We hear it all the time. “Stop working and practice self-care.” “Take a break from your computer.” “You need to relax instead of being productive all the time.” And I get it. I really do. But here’s the thing… What if the thing that helps me relax is also considered work? I’m an artist, writer, graphic designer, and creative business owner. I spend a lot of time designing, blogging, creating digital products, building websites, and working on my little corner of the internet. To some people, that probably looks like I’m constantly working. And technically? I am. But there’s something they don’t always understand. Being creative is how I decompress.…

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…