When I sit down to write to you it’s usually with a plan that I’ve been thinking about for a while. I usually start writing about a week before I’m planning on posting. I have lists of topics. I have a schedule. But sometimes things don’t go as planned.

I think it’s important that we (as artists, but also as people) admit that life can be messy and that things don’t always go the way we hope they will. It’s easy to share the successes, less so to share the fumbles. But if we don’t share our messes, our struggles, our failures, we end up projecting inaccurate, picture-perfect stories of our lives.

Today I planned on sharing a studio tour and writing about cultivating a creative space of your own. I recently rearranged and cleaned my studio and I thought it would be perfect timing.

The view into my rearranged studio. Although it looks pretty good here, it's still unfinished and not ready for a full tour.

But the fact is, although my studio is rearranged (and looks pretty good in the photo), it’s not finished. I’m hunting for a couple pieces to help me organize some supplies and so far I’m not having any luck finding just what I’m looking for.

Ordinarily I’d simply skip to another post idea from my list. But none of those projects are finished, either. I’m stuck in the middle.

Working on carving a block inspired by my collaborate sketchbook with Dana Barbieri.

The middle is an awkward place. It’s unfinished. It’s messy. It can be uncomfortable, chaotic, confusing.

This is true no matter what the middle might be. The middle of baking a cake. The middle of organizing your closet. The middle of creating a painting. Middle school. Middle age.

But the middle is also a place of magic. It’s filled with possibilities and growth, with dreams and ideas.

I’m feeling in the middle not only with the projects I’m working on, but with my art in general and with my business.

I have a whole list of unfinished sewing project. This tea towel calendar* is just one of them.

And that’s ok. The more I think about it, the more I realize that nearly all of life is lived “in the middle”. Once I get where I’m going it won’t be long before I begin another journey.

So hang in there. If you’re feeling uncomfortable or awkward keep going. If life feels messy or chaotic or constantly unfinished, don’t be discouraged. We’re all in this together. Enjoy the process. Savor the details that makes life so magical.

Flowers and Leaves from My Autumn Garden in My Studio

*Now through Thursday, November 8 all fat quarters of my fabric, including my three tea towel calendars are 50% off at Spoonflower! Which means I’ll be adding more unfinished projects to my list.

Being in the Middle