I have been painting every day for the last week. And I love it.

I am so glad that I created a separate space for it. It’s nothing fancy, but not having to clear off my work clutter in order to paint has been really helpful. Painting has become my favorite part of the day. I don’t have a schedule for it, I just try to fit it in when I can, though I tend to paint in the later afternoon after I feel like I have accomplished enough of my work tasks.

I have really enjoyed my first five days of my Palette Project, where I take the color palette from an inspiration image and turn it into a painting. The framework has helped me stay consistent, and I am feeling more and more confident with my brush and mixing techniques. But I also like that the framework is open enough that I can experiment. As you can see in my Day 5 painting, I took things in a bit of a different direction.

The painting part is great. The hard part is the sharing.

The first few days of getting back into posting on Instagram, I was excited and filled with ideas. I felt hopeful and ambitious. Then, like so many times before, I hit a cliff where I drop into another mindset and posting is the last thing I want to do.

After a few posts that flop, I get discouraged. The work of creating the posts takes so long that I start to wonder, is it worth it?

And then I start to get existential. Why do I feel the need to share? What kind of approval am I looking for? Why can’t I be satisfied with my own little world of making art?

And then I start questioning myself. Is my work terrible? Are my videos boring? Am I boring?

Social media is an absolute mind trip.

Thank goodness there is finally more accountability happening around children’s use of social media. I am going to keep my own kids away from it as long as possible. Because at least I am at an age and place in my life where, sure, I get discouraged and my self-esteem takes a hit, but I also have a lot to ground me.

And that is what is helping me start climbing back up again after the drop-off.

I don’t need a giant follower count or millions of views, but there are three reasons I do want to push through and keep sharing:

1. It holds me accountable.

Even if only a few people are actively invested in my progress, it helps me make the space to keep my 30-day project going. I love painting every day, but there are some days when I feel like I SHOULD be doing other things, especially now that I am doing camp pick-ups and drop-offs again and have more limited time to do my actual paying work.

But just knowing I have a few people invested helps me prioritize it.

2. Find my people.

I have already noticed my algorithm shifting to show me other artists in their 30s who are rediscovering their love for art and trying to make a go of it. I would love to make more connections with people in a similar stage of life, with a similar ambition to make space in a busy schedule for art. I also hope that my sharing might inspire another fellow busy woman to make space for their art or their passions.

3. Set myself up to potentially grow a real art business.

This one is more pie-in-the-sky at this point, because I am truly just in the experimental phase, but I do have dreams of making AND selling art someday.

The reality of our world these days is that having a social media presence is pretty much an essential part of making it as a working artist (or really any self-employed profession, especially a visual one!). So I am hoping that along with getting better at painting, I also get better at creating content so I can set myself up for success later down the road.

This week, I am not going to pressure myself to post EVERY SINGLE DAY, but I will continue to post. And when I do, I am working on just posting and then letting it fly away from my brain space instead of dwelling on the metrics.

I want to paint and share, but I do not want to become a growth hacker, hah.

Some days I long for the Instagram of 2014, when I could just post a still image. When I didn’t even know what a “hook” was or ever have to hear the words “trending audio.” When if someone followed you, they would consistently see your posts.

But while I look back with rose-colored glasses, I know it wasn’t all great. I remember feeling plenty of comparison and pressure back then too.

For now, I need to keep focusing on the making and try to feel less pressure around what I think I SHOULD be doing versus what I WANT to do.

Painting because I want to. Sharing because I want to.

Today is Day 5 (well, really more like Day 6 for me because I have mostly been painting in the late afternoon/evening and then sharing the next day), and I am already finding myself starting to stretch my painting experiments beyond the palettes, which is exactly what I was hoping would happen.

I have also been copying paintings that I love, which sounds bad, but is exactly how artists learn. Every master artist has a ton of copies/VERY inspired pieces to their name. These, of course, are just for me and part of my process of learning new techniques and seeing what kinds of styles feel natural to me.

The next week will challenge my ability to make space for art. We will be away for the long weekend, then the kids will be back home, and then school starts. My little late-afternoon painting window might be harder to find.

But I think that’s also kind of the point of this project.

I don’t want painting to be something I only do when I have an unusually quiet week, or when the kids are away, or when all of my work is done (because when is all of my work ever actually done?).

I want to figure out how to make space for it in my real life.

The messy, busy, client-deadline, school pick-ups, piles of laundry version of it.

And maybe that means some days I paint for three hours and some days I paint for twenty minutes. Maybe I share every day, and maybe I don’t.

I’m only a week in, so I’m trying not to make too many rules yet.

But I do know that every day this week, I have looked forward to sitting down and painting.

For now, I think that’s the part worth paying attention to.

X
Jess

I didn’t mean to take a break from this newsletter during my vacation to France, but it became inevitable. Downtime was scarce, and any afternoons we hid inside the AC (it was SO hot) were spent working on client projects. I also basically had no time alone on the trip, and I’ve found that when I’m writing, I need a quiet space and few distractions.

So I didn’t get a chance to write, but my mind was very awake. I did a lot of reflecting and thinking about what I want to do next.

For nearly three weeks, I was off a screen most of the time, so coming home and jumping right back into the pile of client work waiting for me, plus endless opportunities to scroll mindlessly, has been a bit of a shock to the system. (My kids are with my parents this week, which is amazing, but also gives me a lot more free time to be attached to a screen.)

I went from walking miles every day, traipsing through picturesque medieval towns, stepping into the shimmering water of the Côte d’Azur, getting inspired at Cézanne’s studio and the Matisse Chapel...to sitting back at my desk, picking things up exactly where I left off.

It just doesn’t feel right.

While I was away, I kept coming back to my dream of having an art studio. I even started searching for studio spaces. The idea of having a place I could go to create when I got home was incredibly appealing. I briefly had a studio space in San Francisco in my 20s, and I miss it so much.

It turns out studio space in Manhattan is insanely expensive. So while I’m still putting it in the “someday” folder, it just isn’t realistic right now.

When I pictured my dream studio, I kept thinking about painting there. Big white walls where I could hang my canvases. A large work table that could get messy with experiments. Other artists around to inspire me. And really, just a space of my own.

But coming home, I realized that while the dreamy studio isn’t possible right now, that doesn’t mean I can’t paint.

Admitting to myself that I actually have ambitions of being an “artist” has been surprisingly scary.

I even have an Instagram reel all queued up where I talk to the camera about my desire to try painting and making art, and I have not been able to push publish.

I want to create. I want to share. But I’m really scared.

It feels so vulnerable to put myself out there. Maybe I don’t need to? But I also know the reality of the world today. If I want to have any chance of people seeing my art, I need to show up.

But I don’t think it’s just the sharing that scares me. It’s trying something new and being a total beginner at it. It’s moving away from the comfort zone of a client brief and a problem to solve. It’s not knowing if I can get what I see in my head onto the canvas.

It’s the fear of failing.

I’ve struggled with consistency my entire life (I’ve talked about it here!), and I’ve been trying to embrace that part of me, the person who starts projects and doesn’t always finish them. But I also know that some of my “not finishing” is really just giving up.

I often quit right when I’m getting somewhere.

I’m sure I could therapize this further, but I know a lot of it comes down to fear and anxiety.

I didn’t post the reel yesterday announcing my desire to paint (maybe I will today), but I did clean my office and make myself a little painting nook.

It’s not quite the bright studio I pictured, but it’s a dedicated space and a constant reminder to actually do the thing I keep saying I want to do.

Yesterday afternoon, I sat down there and painted for a few hours. At first it was frustrating. It’s been quite a while since I last painted, and I felt overwhelmed trying to get what I could see in my head onto the paper. But I told myself to LET GO and just have fun.

And then the hours passed by quickly.

I’m looking over at my painting nook longingly right now, wishing I could get back to it, but I have client projects waiting for me after I finish this newsletter.

Just knowing I have the space now, and feeling that pull to get back to it, makes me realize this is a desire I shouldn’t ignore or continue to push down.

I’m 38, which isn’t old, but as I reach this midlife-ish time, I do find myself thinking about all the things I’ve said I’ll do “someday” and realizing that maybe it’s time to actually do some of them.

But I also know the desire alone isn’t enough. I need some accountability.

Do you remember the 100 Day Project? I’m not sure I can do 100 days, hah, but I think I could give 30 a try.

I’m thinking about doing 30 Days of Painted Palettes. Color is ultimately what inspires me most, and I think it could give me a container to experiment with color mixing and composition without putting too much pressure on what I’m actually making.

Just writing about it is getting me excited, and a little nervous.

So there. I wrote it down. Now I guess I have to do it.

I’ll share my progress here, and I might give Instagram a shot again too. I have such a love-hate relationship with that app, hah. I’m completely addicted and feel such a desire to share, but I’m also a sensitive person who can’t help but take the low numbers personally.

Can I share the work and just not care about those early results? If you have any advice, please share it in the comments!

Okay, signing off for the week. Hopefully by next Thursday I’ll have started my palette project and can share my first few paintings :)

This Week

I put in a Gap Factory sale order while I was in France, and while not everything was a yes (I need to just admit that barrel pants do not work on me), I have been loving this soft olive green cardigan and these gingham linen pants. This ribbed button up shirt was also cute on. Not from Gap, but I wore these pink TEVA sandals pretty much every day on my trip and they are so comfortable and I like how the dusty pink color goes with everything.

I spent so much time thinking about doors and door frames this week, but I think I finally landed on something I really love for our remodel (see the rendering below!). We’re getting to the point in the plans where I need to start thinking about all the little details, and it is a bit overwhelming!

And not technically from this week, but I wanted to share a few highlights from our trip to France:

• Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Incredible art, gorgeous building, gorgeous setting.

• Tourrettes-sur-Loup, a medieval hill town that was just so magical.

• Breakfasts outside at our HomeExchange in Vence.

• Afternoons at the pool.

• The Matisse Chapel. The stained glass was amazing.

• The beach in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

• Our incredible HomeExchange in Marseille. The tiles and staircase especially!

• A hike in the Calanques that led down to a beach.

• Bouillabaisse and some of the best fish we had in Marseille.

• The Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit in Aix-en-Provence.

• Apéritif at an incredibly beautiful home/museum in Aix.

• Cézanne’s studio. So dreamy.

• Shopping at Monoprix with my daughter.

• Relaxing by the pool at an Airbnb outside of Aix for one night. They had the cutest puppy and were such sweet people.

• The Palais des Papes in Avignon. I was very inspired by the tiles, stained glass, and frescoes.

• Drinking Domaine du Paternel Blanc de Blancs from Cassis. It was SO good.

• Eating croissants! I’ve avoided dairy for the past year, but I did okay with some lower-lactose things in France!

• The Marc Chagall museum in Nice.

• Actually going into the water at the beach in Nice. I’m usually the one sitting on the beach watching our stuff, hah.

• An incredible last meal at a restaurant that happened to be on the same street as our hotel in Nice.

I don’t have time to select and share pics from the trip yet, but that will be a future newsletter :) Above is the only full family pic we got on the trip. oops.

Have a great week!
x
Jess

This is one of those weeks…one of those weeks where it feels like you’re drowning in responsibility and barely able to come up for air.

The pressures of work, motherhood, household management, and prepping for our trip are all compounding. I’m struggling to balance all of these things, and I know some balls are going to be dropped.

I’m being a little dramatic, of course. I’m immensely privileged to experience all of these things. Wonderful clients, two amazing kids, an apartment I love, and an upcoming trip to France.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to feel stressed.

Being the primary parent while also running a business often feels like balancing two full-time jobs, and some weeks I feel like I’m failing at both.

It’s also during weeks like this that all my aspirations to explore my own creativity and work on personal projects get pushed to the wayside. As much as I wish I were the kind of person who wakes up at 5 a.m. to carve out quiet creative time, I just don’t think that’s ever going to be me. I like sleeping way too much.

So instead, I end up with half-finished projects scattered across my desk, patiently waiting for life to slow down enough for me to come back to them (or be abandoned forever).

I know weeks like this just have to be survived. I don’t need to thrive. I don’t need to add the pressure of finishing personal projects on top of client deadlines and all the things that simply have to get done. (Though I committed to getting this newsletter in on time, even if just under the wire!)

But it’s also weeks like this that I start daydreaming about a place I can escape to.

When I close my eyes, I picture a bright studio with huge windows. Wood floors are splattered with paint, a vintage rug lays under a large work table in the center of the room - worn and etched from years of making. Plants are everywhere, A comfy velvet couch that’s perfect for an afternoon nap sits to one end, and at the other is a slop sink with paintbrushes sticking out of it and cupboards overflowing with art supplies.

The sun is pouring in, but the room is cool from the breeze coming through the open windows.

It’s quiet. It’s a studio of my own. A place that’s just for creating.

Maybe one day that space will exist in real life. I hope it does. But lately I’ve realized that what I’m really longing for isn’t just the studio, it’s what the studio represents.

Time and space.

Time and space to make things or just relax, without feeling like I should be doing something else.

Maybe that’s why I think about it so often, especially during busy times.

This week is rushed and messy and filled with responsibility. My studio, for now, is still my little office that works overtime as a laundry center, guest room, packing headquarters, and the place where everything we don’t know what to do with somehow ends up.

But tonight, when I close my eyes, I’ll escape to that imaginary studio for a few minutes.

And maybe that’s enough for this week.

When life feels especially busy, where does your mind escape to? I’d love to hear what your version of my imaginary studio looks like.

x Jess

P.S. The main image is of Cezanne’s art studio in Aix-en-Provence. I visited many moons ago, and I am so excited to see it again this Summer!

• I wear these Madewell jean shorts so often this summer. For a long time I was self-conscious wearing shorts, but for whatever reason that has faded and I love wearing them :) Unfortunately I couldn’t find these exact shorts anymore.

• This past weekend we roadtripped down to coastal Maryland for my SIL’s Baby/Wedding shower. I was in charge of the decorations and it was a very nice event. How pretty is this beach??

• On the way back to NYC from Maryland we stopped in Princeton, New Jersey. The town was very cute but I was blown away by how charming the campus was! It made me kind of wish I could have gone to an Ivy League to experience a campus like this for college!

• I made the discovery that if I share my own photoshop mock-up of a room to Chat GPT and ask it to make it realistic that it spits out a rendering that is so good! It really helps me to see my vision come to life. I made a reel about it here. This is a case where AI isn’t stealing someones job, and is just a great tool for the gal that is a very visual person and needs to see things before moving forward!

• I am in the midst of two new brand projects, one that is very sophisticated and minimal, and the other is super colorful and maximalist! It is fun to work on such different styles, it makes it so my job is never boring. Above is a snippet from the vibrant color palette

• This Spring/Summer I did a big make-over to my living room. The final step of adding more shelving was just completed and it is wonderful to see everything come together. I bought an extension cord so that I could plug in this little lamp and it really just makes the space feel so cozy :)

Travel has been one of the biggest sources of inspiration in my life. It always takes me out of my comfort zone and turns me into the most curious, adventurous, and creatively energized version of myself. I love wandering neighborhoods, stumbling upon tiny cafés, taking pictures of cool storefront typography and charming doors, discovering artists I’d never heard of (or seeing the work of the greats IRL), and bringing home ideas that inevitably find their way into my work and our home.

I love how travel teaches you to notice, to stay curious, and to see beauty in places and people that are unfamiliar. My experiences traveling over the years have really shaped the person I am today.

When we had kids, we knew traveling would become harder, but we also knew we wanted to keep making it a priority. We want our kids to grow up feeling comfortable in new places, excited to try unfamiliar foods, appreciative of art and architecture, and curious about people whose lives look different from their own.

We’re certainly not experts, and every trip comes with tired moments, sibling fighting, and plenty of unexpected detours, but we’ve learned a lot through trial and error.

If you’re planning a family trip, here are ten things that have made the biggest difference for us.

1. Wait until they’re ready.

For bigger travel experiences, trips that require like long flights and lots of sightseeing, I think starting around age five is the sweet spot. They’re out of diapers and strollers, can walk (somewhat) longer distances, and are old enough to remember and engage with what they’re seeing.

This is just my experience, though. I know plenty of people who travel with babies/toddlers and love it. For me, our Europe trip with a toddler was exhausting and logistically challenging. When kids are younger, I much prefer closer-to-home trips or destinations that naturally lend themselves to a slower pace.

2. Get them excited before you leave.

Watch videos about where you’re going, flip through guidebooks together, look at maps, or talk about foods they’ll get to try. We especially love Rick Steves’ Europe videos (on YouTube!). They’re an easy way to help kids get familiar with a place before they arrive.

3. Slow down.

Rather than racing from city to city every few days, we like to stay somewhere for at least four or five nights and take day trips from there. Having an apartment with a kitchen helps immensely too. We can have easy breakfasts at home, cook dinner every few nights, and actually settle into a neighborhood instead of feeling like tourists checking boxes.

Some of our favorite meals have been simple ones made with local produce, cheese, meat, and fresh bread from the neighborhood market. It can be tiring (and expensive) to eat out constantly, so having the option of a kitchen has been essential for us.

We’ve also been fortunate enough to swap our NYC apartment each summer, which has saved us money and made it so we stay in neighborhoods filled with locals.

And perhaps most importantly, we’ve stopped trying to see everything. I’d rather spend an afternoon wandering a neighborhood, having Apertivo, or letting my kids play in a plaza than rushing to another famous landmark.

4. Find a rhythm.

We usually visit museums and cultural sites in the mornings, then spend afternoons at a playground, kids focused activity, pool, or back at the apartment. We re-set and then usually go out for dinner and a nighttime walk.

On that note - vacation also means later bedtimes, more gelato than usual, and relaxing some of our normal routines. We lean into it.

5. Balance culture with play.

Some of our favorite memories aren’t from museums at all.

They’re from hikes, beaches, gardens, neighborhood parks, and restaurants where the kids could run around the plaza while we lingered over dinner.

And when we do visit museums, we try to make it exciting. Audio guides provided by the museum help, but we also love asking the kids to invent stories about the artwork, or ask them to find their favorite piece in each room and explain why. Also letting the kids have a simple digital camera is game-changing, suddenly they have a lot more interest in the sights when they can take pictures!

6. Pack lighter than you think.

Every year I pack things I end up not using. I have found that I mostly just reach for my comfiest outfits and the shoes that you can walk in all day. When traveling with kids, you are less likely to wear those cute (but not as comfortable) shoes that you thought would go perfect with that one outfit...

Also laundry exists almost everywhere, and if you forget something, chances are you can buy it. Believe me when you are hauling a giant bag over cobblestones you will regret not packing lighter!

7. Bring a few boredom lifesavers.

A sketchbook, notebook, deck of cards, Rubik’s Cube, sticker book, or a few small fidgets have saved us countless times while waiting for food or standing in line. Keep a little pouch of goodies in your bag so it is ready to go! Restaurant service is slower in Europe and that can be an adjustment for American kids, talking about it beforehand and coming prepared with activities can help to not have too much complaining…

8. Avoid the Constant "Can I Buy That?"

We let our kids choose postcards or keychains at museums and historical sites, then save one afternoon near the end of the trip for souvenir shopping.

It gives them something to look forward to and keeps souvenir spending under control. We are usually able to scope out a good souvenir shopping stretch during our earlier outings so we can come back at the end of the trip.

9. Your attitude matters more than your itinerary.

There will be tired days. Someone will complain. Someone’s feet will hurt. But if you stay curious and excited, your kids usually will too. I am not saying you need to be perfectly positive all the time, but keeping an attitude even on tough days, that “this is all a part of the adventure” can really help. The kids likely won’t remember the perfect itinerary, but they will remember how the trip felt.

10. Remember why you’re traveling.

For us, travel is about collecting experiences. It’s about becoming more curious. It’s about exposing our kids to different cultures, foods, languages, and ways of living.

More than anything, I hope they grow up knowing the world is a fascinating place, and feeling confident enough to go explore it.

I’d love to hear your own family travel tips in the comments. What has helped you have a positive travel experience with kids? We’re always learning something new with every trip, and with our trip to southern France just around the corner, I’m sure we’ll come home with more learnings.

A few travel products I love

• We bought 2 State Logan suitcases 4 years ago and they have been on so many trips to Europe and across the country and still wheel and look great!! Totally worth the investment, plus they are easy to find at baggage claim :)

• Packing cubes (these are a lot cuter than what I have!)

• Kids’ digital cameras

• A wet bag for swimsuits and dirty clothes

• Hand sanitizer (this one is small and easy to carry)

• Teva Sandals, great for city walking and water excursions

• A small travel crossbody that can be worn on its own or slipped into a larger tote or backpack. For travel days I put our passports in this and keep it in a tight to my chest crossbody position.

• Lightweight misting water bottles

• A fold-up duffel bag for overnight trips/if you need more luggage on the way home

• Backpacks with a luggage sleeve (though I just got this cute backpack without one since I have decided this year I can’t just do a tote since I am the one that tends to carry everything)

• I am getting these headphones for the kids this year, I like that they can be wireless and plugged in and fold up into a case.

• Kid seat belt adjusters for taxis etc

• Lollipops or Lifesavers for takeoff and landing

• Sticker books, sketchbooks (also a good souvenir!), and a few small fidgets ( some faves: cool building toy, fun spinning fidget, wax sensory sticks, Giiker for the puzzle lover)
  

  This Substack will always be a mix of parenting and my life as a creative. Both are such a huge part of my life and intertwine in so many ways. Thanks so much for reading.
  

  xo Jess

Everywhere I look, from social media to the aisles at Target, I’ve noticed a resurgence of analog style. Of course, hand-lettering and cut-paper scrapbook aesthetics aren’t new. They have popped up throughout the history of modern graphic design. At one time, most typography had to be hand-lettered unless you were planning to use standard wood type or had access to an expensive printing press.

I love finding examples of hand-lettering throughout history, from medieval illuminated manuscripts to Toulouse-Lautrec’s posters, the lettering on Galerie Maeght posters, Paul Rand’s book covers, and the psychedelic work of the ‘60s. Hand-lettering has always carried something its name makes obvious: the unmistakable presence of a real human hand. We are the only species that can communicate through written language and intentionally create symbolic drawings. The ability to use our hands, and our big brains, to create has always been one of the things that sets us apart.

That’s why I’m not surprised that, as AI becomes more and more a part of our lives, creatives are gravitating toward styles that feel unmistakably human. Using our hands to letter, cut, arrange, and make. A computer can imitate the result to some extent, but it can’t show the thinking behind it. It can’t show the process. It is the real hands putting pen to paper, or cutting, or sewing, or painting. That seems to be what is making a comeback.

I spend an embarrassing amount of time watching artists record themselves creating. My kids love watching them too. It’s one of the few types of videos on Instagram that I actually like to share with them because I want them to see the real work and talent behind art. To see the process that has taken years to develop into a style that is uniquely someone’s own. My only hesitation is that because these videos are sped up and edited, which of course they have to be for our short-form world, you often miss the sitting and thinking, the mistakes, the fixes, the walking away and coming back. Sometimes it looks too easy.

It’s exciting to see this renewed interest in analog creativity. Along with the influx of hand-lettering, this cut-and-paste scrapbook aesthetic has made a big return. I’ve also seen so much stop-motion animation built around handmade dioramas and paper worlds, and I absolutely love it (see an example below!). Of course, like any trend, there are incredible examples that push the style somewhere new, and others that feel like watered-down copies. But whether it’s a cutting-edge designer or someone choosing a scrapbook template in Canva, it feels like we’re all reaching for something that feels real.

I’m not opposed to using AI in my own life. It’s been incredibly helpful for editing, brainstorming, vacation planning, and plenty of other things. But visually, I also think it has made it easier than ever to flood the world with work from people without taste. That sounds harsh, and of course taste is subjective, but I do think it’s true.

AI has made it incredibly easy to create images, but tools can’t replace years spent developing taste. We end up with endless AI-generated posters for school and neighborhood events that somehow all look the same, cookbooks on Amazon filled with illustrations where no one noticed the food doesn’t quite look real, and generic illustrations replacing artists whose unique perspectives were once the reason they were hired. People now have access to powerful creative tools, but without the eye, the editing, and the judgment that comes from years of making things, we end up with a lot of forgettable work.

Which brings me back to why I think so many creatives are embracing mediums that showcase their unique skills and taste. Maybe my algorithm is simply feeding me more of what I already love, so I’d genuinely be curious if you’re seeing the same thing too.

We are in the era of AI slop, and I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon. But I also hope we’re entering an era where the things only humans can do become even more valuable. I know a lot of creatives are feeling nervous about what the future holds as more and more people gain access to tools that can generate images in seconds. I know I am.

But the bright spot for me is when I stumble across someone doing innovative, thoughtful, or simply beautiful work.

I love when they share their sketchbooks. I love seeing their messy studio spaces. I love getting a peek into their creative process and seeing the years of practice, the skill, and the eye it took to make the work they do.

Sometimes I feel jealous. Comparison is normal, and very human. But I’ve been trying to reframe that feeling into something more useful: this is showing me what I want more of in my own life.

Honestly, writing this post has forced me to look more closely at what inspires me. It has made me analyze why certain work stops my scroll and makes me want to dig deeper. It has given me more clarity about what I want to create and share.

I hope it has given you a little inspiration as well. I don’t think AI makes creativity less valuable. If anything, I think it makes the human parts of creativity even more valuable. Our taste, our process, our perspective, and the work of our own hands are what set us apart.

Keep creating :)

What I’m Making

I started adding embroidery to the felt art I’m making for my niece. It’s taking forever. I hot glued the felt pieces down first, and now I’m trying to embroider through the glue...which turns out to be much harder than I anticipated. What I thought would take a few days is probably going to take a few weeks.

After writing this week’s essay on creativity in the age of AI, I felt inspired to step away from the computer and make something with my hands. The collage at the top of this newsletter was the result.

I also finished the first round of a brand identity presentation for a client this week, and I’m really excited about where it landed. Wish me luck that they fall in love with one of the directions!

What I’m Noticing

How cute is the cover of this vegetable cookbook? I didn’t buy it, but I snapped a photo to save as design inspiration.

I also found an art book sitting out on the street featuring the work of contemporary artist Marina Adams. Her simple yet evocative colorful works on paper are incredibly inspiring (check out another piece of hers in my “This Week” title graphic).

What I’m Loving

I live near a West Elm and like to pop in every now and then to check out their clearance section. I found this cabana striped tablecloth and immediately knew it belonged in my apartment. It’s a little long for my table, but I love stripes, especially this subtle tone-on-tone blue combination.

My kids have been back at “grandparent camp” this week, which has meant slow evenings at home with my husband, cooking dinner and drinking Aperol Spritzes. We picked up beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the Union Square Greenmarket, and they were so good. Until recently, I had barely touched alcohol or tomatoes for over a year because I was worried about making my stomach issues worse. Between EoE, SIBO, the constant nausea it induced, I became very nervous about a lot of foods. Thankfully, the medication I’m on now is working, and it feels really good to slowly open my life back up again. If only there wasn’t a parasite making the rounds in NYC right now, I’d be feeling even braver...

On the subject of my health, I recently got this adorable pill organizer from Dosey. I kept losing track of whether I’d taken the right pills each day, and this little thing has made it so much easier. Plus, I love anything with polka dots, so I don’t mind leaving it out on the counter.

What I’m Doing

This week I went to a live figure drawing class at Happy Medium on the Lower East Side. I went alone, and even though I almost talked myself out of going at the last minute, I ignored that little social anxiety voice in my head and went anyway.

I’d been once before about two years ago, so I knew what to expect. It’s a two-hour session with a nude model doing a variety of poses, from 30 seconds to five minutes. They play great music, provide beautiful sketchbooks and charcoal, the paint-covered wooden tables are perfect, everyone is friendly, and the whole space just has the best energy. I definitely need to go more often.

See you next week :)
x Jess

Some creatives are all about fashion, obsessed with making typefaces, or can happily sit in a ceramics studio day and night. I admire people who can go ALL IN. My brain has just never worked that way.

I flit from one idea to the next. My passions change weekly, and the number of business ideas I’ve had over the years is honestly embarrassing. I fall in deep, but get out quickly.

Even as a child I was like this. You could trace my day by the little piles and messes I left from room to room. I’d get out all the drawing supplies in the office, build an elaborate home for my Barbies in the living room, empty my drawers while trying on different outfits in the mirror in my bedroom, draw with chalk on the sidewalk outside, then make a collage from the pages of Sunset and Seventeen all over the kitchen island. I’d start one thing, then have another idea I just had to go try.

I may have found the perfect career for this tendency: brand identity design. For several weeks or months at a time, I get to design something completely new and feel like I’m starting a new business without actually having to start that business. My least favorite part is always the end, wrapping up all the final details and files, because my brain has already moved on to whatever comes next.

This tendency toward creative bursts is both my superpower and my downfall.

While I can keep it together for my design business, my lack of consistency and confusion around who I am as a creative has gotten in my way many times. I can’t tell you how often I’ve started getting traction with something, only to feel an overwhelming urge to move on to the next idea.

Sometimes I think about the what ifs. What if I’d gone all in on hand-lettering for editorial and licensing projects? What if I’d ordered another batch of play tents to keep my e-commerce shop alive? What if I hadn’t given away Creative Lady Collective, my website devoted to supporting and encouraging creative women?

But then I remember what else was happening at those times.

Hand-lettering wasn’t paying the bills as well as graphic design, and I had a new baby and a husband still in grad school to support. Fabric and shipping costs had skyrocketed, and reordering my play tents would have required a huge financial risk. I gave away Creative Lady Collective shortly after the height of the pandemic, when I was desperately trying to simplify my life after everything we had all been through.

It’s easy to look back and imagine what could have been.

But lately I’ve realized I need to embrace this core part of who I am. My creativity doesn’t fit neatly into one box. I’ll probably never be able to choose “just one thing.”

And that’s OK.

I’ll always need a project. Some will lead somewhere. Some will be abandoned halfway through. Most probably won’t become anything at all.

And that’s OK, too.

The act of creating, the excitement, the curiosity, the thinking...those things have value. Not everything needs to become a business, a portfolio piece, or even be finished to be worthwhile.

This newsletter could become another one of those things I abandon someday. I hope it doesn’t. But for now, this feels like the right place for my multi-hyphenate, project-starting brain. Each week I get to sit down and share what’s on my mind, what’s inspiring me, and whatever project is currently spread across my desk.

I know I’m not the only creative who struggles to stick with just “one thing.” Even though we’re constantly told to niche down, I don’t think that’s how all of us are wired.

And that’s OK.

So here’s my reframe, or maybe just a little pep talk, for my fellow project starters:

Ride the creative bursts.

Creating is the point. It has value. That’s where the learning happens. That’s where your voice, your taste, and your style slowly take shape.

All of the different things we explore over the years become part of who we are.

Being excited enough to make something is a gift. Don’t take it for granted.

The most important thing is to keep creating

x Jess

What I'm Making:
I have continued my felt journey, temporarily abandoning my larger project of an ABC art piece, and working on a birthday crown for my daughter’s upcoming 8th birthday. I have also continued work on exploring my ensuite bathroom design for my upcoming apartment re-model, I have fallen out of love with my original design and instead really loving this sparkle penny tile (see above!) from Fireclay Tile. Will I regret that many grout lines??

What I'm Noticing:
While most of the flowers sprinkling the city have gone away now that we are past Spring, there was a bush on my walk to take the kids to camp that is POPPING off with the most gorgeous purple flowers. Perhaps they are Hibiscus? I don’t know, I wish I knew my flowers better. Every time I walk by it I am so charmed by it!

What I'm Loving:
I recently picked up this incredible reference book called A Dictionary of Color Combinations. It is by a Japanese author and filled with gorgeous pre-made color combinations, and it at the end you can cut out little tabs of color to create your own palettes. I started on a new brand identity project this week and this reference is very helpful.

I also recently bought this cute baby blue tin to hold all my kids bandaids/first aid stuff. With Summer in full swing it feels like the kids are constantly coming home with cuts and scrapes, and so instead of digging into our very messy bathroom closet, I am planning to keep this cute box out on the counter to have easy access to the supplies! I love a good tin box :)

What I'm Doing:
Just yesterday we found out it was my puppy’s official first birthday (according the vet!) so I planned a very impromptu birthday for a dog. Let’s be honest, it was really for my kids. A year ago, I might have shrank from taking on such a last minute social thing, this year I felt ready to do it. It was a small gathering, but the kids had a blast, and it was just such a perfect Summer evening. So that is my Tiny Brave Thing for the week: planned a puppy party, certainly not on my original list, but that is how life works out!

I'd love to know if you relate to my project-starter ways. It was surprisingly cathartic to write about something I've always felt a little self-conscious of and reframe it in a more positive light. I hope it might help you do the same.

See you next week :)
Jess

Too much time on my phone. Constant comparison. Looking at everything in my life as content. Ignoring my kids to stare at a screen. Contemplating spending gobs of money on the next online course that promised to make me successful.

So, even though I felt a deep sense of embarrassment and failure, I stopped.

Sure, I still posted a few things for my design business and continued sharing photos of my kids on my personal account. It’s not like I took a complete holiday from my phone. But I wasn’t trying to force something that was actively making me feel terrible.

Let’s back up to why I set out to become a “content creator” and build more of a personal brand in the first place.

There were really three reasons: connection, creative fulfillment, and money.

The first was connection.

I work from home and spend a lot of time alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love working from home and couldn’t imagine my life without that flexibility. But my world has gotten smaller over the last few years for a lot of reasons.

For one, I’m naturally shy and introverted. Even though I’ve lived in NYC for ten years, I still don’t feel like I’ve found my community. I have friends who live thousands of miles away and colleagues and internet friends who feel close even though many of them I’ve never met in person. But here in New York, I have a few good college friends I see occasionally, some acquaintances, neighbors, and the parents of my kids’ friends. But no close girlfriends that I can call up to grab a drink or visit a gallery with.

Earlier in my life, many of my closest friends were fellow creatives. I was also a little bolder about reaching out and inviting people to coffee. Maybe it was easier in a smaller city like San Francisco. Or maybe, despite what we’re told about getting older, I’ve actually become more self-conscious about putting myself out there.

It feels like by your late 30s everyone is supposed to have their people already.

My therapist reminds me all the time that there are so many people my age (and older!) who are looking for deeper friendships too. But it still feels harder now. I feel out of practice.

On top of that, I spent the last two years dealing with major health challenges. I was nauseated all the time and had very little energy beyond the basics of everyday life (more on that another time).

I think I secretly hoped that creating content about my life and interests would somehow bring my people to me.

I haven’t completely given up on that dream, but I’m hoping this newsletter can be a more authentic way to pursue it. A place where I can express myself beyond a hook and a 30-second reel, and maybe create genuine connection along the way. Plus I plan to use this newsletter as a way to create accountability for taking action, instead of hoping people just magically find me. More on that later.

The second reason was creative fulfillment.

I spend every day building brands and designing for clients, but my own creative projects always seem to end up at the bottom of the to-do list.

I often feel guilty working on something “just for me” because there’s always something I should be doing, laundry, marketing for my studio, cleaning the apartment...the list never ends.

But creating for myself is how I recharge.

My hope was that if I gave myself a reason to pursue personal creative projects, projects that might eventually grow into something...I wouldn’t feel so guilty carving out the time.

I’ve always wanted to create work with a style that feels unmistakably mine.

For a little while, I found that through hand lettering. It was my mid-twenties blogging era, before I threw myself headfirst into building my design studio and focusing almost entirely on client work.

I’d love to rediscover a little of that version of myself again.

The third reason is one that seems to be on everyone’s mind right now: building something that might make you money, online.

I love my design studio, and I have no desire to stop working with clients or the incredible women on our team.

But service businesses naturally have a ceiling. There are only so many hours in the day, and I’ve always dreamed of building something that’s a little more scalable and that’s entirely my own.

I’ve tried an e-commerce shop (that’s actually what Chelsea & West used to be!), online courses, and e-books. I’m not ruling any of those out forever, but none of them have ever felt quite right.

I honestly don’t know if there’s any money to be made writing authentically about the things I’m curious about and sharing what inspires me...but hey, I’d like to find out.

After my very short-lived career as a content creator (all one week of it), I stepped back and asked myself what I actually wanted from this experiment.

Not just who I wanted to reach, but who I wanted to become.

I wanted more creativity.

More connection.

More adventure.

More reasons to step out of my routines.

That’s when I came up with the idea for my Tiny Brave Things checklist.

Each week I’ll choose a few small things that push me gently outside my comfort zone. I’ve broken the list into six categories: Creativity, Connection, Adventure, Style, Courage, and Joy.

Some are tiny, like wearing red lipstick on a random Tuesday.

Some are a little scarier, like going to an art class alone or hosting a dinner party.

My current lists are below, if you are curious.

Every week I’ll share what I tried, what happened, and whatever else happens to be fueling my curiosity, whether it’s an outfit I’m loving, an apartment project, a great book, or something completely random.

I’ll probably have a vulnerability hangover as soon as I hit publish. But writing again, really writing, not having AI write it for me (okay...I did ask it to clean up my grammar cause this girl loves a run-on sentence), has reminded me how much I’ve missed this. Long live blogging!

If you made it to the end of this ramble, thanks, I’m so glad you’re here.

I am planning to send this newsletter every Thursday. The format (at least for now) will start with my thoughts on a topic, then end with a selection of things I worked on, loved, styled, visited, or found inspiring that week.

This week my kids were at “grandparent camp,” so I had a VERY rare week without any parenting duties (other than taking care of our 10-month-old puppy). Having longer days to myself allowed me to do more than I generally can in a week. Though I have to admit, my list of things I wanted to accomplish was much longer than what was actually realistic.

I also wanted this week to feel like a reset, not another to-do list. So I prioritized the things that truly had to get done (client deadlines, cleaning out all of the kids’ school papers, catching up on laundry, and writing this first Substack newsletter) and spent the rest of my time doing things simply because I wanted to.

The most notable was that I suddenly decided I wanted to make a felt art piece for my niece (currently still in utero). I ordered felt on Amazon that arrived overnight and then spent several evenings listening to the audiobook My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney while cutting out tiny pieces of felt.

Was it the best book I’ve ever listened to? No. But it was gripping enough to keep my mind engaged while my hands stayed busy. I love having time to work on a craft that requires both hands. It forces me to stop scrolling, which we all can use these days.

I went shopping with my mom on her birthday last Thursday and came home with several cute things, but I’ve found myself wearing this Muji gingham skirt on repeat. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and goes with any solid-colored tank or tee. I also recently bought this $14 ribbed tank with a built-in bra, and I’ve been reaching for it constantly. I love the neckline, the soft ribbed texture, and honestly, not having bra straps constantly falling down is such a relief (I have very small shoulders that seem to be the enemy of bra straps). I liked it so much that I ordered it again in a cobalt blue.

Over the weekend, without having to plan everything around kids’ activities, my husband and I took several long walks through the city and visited the final weekend of the Raphael exhibition at The Met.

I don’t make it to this museum nearly enough. While I was only somewhat inspired by the Raphael show itself (the intense crowds definitely dampened the experience, although I did love the mysterious portrait above), I’m always amazed by the sheer breadth of work at The Met. We didn’t have much time (pup was home waiting for us), but we wandered through the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist galleries before ending up in one of the Greek and Roman sculpture atriums. Seriously could spend all day here and still have so much left to see.

If it isn’t already on my Tiny Brave Things list, I need to add “Go to more art museums.” While it isn’t exactly brave, I want to prioritize going alone and at times when I feel like I should be doing something more productive. I’m writing it into the Joy category right now!

And finally...

There is so much more to come on this, but I’m in the very early stages of working with an architect to remodel the upstairs of our 2 bedroom + office NYC apartment. We’re updating the layout so my two kids can each have their own room, which basically means changing everything. One of the biggest projects is turning the tiny, outdated bathroom currently connected to my kids’ room into an ensuite for our primary bedroom.

Construction won’t happen for about a year, but I can’t help myself from already dreaming about tile, fixtures, and paint colors. I’ve also learned that decision fatigue is very real (I re-modeled my kitchen a few years back), so exploring ideas slowly and making decisions well in advance feels like a much better approach.

Right now I’m picturing light blue subway tile with a dark charcoal (almost black) trim, terrazzo floor tiles, brass fixtures, warm wood, tan walls, and little accents of burgundy. I want it to feel classic and timeless, but just different enough to make it feel unique.

I’m very thankful I know how to use Photoshop, because it lets me turn what’s in my head into a (somewhat cobbled together) version of reality. The first image also got a little help from AI to make it look more realistic.

Oh and the World Cup ball is thrown into that top graphic because it feels like it is constantly in the background at my house and all around the city!

Have a great week, and stay cool!
Thanks so much for being here.

xJess

p.s. there are a few affiliate links in here! Most things I post with affiliate links will be items that I have tried and loved.