inspiration Oops! Even AI Doesn’t Know How to Cut a Romanesco Even AI gets it wrong—like when it showed me how to cut a romanesco with a hilariously flawed diagram. Always fact-check your bots!
inspiration AI Is Here—But It Still Needs Our Words Even in the age of AI, our words matter more than ever. The key to using AI well? Keep practicing how to express yourself clearly.
inspiration What The Fountainhead Is Teaching Me About Art & Integrity Howard Roark won’t budge. Peter Keating plays the game. And the clients? Just empty, egg-shaped flesh. I’m deep in The Fountainhead now.
inspiration Street Art Foraging in Chicago Look up from your screen—there’s a whole gallery of tiny wonders waiting on the street.
When I Couldn’t Draw Jelly, I Asked AI I made real jelly to study it, observed every wobble, and still couldn't draw it right. So I asked AI for help—and kept learning.
work in progress Candy Work: Why I Draw to Share Joy Some work feeds the body. Some feeds the heart. I make candy—not meals—and I’m here to share joy, one drawing at a time.
A Jelly Recipe (for Brushes, Not Dessert) Still studying jelly, one brushstroke at a time. These notes are for future me—and maybe for someone else out there drawing jelly, too.
Cut, Solder, Celebrate: Part Two of Our Stained Glass Class From choosing the perfect glass to soldering the final pieces, the second half of our stained glass class was all about teamwork—and a little sparkle.
news Some Disappointing News I didn’t get into Chicago Zine Fest this year. It stings—but I’m channeling that energy into making more art. No one can take that from me!
work in progress Jelly meets curving fruits Today’s jelly: experimenting with highlights, layering, and curved fruit floating inside. Still unsure about the dish—but I’ll keep exploring!
work in progress One Jelly, Three Hours It took me three hours to draw one jelly. Procreate gradients aren’t easy—but learning how the brushes behave feels like the real shortcut.
inspiration Somewhere Out There, a Jelly-Loving Friend Exists I tried to draw jelly but couldn’t capture the shine or wobble—until I found a blog post full of jelly art tips. A lucky little spark!
work in progress Same Walk, New Eyes Walking clears my mind, moves my body, and stirs up new ideas. Maybe movement is just what keeps an artist’s creativity flowing.
inspiration Fart Jokes Never Get Old! I stumbled upon an Edo-period fart battle scroll—yes, really! Turns out fart jokes have been making people laugh for centuries. Timeless comedy!
inspiration Sakura Wagashi, a Taste of Early Spring A sakura wagashi set from SUGOi Sweets, a local artisan chocolate shop, brought the gentle feeling of early spring before the blossoms arrived.
work in progress Suminagashi and the Art of Letting Go In an advanced suminagashi workshop, I struggled with uncontrollable ink—until a miracle print appeared. Letting go led to unexpected magic.
work in progress 1,400 Tiny Gems, Endless Driftings A sparkly sticker pack from CVS brought back old memories, artist inspiration, and new creative ideas—all from 1,400 tiny gems.
inspiration Artist’s Dates: My Way of Saying Yes to Curiosity Still going on Artist’s Dates, even after finishing The Artist’s Way. Every little adventure sparks joy, wonder, and creative energy.
inspiration The Artist’s Way and a Real Comeback Story of a Lost Creative I thought I had given up on being an artist. Then I found The Artist’s Way, and everything changed. This is my real comeback story.
inspiration My Logbook of Everyday Oddities I log everyday oddities before bed—funny mishaps, random moments, and ideas worth saving. Even a foot-long churro disaster can spark creativity!
work in progress Let Me Just Play in My Playground! I just want to write and draw, but now I can't stop thinking about how to get people to read my blog. Marketing feels like a distraction!
inspiration Chasing Colors and Creativity at The Gallery Café On a dark, snowy day in Chicago, Katie Lukes’ colorful, playful art at The Gallery Café totally brightened my day.
work in progress Cut, Break, Create—Celebrating Anniversary with Stained Glass Art To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we joined a stained glass workshop and turned our weird little sketch into real glass art. Best date ever!
inspiration Kenny Scharf at the Brant Foundation I visited Kenny Scharf’s exhibition at the Brant Foundation without knowing much about his work—color, character, and chaos totally pulled me in!
my hero Bizarre, Brilliant, and Totally Addictive—Ryo Inoue’s World Ryo Inoue’s art-meets-music series Bijutune! totally hooked me—quirky animation, clever lyrics, and pure joy. Art has never felt so fun!
