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This week, I did something I haven't done in a very long time. I went to the art store. Not the instant gratification one-click-shipping website kind of art store - but the real one. The one with creaky wooden floors, aisles of inspiration, and decades of memories tied to my early artist days.
It was a quiet weekday while the kids were off at camp, and with my mom by my side and Lily content in her stroller with snacks and juice, I finally made the trip to the Guild Art Center. I hadn't been there since the very beginning - since I first started art school, since I first dared to imagine that I could make a life out of the things I created with my hands.
I’ve been itching to return to painting lately. As much as I love my iPad for designing and illustration work, there’s something about real paint and paper that just feels like home. The iPad is incredible - fast, detailed, efficient - but that speed sometimes pushes me to overthink. And when that happens, I know it’s time to slow down.
Walking through the store, I felt a mix of excitement and overwhelm. So many things I wanted to try, so many materials that called to me. But I had done my research. I knew what I needed, and I reminded myself that this trip wasn’t about more - it was about being intentional. And it felt good to show restraint, to walk out of there with just what I came for, knowing something beautiful was waiting to be made.
And I made it. A new watercolor pattern (and gouache! new to me!), inspired by that outing and the simplicity of going back to the beginning. I’ll be sharing the finished design and the other digital assets this weekend/next week, and I hope it brings as much joy to you as it brought to me while creating it.
Sometimes, we forget that stepping outside of our routine, away from screens and into a space with history and heart, can unlock something inside us that’s been quiet for too long. I’m really proud of this small return - to painting, to risk, to remembering why I started.
Thank you for following along on this journey. It means more than you know.
-Carrie
