With every new year I feel this excitement for a "fresh start" or "clean slate" that all begins on 1/1. This year I'm not interested in either of these things, I'm excited to build off the foundation that was established all throughout 2022.

     This past year I struggled with becoming an empty nester. I know there are far worse things that can happen to a person but this was an experience that I wasn't prepared for.

     When my daughter was 2 I became a single mom. That meant we did everything together, she was my sushi date, play pal, swimming partner, etc...  At the age of 4 she would ask that I make her "surf and turf" which speaks volumes! It was just the two of us for several years and in those years a bond was created that she would always be my person, by my side...

     This year she had an amazing opportunity to go off to college in the city and study coursework that she loved. As someone who didn't get her degree until the age of 40, I was proud and excited for her. My daughter moved into her dorm and after a few days of her being away, the house felt, well... empty. I wasn't sure who I was when I wasn't actively in  the role of being someone's mom. 

    Then one day I took my very mixed emotions of happiness and loss and channeled them into my work. That was the day I made my very first "moody" design which incorporated bright happy colors with darker, more somber tones. Since, I have found it to be a therapeutic outlet to take my joy and pain and turn it into something reflective of this time in my life that others will hopefully see beauty within...

    There's a stigma that goes along with the term "moody". By definition it is a "person given to unpredictable gloomy, depressed or sullen moods". I view being "moody" as being true to expressing how you feel-not only when you're happy but when you're feeling sad.

    If you are feeling moody, embrace it. Pick up a paint brush, write in your journal, do whatever you love to express your feelings. If you do, I truly believe you will embrace the beauty of being moody too.

XO Kara