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Story Time.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about honesty.

When I think of the word, I think of the basics: not lying, being a diligent remote-worker, or what I'm doing when no one is watching. But then it dawned on me that emotional honesty is a thing, too. And it's changing everything for me.

I know I’m not alone when I say I want to grow my faith and trust Jesus more. I want to exalt Him over the idols of anxiety, pride, and fear that keep trying to set up shop in my heart.

Until a few days ago, my approach to this fight was mainly to avoid and deny. I’d try to force it: "I'm not anxious because I know Jesus is Lord," I'd tell myself. But that wasn't true. I was anxious. I was fearful. I was thinking of myself more than others. I was trying to will away a feeling instead of acknowledging it.

My prayers sound very different now. They’re less about pretending and more about a simple, honest surrender: "God, I am anxious right now and I don't know how to handle this on my own. I'm just going to hand this over to You. Your Word tells me to cast my burdens to you and you will give me rest. I'm asking for rest, Lord. In Jesus' name."

My New Business Approach: A Little More Honest

This shift to emotional honesty has been incredibly freeing, and it's spilling over into my business.

I've realized that applying this same kind of truthfulness—moving from what I think I should be doing to what I actually need to do—is the most honest approach I can take right now.

So, here's my news: I’ve decided to move my studio from the collective space and bring it home to my garage.

I'm doing this to save money until I figure out how to generate consistent revenue, and you know what? I'm okay with it. I'm not going to pretend I've got it all figured out, or that I don't need to be frugal right now. This move is simply an honest reflection of where the business is and what I need to do to keep moving forward.

It feels good to just be where I am and focus on the work. I’m finding more peace in this honest approach than I ever did trying to keep up appearances.

What small step toward honesty—emotional or otherwise—is calling to you right now?

Studio Updates & What's Next

Big Project Submission: I'm still working on submitting a proposal for a large public art project! I'm teaming up with another incredible artist I know, and I’m excited about what we're putting together. The submission deadline is this Friday, and we should hear back on the decision by the end of the month. Keep you posted!

New Artwork: Lately, I've been floating without direction, which is actually a fun place to be—it means I'm exploring abstract art and color fields. Here’s a photo of a piece I'm working on plus a mock-up of it in a frame courtesy of my AI friend, Gemini.

Podcast Pause: I was supposed to publish a new podcast episode today, but unfortunately, I won't be able to. I hope to be back with an impactful episode in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I’ll still be sending these emails to update you on my art world and share a word of encouragement. You can still catch the first four episodes on Spotify.

The takeaway.

• Honesty is freeing: Acknowledging reality—whether emotional or financial—creates more peace than trying to deny it.
• Surrender, don't pretend: In both faith and business, it's more powerful to honestly admit where you are (e.g., "I am anxious," or "I need to be frugal") than to try and force an ideal.
• The process is the truth: Sometimes the best "direction" is simply being okay with exploring (like with your abstract art) and focusing on the necessary, frugal steps (like the garage studio) to keep moving forward.