My first printed cards! Available in my shop.
Four years ago on a roadtrip to Portland, Oregon I heard about #the100dayproject. Choose one creative action and make something consecutively for 100 days. I called my friend and asked him to join me for accountability. I chose to make 100 handmade cards for friends and strangers. Little did I know that this small act was the portal to a career shift and a huge life transition and transformation. Carving out some time to creating a card daily, irrespective of how busy or stressful work had been- fundamentally taught me how to prioritize my creativity. It taught me how to be still. It taught me how to be comfortable with the blank page and the possibilities it held. It taught me to be brave enough to make the first mark. It taught me to keep going even when I felt lost. It taught me how to listen to my intuition.
When an old college friend who I hadn’t seen in 15 years visited me in 2017, we sat together outside a cafe, notebooks in hand, and wrote out in detail where we’d be in 15 years. I looked up at the sky, dreaming big, explaining in detail the projects I was working on, the book I was editing, where I’d be living and who I was spending my life with as he furiously scribbled down my words to capture the magic of dreaming big.
Somewhere in the mixture of my ideal future I said, “I have my own line of cards that I’ve designed and sell as a way of spreading love and encouragement.”
I had no idea.
We begin to step into our own dreams and make them a reality with each small step. I chose to continue making cards even after the project was finished because it’s freeing and liberating and connects me to my heart. It’s something that brings me great joy, and I love how it’s a vessel for spreading love to others.
And I am smiling now as I write this- the seemingly huge milestones in our ‘big dreams’ sometimes aren’t all that far off from becoming our reality. If you’re willing to try, willing to laugh and learn from your mistakes, and willing to keep going and keep making, there’s magic in all of that. And who knows? Your 15-year plan may turn out to be well within your 5-year plan.
My first printed cards arrived in the mail today. I couldn’t be happier. I’m sending off a shipment to a store that sells my cards. These little bits of magic are reminders that the things we make and do daily add up. They become a body of work. Every day we have the opportunity to make our dreams a reality.
Thanks for sharing in my journey and for being a part of this magic.