ICEOLATION

I’ve decided to release this ICEOLATION collection earlier than planned. I thought I’d wait until winter, but something in me shifted — it feels like now is their time.

A few weeks ago, in the thick of summer heat, I started painting ice. I wish I could say it was to cool off, but the truth is I don’t really choose what I paint. My feelings do. And at that moment, they came out cold and blue.

This past year has been a hard one. Eleven months ago, I made a career move I thought would open new doors. Instead, eight months later, I was caught in a mass layoff. What I hoped would grow me ended in disappointment.

For almost a decade before that, my workdays were filled with students, colleagues, and the kind of built-in community I didn’t realize I depended on so much. I’m thankful for the friendships that have lasted, but I miss that daily rhythm of connection.

As the the rejection emails stack up and the days since my last interview keep growing, I wonder how long this season will last. But even here, there’s been a silver lining. I’ve been able to slow down, soften up, listen to my heart, learn to receive and give more space to my art. You know that thing I’ve been saying about joy not being dependent on circumstance, it’s true, you can be both joyful and terrified at the same time if you chose to.

I’ve been thinking a lot about connection lately — how much we need each other, and how purpose and belonging can’t be replaced by the AI machines that are tying to suck up so many people’s careers and the built in community that comes with it. The future, I believe, belongs to those who value people and care for hearts, not just systems.

So I’m making some shifts in how I approach both my art and the community around it. My hope is to create more ways for us to connect — online, in person, and through the work itself. ICEOLATION is meant to be a collection of artwork, not our daily reality.

This collection is just the beginning. I’m looking forward to what’s next, and I hope you’ll join me.