Our First Summer Break: a studio with a sidekick

No daycare.

No real plan.

Just a mama, a little girl freshly done with her first year of school, and a summer waiting to unfold.

This is our very first official summer break together — and truthfully, I have no idea how it’s all going to work.

There will still be gorgeous fine art prints, greeting cards, and a couple of shows tucked in (because yes, I still need to pay the mortgage with my artwork).

But mostly? The goal is family time.

Bike rides. Messy painting on the porch. Campfires and chaos. And hopefully a few quiet mornings where I can sneak into the studio before the day begins.

The whole reason I went full-time was to build a business that lets me be there — not just for the big milestones, but for the quiet, ordinary moments that make up a childhood.

These years are flying by, and I don’t want to miss them.

The freckles, the sticky hands, the way she still reaches for my hand when we cross the street.

This summer, that intention gets to REALLLLLY stretch its legs — and I’m so grateful to spend it beside her.

Will it be messy? Absolutely.

Will there be growing pains? Big time.

Will I be creating with a sidekick in tow? Absofreakinglutely.

But I want my daughter to see it.

To see me doing work that matters.

To know that building something beautiful doesn’t have to look perfect — it just has to be real.

And we just have to show up and do our best, every day.

So thank you - for collecting prints, for sending cards, for telling your friends about my work.

You’re not just supporting an artist.

You’re supporting a mom.

And a summer full of sidekick adventures.

And I’m so, so grateful.