When you’re in the middle of making something, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the details. In the moment, each piece is like one of your children. You're obsessing over whether a brushstroke is in the right place or if the color choices make sense. Your mind is wrapped up in the techniques and tools and mediums that you're exploring.

But when you step back, especially months or years later, you can see the bigger picture. You’re no longer caught up in the tiny decisions or whatever headspace you were in at the time. You can appreciate, and even get inspired by what worked and learn from what didn’t.

Abstract art gives artists a certain freedom from the confines of realism. Not every brushstroke or splash of paint always leads to a masterpiece. Sometimes, less is really more.

In a genre already focused on emotion and essence over literal representation, simplicity is a way to cut through the noise and static, allowing the artwork to hit its mark with elegance and impact.

I was recently required to take the CliftonStrengths test as a part of a leadership program that I’m participating in. I have taken the test before, and I was curious to see what it would tell me about myself now, more than a decade later. 

On the surface, it’s an appealing idea: answer a series of questions, and in return, you get a snapshot of your greatest strengths. But, as  I took the test, and the more I sat with the results, the more I slowly started to ponder the real downsides.

What if, instead of replaying frustrations, you made it a habit to notice what’s going right? What if the last thought before sleep wasn’t about something annoying, but about something good? Gratitude isn’t just a pleasant feeling—it’s a tool. When we stop each day, even briefly, to look for what we can be grateful for, it changes the way we see our lives. The challenge, of course, is remembering to practice it. And what does that actually mean anyway?

Have you ever felt like your mind is full of static? Just attempting to make a simple decision can sometimes be a challenge because your own mind literally gets in the way. This struggle is often referred to as your monkey mind. There are many ways to quiet your mind. Meditation is one popular way, and I can personally say that it works at times. The practice of writing and actually exploring my thoughts is another.