ArtCafe Studios, LLC

Apparently, I’m not a quitter.

After last week’s butterfly adventure, I decided to give the leaf-printing thing another try. This time I picked up two leaves during my walk and thought, “Let’s make a flower. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠?”

The answer, as it turns out, is: the exact same thing.

Same mess. 🤪

I went looking for the original video because I was convinced I must have missed something. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I saw it. Also, if I’m being honest, there’s a very good chance I missed an important instruction while thinking, “Yeah, I got it.”

I’m much better at figuring things out as I go than at following directions. In this case, though, I should have paid attention.

The good news is that I like this one better than the butterfly. Once I stopped trying to make it look like the tutorial and started working with what was actually on the paper, it became a lot more fun. A few lines here, a few dots there, and suddenly it felt less like a failed experiment.

Funny how often that happens in life.

The moment we stop comparing our progress to someone else’s version of how things are supposed to look, we can finally appreciate what we created ourselves.

For now, I think I’m done with leaf printing. Then again, that's exactly what I said after the butterfly. 🌻😏

One of my favorite things about teaching Zentangle® is watching adults rediscover something they once knew as children.

Kids don't usually sit down with a piece of paper and think, "𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐩?"

They draw, they experiment, and follow their curiosity.

With growing responsibilities as we grew up, many of us traded that freedom for perfectionism.

That's one reason I'm really excited about my next beginner class, Summer Sunshine. ☀️

This time, you're welcome to 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 (late elementary age and up) and create together. It's not required, of course, but I love the idea of sharing an experience where nobody has to be "good at art." We simply start with a few lines and see where they lead.

☀️ Summer Sunshine Beginner Zentangle®
📍
🎟️ https://www.wellnessloudoun.org/event-details-registration/summer-sunshine-beginners-zentangle-r-class

Leave perfection at the door and come play for a while.

Summer Sunshine - Beginner’s Zentangle® Class | Wellness Loudoun Take a relaxing, beginner-friendly class where Certified Zentangle Teacher Kerstin Becker guides you in creating a charming art piece using simple Zentangle® patterns—no art skills needed. Bring your child (late elementary + up) for screen-free creativity that doesn’t feel like homework.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲

I’ve been thinking a lot about how easy it is for women to slowly drift away from themselves without even realizing it. It’s a familiar feeling for me, too.

Somewhere between the schedules, responsibilities, work, family, mental lists, emotional support, laundry, dishes, and trying to remember why you walked into the kitchen in the first place, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

I think many women become so used to taking care of everything and everyone around them that they stop checking in with themselves altogether. And when they finally do get a quiet moment, they don’t even know what they need anymore besides maybe a nap and a week alone in a cabin somewhere. (Preferably with snacks and nobody asking where their favorite shirt is. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

That’s one of the reasons creativity became even more important to me over the last few years. Sitting down with a pen, some paper, paint, or even a quiet book gave my brain somewhere else to go for a little while.

Somewhere without the pressure of creating something for clients, checking something off a list, or doing it "right." 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.

There's no performance, no perfection, and no trying to have it all figured out (remember my butterfly project? 🫣). Just space to breathe, think, and remember that I’m a person, not a machine constantly running in the background.

Lately, I’ve been quietly working on 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 behind the scenes that combines a lot of the things I love most: meaningful conversations, reflection, creativity, connection, and the kind of honesty that makes you realize you’re not the only one feeling the way you do.

I’ll share more soon, but I have a feeling this is going to speak to a lot of women.

A gentle little reminder as Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end.

These conversations matter all year long, and so do the small things that help us slow down, breathe, reconnect, and take care of ourselves a little better.

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday. 💛

Another little reminder for Mental Health Awareness Month.

I think a lot of us have forgotten what it feels like to 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥, 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 “𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝” 𝐚𝐭.

Somewhere along the way, everything started needing a purpose.

That’s one of the things I love most about mindful art. There’s no pressure to make something impressive (though it may turn out pretty cool) or an expectation to be productive.

Sometimes it’s just lines on paper, a quiet moment, and letting your mind wander for a little while. That feels very different from creating while trying to prove something. And it's definitely more relaxing.

Maybe that’s your reminder to do something just because you enjoy it.

Another little reminder for Mental Health Awareness Month: 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 “𝐨𝐧” 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.

I think a lot of us have gotten so used to constantly thinking, planning, remembering, and managing things that we don’t even notice how mentally tired we are anymore.

Sometimes I catch myself jumping from one thing to the next without ever fully landing anywhere. I have way too many squirrel moments! 😅

That’s usually my sign to pause for a few minutes to breathe, step outside, pet a cat (or three 😻😻😻), or any of the other things I mentioned yesterday.

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end, but the awareness really shouldn’t end with the calendar.

So this week, I want to finish the month with a few simple daily reminders. Small things that help me and might help you, too.

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟓–𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐭.

It’s kind of amazing how much can shift in only a few quiet minutes.

- a cup of coffee or tea while it’s still hot (that first sip feeling ☕️)
- sitting outside with your eyes closed and taking in all the sounds around you
- a few lines on paper (aka a brain dump)
- looking up at the sky (remember seeing shapes in the clouds as a child? It’s still fun! ☁️)
- listening to ambient sounds (we’ve had plenty of rain lately, with more to come)
- taking a short walk
- stretching for a few minutes (or if you love yoga, try child’s pose or legs-up-the-wall 🧘🏻‍♀️)
- or of course, a bubble bath 🛀

Tiny pauses throughout the day really can change the whole feeling of the day.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲

I saw a tutorial the other day about using leaves to paint a butterfly. Looked easy enough. 😅

So during my walk yesterday morning, I picked up a few leaves, came home inspired, and went to work. You may have seen the “in progress” disaster I posted yesterday, along with the paper towel (and my hands) that looked like it had been through a color hurricane. 🌀

At first, I was disappointed. It looked nothing like the tutorial. I was about two seconds away from throwing the whole thing out.

Then I had to laugh at myself, because the whole reason I fell in love with 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭 in the first place is that I don’t want the pressure to make things look a certain way.

I don’t enjoy creating from a place of perfectionism anymore. I enjoy sitting down without a plan, following what feels interesting, and seeing where it goes. That’s where the mindfulness happens for me.

So after taking a few deep breaths and getting over myself, I stopped asking, “Why doesn’t this look better?” and started asking, “Why do I care so much?” Nobody else cares if my leaf butterfly looks like the tutorial. That pressure came entirely from me.

I grabbed my pen and kept going. The paper looked unfinished, so I started adding Zentangle patterns around the butterfly. That felt too bland, so I added some color and gold splatter because apparently, chaos was the direction we were taking.

The gold paint was way too thick, so splatters turned into blobs. The pen I used for the antennas apparently wasn't waterproof. Oh well...

I still don’t particularly like the final piece. It’s messy. A little overworked. Definitely imperfect.

Do I care? Nope.

Because the biggest thing that changed between yesterday morning and now wasn’t the artwork. It was me.

A few years ago, I probably would’ve judged myself the entire time I was making this. Now I can actually enjoy the process, laugh at the mistakes, and let things be imperfect without turning it into a personal crisis.

That’s what mindful art has given me, and it feels a lot more valuable than a “perfect” butterfly.