Hey.

A few months ago I sent out an email: What's keeping you from making art?

The response shocked me.

Aside from time constraints and budget concerns, do you know what the number 1 thing was?

Health.

SO many of you are caring for a loved one in their time of need, or you yourself are struggling with health challenges. And it takes everything out of you.

I want to honor that. Thank you for the love and light you bring to the world, even when it's really hard.

I see you.

Whether you're up late at night for bathroom assist, or organizing pill bottles, or sleepless at a hospital bed, I see you. Or maybe that season has actually ended since we talked, and now your empty hands are sorting through grief. I see you.

When one of my sons was barely 1 year old, he got spinal meningitis. For 5 days we didn't know if he would live or die. I was to fly out of state to shoot a wedding, and I quickly found a local replacement. Finally, he turned a corner and our sweet little boy returned to health.

With everything in me, I want to send energy of love and healing and comfort. For whatever lies in front of you.

This year... we finalized our divorce.

It was the hardest thing I've done in my life. Hands down. Even more than childbirth. And I did that 4 times.

As my brother and I did yard cleanup to collect debris from years of my ex's unfinished projects, I found broken glass under the leaves from some windows he'd picked up for a project. I paused and felt the moment. It was a metaphor for how I felt... trying to pick up hidden broken pieces and make sense of it all.

So many changes; the uncoupling of newly 2 decades of a life built together; an unraveling. How do you summarize the ending of almost 20 years? It's a different kind of grief.

But it too rocked me to my core.

How did I survive?

Art. Art and God... and dear, dear friends.

Call it Universe, Self, Intuition... whatever name you call that inner knowing, that something greater than yourself. It calls us to create. To create a life we don't need to escape from. A life that can be beautiful even if it's terribly hard.

Will you too follow that call to create?

My dear friend, you cannot forget the spark inside you to create. Whether it's a doodle on a napkin, a watercolor project with me, or a friendship bracelet... DO THE THING.

Just start. Do one thing, and then one more.

Go create.

Art isn't just for kids. Or Paint and Sip parties. Sure, those are great. But making space in your life for creation is a practice. That's when it begins to change you. No one stroke matters; it's the process and the internal transformation.

My beautiful friends in my membership hung with me and helped me smile amidst the heartache.

And now, I'm finally beginning to breathe again. I have a full time job to support My heart has now

So now what?

I've been MIA through this whole process, and I apologize for that.

What I'm promising you...

Here's what you can expect from me here going forward:

• An email message from me every week
• Art tips, most likely watercolor, but I like all the things
• Advice on how to deal with hard things
• Encouragement to push past your inner critic to MAKE art again
• My own art processes as I grow my art practice and my business
• Invite you to do art with me in my programs
• Listen to what you want me to create for you in our little corner of the internet

What I want from YOU.

Choose one or more:

• Hit reply to this email: tell me what you wish you had more of in your inbox...
• Hit reply to this email: tell me what you would love me to make a video/blog/post/painting about!
• Hit reply to this email: tell me what you are working on.
• Hit reply to this email: tell me what is hard about getting started.
• Hit reply to this email: something you're stuck on that you want a tutorial about.
• Hit reply to this email: something that's inspiring you lately...

I just want to hear from YOU.

Stay creative, my friend.

Amber