A living hall of story and craft
Every artist eventually hits the point where creativity meets regulation.Mine came when I learned that shipping a single feather across the border could, technically, turn me into an accidental wildlife trafficker. That’s when I realized: some things are better staying close to home — not out of restriction, but out of respect. 🌲What I Make … Read more
There’s something quietly humiliating about how often small creators have to prove they’re real. You build a site, you show your work, you put your name on it — and still, you’re expected to justify your existence every time a platform changes the rules. The internet tells you to be authentic, but authenticity doesn’t seem … Read more
The universe, I’ve come to believe, is not a single room with a locked door but a house still being built—its foundations laid in matter, its upper stories rising through light. What we call creation is not finished; it is ongoing architecture, widening in both stone and spirit. I write this as someone who has … Read more
There’s never really a “good time” for a trade war. But if you happen to run a one-person creative business that relies on cross-border shipping between Canada and the U.S., there’s definitely a bad one — and this was it. When new tariffs dropped, it didn’t just mean price hikes or political noise. It meant … Read more
How social-media manifesting gutted a mystic’s gospel of creative communion. The Age of Algorithmic Faith Open any social platform and you’ll find a liturgy of abundance. Glittering affirmations promise five-figure miracles in ten days; influencers speak in the soft tones of preachers, their sermons delivered to ring-light congregations. The algorithm rewards devotion. Every scroll is … Read more
Somewhere along the way, “independent artist” stopped meaning free.Now it often means burned out, underpaid, over-algorithmed, and expected to stay grateful for the scraps. We’ve been told that “community” will save us — as long as we perform enough, post enough, and smile enough. That success is a popularity contest, and silence is a flaw. … Read more
Every independent creator eventually hits the same uncomfortable wall: you run the numbers, set a price that actually covers your time, your materials, and your sanity—and then immediately feel guilty about it. Because we’ve all absorbed the same cultural poison: the idea that art should be cheap, that passion is its own payment, and that … Read more
Every artisan knows that moment: you list a new piece, set the price that barely covers your materials and time, and immediately feel the urge to apologize for it. We’ve been conditioned to believe that handmade work should come with a discount code. That creative labor should be a passion, not a livelihood. That art … Read more
The word handmade gets thrown around a lot these days.Sometimes it feels like it’s lost all the fingerprints it once had. Scroll through any marketplace, and you’ll find entire empires built on the word. Rows of “handmade” jewelry shipped straight from factories. “Handmade” art prints that have never met a human hand except when they … Read more
why faith sometimes feels like remembering a dream you didn’t live, but still know by heart If you grew up inside a church, the first sound of the sacred was probably someone else’s voice — the priest, the choir, the murmured rhythm of prayer.Mine began under the vaulted quiet of Catholic chapels: the smell of … Read more