One door closes…another opens!
Life has a funny way of unfolding while you’re busy making plans… and then making new ones.If you’ve read my latest newsletter, then you already know the big news:
I’m opening my own private studio. *Cue the cheers and the quiet internal panic.
Some of you might be surprised, especially since I just announced a new studio move only two months ago. And honestly? That move was everything I dreamed of. Working in midtown Manhattan, in a beautiful space, creating art and sharing it with the people I love—it felt like everything had finally lined up. My younger self would be over the moon. She got everything she ever wanted.
But here’s the thing: sometimes dreams are short lived. Something inside me felt like it was out of alignment. I wasn’t on the right path. It scared the shit out of me. I was in a dark place. Things outside of my control began to take place, and it was just another sign of it being time to move onto something else. But what? I was a frozen with fear. You see, I used to keep my world small. My expectations? Even smaller. It felt safer that way. It was easier to avoid disappointment and the sting of unmet dreams by playing it safe. But eventually, I realized that kind of safety comes at a cost. Navigating my life this way might protect me, but it doesn’t let me live.
Sometimes, the universe nudges you—gently or otherwise—into the next version of yourself. That’s happening for me now. It’s time. I never planned to open a space of my own. But this is what is calling me now.
The idea at first was overwhelming—the responsibility, the taxes, the pressure. I told myself it wasn’t for me. That I wasn’t capable enough, or smart enough to handle it. A lot of that fear came from watching my mom run her own shop. I saw how much she struggled, how heavy it was. But then I realized I was also tired. Just tired of never really fitting in with the places I tried to call home. And believe me, I tried to make them my home. They just weren’t, and that’s okay.
Looking back on all of my arguments about how this was never going to be a path I’d take, I still let myself wonder. I’d joke looking into empty commercial spaces and say, “this would make a nice space for a tattoo shop.” anytime I walked by one I fancied. I think this was my soul speaking, I just wasn’t ready to hear it yet.
So what to expect:
I open my doors at the end of August when I come back from my sabbatical. I’m going to post updates on instagram of the process.
What I envision:
I want this studio to be a place for you to exist without judgment or fear. Where you can finally just take a break from the chaos of your own life. Be surrounded by art. By love. By hope.
I want to thank all of you for believing in me, and for helping me become the woman I am today. I hope that with this new space I can give you more of who I am, and continue to grow into someone better than the person I was yesterday.