Ooh, here’s a feeling. I have just deleted every photo on my camera’s memory card. Hundreds! On purpose. A fresh slate for new documentation.
Here is my first photo from the fresh memory space:

Last week in the studio, I got really low to the ground (both literally and metaphorically) and cleaned. The kind of cleaning where you sit on the floor and hold each little item in your hand and decide what it means, if it still has a place, and if so, where it belongs. I had so many little bits and pieces that needed to be filed away, protected, or discarded.
Very small bits, in fact, such as loose pigment dusts hanging out in open containers and botanical watercolor pans exposed to the indoor elements of dust and tiny worlds that make their way into the mix and onto the still-slimy surface. I decided to spend nearly a whole studio session organizing what is to be kept in satisfying glass vials, putting dirty things in a bucket to be cleaned, and taking inventory over my jars of things. Lots of little jars of things, old paint, ink, dusts, fragments, greasy films, dried up chunks...
I have been noting when materials feel fresh, then a little overripe, and then ready to expire. At this time it’s clear that I upcycled every last bit and bob for my recent series, and now what remains is what is truly ready to be cleansed, to make room for more collecting and making.
The cleaning phase is like the new moon of the creative process. You can’t skip it. Although it’s not always predictable, it comes when it needs to, and you can feel it when it’s there. The cleaning phase positions itself as a creative block, begging you to tend to it, it barely lets you do anything else.
Like this.
The lesson? If you’re creatively stuck, maybe it’s just time to clean.
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News:
For the last year exact, I have been sending color / story / research transmissions to my paid subscribers. It has been so important, fun, and life-giving for me! And, soon, I will share my last post in that particular container. It’s great though! Keep an eye out for how I am closing that chapter and using it to spark something new. I will make the next post free for everyone to read, but still include one last tangible treat for my paid subscribers. Thank you for supporting my work!
More news:
I have created a full outline, framework, and the first 3000 words of a little book I am writing. I am really excited to keep chipping away at this to reveal some things I really feel ready to express at a longer length than a newsletter post. About art, about nature, about practice, about process. I have no idea how long it is going to take and that information is not important to me!
Following only what feels real,
♡ Kristen
Just came off a studio cleaning bender too so this post is so timely! And so excited for your book to come to fruition 💕