This is a quote from Junot Díaz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, that I wrote in my notebook years ago. I’ve probably shared it here before, but I thought I would share it again. “A writer is not a writer because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden.  A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of progress, you keep writing anyway.“ As I was reviewing my manuscript, some of my own words hit me afresh.  ‘You are the thing when you do the thing.” Sometimes we hesitate to call ourselves something, especially if we’re new at it, we do it for a hobby, or we feel like we aren’t good enough to claim the title. But you are a writer if you write. You are a painter if

A question I received when I shared one of my paintings on Instagram earlier this week stuck with me.  I posted a picture of a cat painting as an example when someone asked if I only paint dogs.  It was this painting… Here was her question… Two of the questions are about method and technique, which I won’t go into in this post.  But the second question is the one that hung with me.  “Do you actually SEE them that way?” My first thought was, of course, I see them that way.  I wouldn’t paint them that way if I didn’t see them that way.  But I realized the answer is deeper and more nuanced than that.  Yes, I do see them that way, but I have learned to see them that way.  I have practiced to see them that way.  I have tested, tried, studied, agonized, and spent many hours

Years ago, I used to write “Ask Miss Mustard Seed” posts.  I would open up the comment section for questions from my blog readers and would then write posts answering those questions.  We’d talk about decorating, DIY, furniture refinishing, upholstery, creativity, and running a business.  I realized the other day that I miss those posts.  I always appreciate curiosity and inquisitiveness, so I want to encourage that more often and write blog posts in response to what you’d like to know. I’m not setting up this Q and A because I have all of the answers.  Sometimes, the answer might be, I don’t know.  Most often, I will merely make an attempt to answer a question based on my own experience, hoping it might offer some encouragement and inspiration to others.  The point of asking questions isn’t always to get a definitive, final, and “right” answer.  Most of the time,