blah, blah, blah, skip to the goodies!

One of the things I love most about growing dahlias is seeing them return year after year, like friends showing up for their annual visit.  I know their names, and have seen the way they’ve evolved over time. Some of these beauties have been hanging around my garden for years, and I'm now tending to their great, great, great, grand-dahlias. There’s a long-standing bond between us. It’s like a family reunion, but with petals instead of people, and everyone’s quieter and better behaved. (side note: I think every mom should have a hobby that involves NO ONE talking)

I’m all about a good dahlia newbie too. The fresh faces are always fun to meet, watching them pop up like “Hey, look what I can do!” and slowly uncovering their personalities as they grow. The new ones can be fun and surprising, almost like meeting a stranger who quickly becomes a friend, revealing a side of themselves you didn’t expect. Don't even get me started on the glorious chaotic surprise of mystery and mislabeled tubers!

What gets me every time is how different they all are. Tall ones, short ones. Thick stems, delicate stems. Blooms that look like they’re going to break the jar with their fullness, and others that are a little more....understated. And then there’s the color! (have I mentioned my favorite color is ALL of them??!?)  Dahlias come in so many gorgeous colors with blushes, and striations, and variations of all kinds. Did you know there are over 55,000 dahlia varieties? That's a whole lot of floral personalities, each unique and beautiful in its own way.
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Growing dahlias (or growing anything) feels similar to art for me - I think there is so much contained within that can offer lessons and medicine for living life. Some years, things feel dormant.  Sometimes there isn't much happening above ground, but we know that under the surface, there’s a whole world of growth happening in secret. Other times? Boom. Everything bursts out of the soil at once.  That’s just one of the lessons, right? Even when we can’t see the progress, something is happening.  And we can learn to trust this process.

There's something about each dahlia for me that says a little something about that blooms personality.  It's interesting to see which ones my friends gravitate toward.  It’s uncanny.  A friend or neighbor will wander my garden and choose their favorite dahlia, and it’s like their personality just aligns with the flower. There’s this weird, magical thing where I can look at someone, then glance at a dahlia, and think, "Yep. That’s them. That's you." I swear it’s like the dahlias have their own little intuitive matchmaking game going on.

So, I thought I'd share this fun dahlia magic with you. Ready to find your dahlia alter ego?  If you’ve ever wondered which dahlia just GETS you, here’s your chance. Take a minute to choose your favorite from the photos above.  Then scroll down and find out which dahlia flower matches your vibe. Maybe you’re the fierce AC Cougar, strutting through life like it’s your runway. Or perhaps you’re more of a Fuzzy Wuzzy—soft, playful, with a touch of mystery. 

Have some fun with it, and let me know how your floral personality matches up. Sometimes it seems like these blooms know more about us than we think.

Sign up to make junk journals with me August 28th

Check out Seeds of Connection: Art Greenhouse, starting Sept 16
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​Learn more about me and my work here

I first heard the phrase “shitty first draft” in the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and like a lot of sticky little truths, it lodged itself into my brain and started poking at my noodle, shifting things. The way I made art changed. The way I wrote changed. In a big way, it shifted how I start, basically, ANYTHING.

I don’t usually love phrases like “mindset shift", (they feel like the emotional equivalent of green juice and hustle culture) but in this case? That’s exactly what it was. Saying to myself “this is just a shitty first draft” is like flipping the big red “permission” switch in my brain. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if what I make is brilliant. It doesn’t even have to be good. It just has to exist. Move from my brain to the page, the canvas, the world. That’s the point.  Good enough and done, existing in the world, is better than perfect and only in your head.  That "shitty first draft" is the stepping stone that gets us moving in some small way.

There’s no perfection required in a first draft. No pressure to nail it. No need for polish or genius. It’s just the first step. And maybe the second one’s a little wobbly too. When babies start off on their first lurching steps, we don't tell them they are terrible at walking when they don't immediately master it. Can you imagine if we said to a learning-to-walk baby what we have said to ourselves when diving into a creative project?  "hey you, baby! you really think you're gonna walk somewhere? you're terrible. don't even bother. you'll never figure it out." (Wow, that inner critic can be a REAL jerk sometimes.  Substitute "walking" with "art'ing" and see if it sounds familiar.)

We forget this sometimes: everybody starts somewhere. All those artists with work hanging in galleries? They’ve got piles and piles of “bad” art somewhere. Practice pages. Experiments. Weird little creatures made out of buttons and glue and late-night impulse. We only see the highlights. But the truth is, we get to the good stuff in spite of (and often because of) the mess.  Sometimes the "mess" is actually what nourishes the final piece. My dahlias love some good, rotting, messy compost.  Our art, our writing - it all gets better when we embrace the mess, allow it to teach us and even nourish us.

WHEN:  Thursday, August 28 @ 6pm (PST) for approx. 2 hours
WHERE:  on Zoom
COST: $0-20 (paying is completely optional, $0 is perfectly acceptable)
HOW:  Get registered here.

DETAILS:  Gather your junk mail, scrapbook papers, and old magazines and let's make a couple of "junk" journals together.  I have 2 small, fun journals that I'll show you how to make - they can be made with any kind of papers, even your junk mail! You can create along with me, and then after we make our journals, we'll go back and add fun details and journaling prompts.  There will be time to chat and show off our creations too.

Join us for community, creativity, and FUN!! 

SUPPLIES:  DO NOT WORRY if you have only the very basics. Some paper and a handful of highlighters would totally work! Bring whatcha got and we'll make it work.  The main intentions behind these gatherings are having fun and creating in community.  Everything we do is planned to be accessible with even the most basic of supplies!

​THE BASICS:

• variety of papers: colored paper, origami, junk mail, wrapping paper, scrapbooking papers, pages from old books, old artwork, kids old homework, coloring book pages, magazines, etc. (not necessarily ALL of these, just some!)
• scissors or cutting tool
• glue stick or collage medium (gel medium or ModPodge)
• thin cardboard (like cereal or cracker box)
• a few postcards (one of the journals will specifically use a postcard, but we can sub in anything that is about that weight)
• some kind of thread: waxed linen thread for bookbinding, embroidery floss, yarn, ribbon, dental floss (just make sure it's strong, but not too thick)
• something poke-y: bookbinding awl, wee screwdiver, darning needle, metal skewer
• you'll probably want a darning needle, but a determined person could do without
• NOTE: you can also make both of these journals without the sewing/bookbinding supplies. You can substitute tape, glue, or staples - none of the above 3 bullets will be necessary. Just make sure you have a way to fasten papers together.

SOME OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

• something to add color: markers, colored pencils, paint, etc. (not necessarily ALL of these)
• stickers, washi tape

• rubber stamps and ink

You can follow along with the projects I demo or you can do your own thing.  Sharing is always optional. Open to all genders. Teens welcome at this event.
 
Looking forward to seeing you for some scrappy-journaly FUN.