my creativity take over. And sometimes? I just need a cute little animal reminding me that I’m doing my best-ish. That’s part of why I created Cozy Critter Studio, my growing collection of cozy self-care and creative wellness apps. I’m an artist, a mental health advocate, and someone who believes…