🖌️ The First Brushstroke

aka Welcome to the Chaos (and Creativity)

Well... I did it — I officially started a blog! 🎉 I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, and even though life is busy and unpredictable (understatement of the year), I finally carved out the time and space to make it happen. So, welcome to The Art of Figuring It Out — a place where I’ll share pieces of my creative journey, real-life struggles, and probably too many stories about my dog, ZahZah.

I just moved into a tiny little apartment — and honestly? It’s perfect. It’s small, but it’s mine, and it’s got everything I need. Just me, ZahZah, and more dog hair than I’ll ever be able to keep up with. The best part? It has a fenced-in backyard, which means ZahZah can run around like the wild little man he is. (Though let’s be real — he’s not exactly winning "Neighbor of the Year." He recently almost attacked the handyman, so now he’s rocking a muzzle. Putting it on him is like trying to outsmart a toddler in a game of tag: dodge, run, freeze. Then he gives me that "how dare you" look while I gently clip it on.)

Life has been... a lot. I’m in school working toward becoming an art therapist (which I’m so excited about), but school is no joke. It’s exhausting. Rewarding, but exhausting. I’m also a full-time caregiver, working seven days a week, because — you guessed it — bills don’t pay themselves. And if that wasn’t enough, my car has been in the shop since October. OCTOBER. It’s just been sitting there, waiting on a single part like it’s auditioning for the world’s slowest pit crew. I’ve been in a rental car for what feels like forever, but I just found out my car should finally be ready in two weeks. I cannot wait to get out of this rental and stop throwing money at it like it's a part-time roommate.

Oh — and let’s talk about the Etsy heartbreak. I originally started an Etsy shop to try and make a little extra money selling my art. It was actually going really well — I was figuring things out, making sales, and really feeling hopeful. And then… boom. One day, they just shut my store down. No warning, no explanation — just gone. I still don’t know why. I was in total shock. I had poured so much time, love, and effort into that little corner of the internet. It honestly felt like I’d lost a best friend.

But I still needed the income, and I wasn’t about to give up. So I said, “Okay, on to the next.” I decided to start my own website, which turns out is way more difficult than navigating Etsy. It’s been a journey of YouTube tutorials, help articles, trial and error, and a lot of “what the heck is SEO??” moments. And social media? Yeah… I didn’t even have it before this. Apparently, if you run a website, you need all the socials — Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, the whole thing. I’m still trying to figure out how to make a proper Instagram or TikTok ad without looking like a confused aunt who just discovered filters. But hey — we’re learning!

Even with the exhaustion, even with the setbacks, I’m feeling hopeful. I finally have a little space to call my own, and I’ve been decorating it with artwork — mine and others’ — trying to bring color, creativity, and calm into my life. I just wish I had more walls and less fur to work with (anyone want to trade?).

This summer, I’ll have a break from school, and I’m looking forward to spending more time creating, building my shop Curious Canvas Corner, and making this blog into a space where creativity and chaos coexist — just like real life.

Thanks for being here. I don’t have it all figured out — not even close. But I’m showing up, trying, and painting through the mess.

Until next time,
– Sarah (& ZahZah 🐾)