Think back with me to the early days of the pandemic.

We were navigating the world of online teaching, learning how to order groceries on Instacart, spending all our time at home while still balancing a surprisingly full social calendar of Zoom coffee dates and happy hours. And I quickly found myself burning out.

I realized a few months in that I was deeply missing the connection to music-making – singing and playing on occasion, attending concerts, and playing duets with my students. I needed another creative outlet, something to do with my hands.

So I started painting again. I bought a few tubes of acrylic paint and a pad of cold-pressed watercolor paper and began painting tiny landscapes, fresh citrus botanicals and studies of Mock Orange branches we cut from the backyard.

I started to remember why I create. Creating art in all its many forms – music, writing, dance, poetry, painting – helps me come alive. The creative process makes me feel whole and curious and present.

This is something I think we've all needed this past year. And it's something the world needs in the year to come.

The great theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman said, “Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

If you've been feeling the same – burnt out or tired and feeling the need to explore something new – I'm here to encourage you to do it.

Was there was a hobby you enjoyed 10-20 years ago? If so, how can you pick it back up again? Or maybe you've always wanted to ______. How can you make time to explore that this fall?

I've been working quietly behind the scenes since last year, not knowing if I would ever share my paintings with the world, just creating for the sake of creating.

But today, I'm thrilled to release my first two art collections! These pieces are reflective and whimsical, inspired by nature and simple landscapes. They are quiet invitations to be still, reflect, and savor the moment.